Afro beat as a genre, isn't too drastically removed from the funk that was bubbling up in the States at about the same time that Tony Allen and Fela Kuti were figuring out some sax jams. There is of course that supplemental percussion on all of the Fela releases that adds an entirely new layer to the music. Funk wasn't missing that, it just wasn't incorporated in the same way.

Being the most famous constituent - and arguably the progenitor of the style - Fela counted a single drummer as a member of his band during the majority of his recorded life (we'll ignore the Ginger Baker recording, which was as much a marketing ploy as anything else). And for that reason Tony Allen needs to be afforded the same sort of reverence that Fela earned.

Picking up the drums a bit late - the 18 year old began playing at a radio station he worked at. And during this time - the early to mid '60s - a number of American jazz drummers were at the height of their ability. For that reason, in addition to the occasional African references in his music, Art Blakey as much as any other drummer informed the playing of Allen. Obviously, the JB's were necessary listening, but there was also probably a bit of Jamaican style tossed in there. After all, Africa was a huge market for the JA recording industry. But while all of these musical elements spurred on Allen's playing, the politics gleaned not just from Brown or Jamaica, but in his home of Nigeria informed Allen's music.

Beginning with Fela, the group's discs, while greatly void of vocals apart from some repeated choruses, all sported some sort of politically charged title. Everything from Unnecessary Begging to Expensive Shit rang out with Fela's diatribes on daily life, politics and power. It was during this time that Allen made a name for himself - even having Briano Eno call him the greatest drummer who has ever lived.

Arranging the music for the bloated Fela recording dates left Allen little time to work under his own name. But in '75 and '77, He would record Jealousy and Progress for the Soundworkshop imprint. These would be only two of three efforts recorded under his name during the decade, but the tunes represented herein are every bit as strong as the work turned in with Fela's group.

The two discs, combined here, are made up of a scant four songs - again similar to the work that Fela put to tape. And while the title of this disc isn't an overtly political message, the track entitled "Progress" surely portends some socio-economic overtones in its instrumental passages. Again, where Fela found it almost necessary to insert some chanting within his songs, Allen dispenses with that afro beat trapping save for the title track and it's follow up.

In part due to the nature of the genre in a general sense, Jealousy and Progress aren't readily identifiable as different from any Fela disc. There are less explosive moments, but the sax playing here isn't any less adept than on other discs that Allen lent his name to. So, apart from the fact that it's cool to sound like you know about afro beat, you might not need to add this disc to your stacks.