Drummer Tony Allen & Trumpeter Hugh Masekela Set to Release New Album

Jazz FM had an exclusive first play of 'We've Landed', the lead single taken from the upcoming release of a new project from legendary drummer Tony Allen. The album is called ‘Rejoice’ and was recorded with his friend, the late great trumpeter Hugh Masekela.

Speaking to us ahead of the play, he said the first track is dedicated to the young people of today. Tony explained, “the lyric addresses people at seventeen, eighteen, nineteen years old, who are slowly becoming more mature, finding out who they are and realising that it’s their generation’s turn to wake up!”

Having first met in the 70s thanks to their respective close associations with Fela Kuti, Allen, the Nigerian master drummer widely hailed as the co-founder of Afrobeat (and long-time member of alt-rock supergroup The Good The Bad & The Queen), and Masekela, South Africa’s legendary trumpet player, talked for decades about making an album together.

When, in 2010, their touring schedules coincided in the UK, the moment presented itself and producer Nick Gold took the opportunity to record their encounter. The unfinished sessions, consisting of all original compositions by the pair, lay in an archive until after Hugh passed away in 2018.

With renewed resolution, Tony Allen and Nick Gold, with the blessing and participation of Hugh’s estate, unearthed the original tapes and finished recording the album in summer 2019 at the same London studio where the original sessions had taken place. Allen and Masekela are accompanied on the record by a new generation of well-respected jazz musicians including Tom Herbert (Acoustic Ladyland / The Invisible), Joe Armon-Jones (Ezra Collective), Mutale Chashi (Kokoroko) and Steve Williamson.

Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela will release their very special collaborative new album ‘Rejoice’ through World Circuit on 20th March.

Tony Allen will perform songs from ‘Rejoice’ with a specially assembled band at two intimate shows at London’s Church of Sound on 12th and 13th March, with tickets now available.