Tony Allen (1940-2020) revolutionized drumming by blending jazz, funk, and Yoruba rhythms, establishing himself as one of the most innovative and self-taught drummers of all time, the organization highlighted in a statement.
The rhythmic patterns created by the musician “transformed music and shaped ‘afrobeat’, a genre that permanently changed 20th-century popular music,” recalled the producer Omnichord, which, along with the Museum of Leiria, organizes Chapter.
Tony Allen’s legacy, “which continues to resonate in contemporary music”, is shared with the public at the Museum of Leiria until the end of November. Initially, starting from October 4, with the exhibition of a new work by visual artist Leonardo Rito, who envisioned what a cover of a Nigerian record would look like today.
On October 19, percussionists Vasco Silva, from Whales, and Pedro Marques, from First Breath After Coma, will perform at the museum a concert inspired by how Allen’s music would sound today.
The aim is to showcase “the pulsating energy of Tony Allen, a metronome with soul, whose legacy continues to live and resonate on stages worldwide.”
Throughout 2025, the Chapter cycle has already remembered Raymond Scott and Delia Derbyshire.
The British electronic music pioneer will be celebrated on Sunday with a special concert by Surma, who will also recreate live how Derbyshire’s music would sound in the present. The show starts at 18:00 and is free to attend.
The program will conclude in December with a session dedicated to the Japanese Ryuichi Sakamoto, by graphic designer Paulo Fuentez and musician Rui Gaspar, from First Breath After Coma.
