(Strut)

www.strut-records.com

The excellent K7 subsidiary Strut Records continues its Inspiration Information series, in where the label pairs up modern artists with their sonic heroes for one-off collaborative jams of magnanimous proportions, by bringing together Finnish music impresario Jimi Tenor with Afro-beat legend Tony Allen for the fourth volume of this ongoing cycle of creativity.

And, just as it had enjoyed with Vol. 3's acclaimed union of UK progressive groove theorists The Heliocentrics and legendary Ethiopian bandleader Mulatu Astatke, the coming together of Tenor and Allen yields a most enjoyable adventure that plays upon both parties' compositional strengths compounded by the spontaneity of the jam session in and of itself. It was said that Allen actually had no idea who Tenor even was before Strut approached him on the idea of working with the genre-hopping Norwegian musician. Recorded in Berlin, Finland and Paris over the course of winter 2008-2009, one could never tell from these nine tracks that Tenor and Allen had never worked together before, as the funk this pair lays down is tighter and nastier than a Tsetse fly's tweeter.

Flanked by the help of members of Tenor's back-up band Kabu Kabu, Allen and Tenor maneuver through the side streets of dusty old soul, break-heavy Schifrin-esque incidiental score music, world-wise jazz, buggy dub, heavy psyche funk and politically charged hip-hop, all powered by the uncanny drumming of Allen, who sounds like he hasn't had as much fun behind his drum kit since his days in Fela Kuti's Afrika 70. Tenor's skills as both an arranger and musician truly shine as well here, particularly on the 13-minute Afro-acid boogie "Three Continents", the polyrhythmic rocksteady of "Selfish Gene" and the urban jazz throwdown "Path to Wisdom", which features vocals by the Berlin-based MC Allonymous, whose lyrics waxing conspiratorial about the Draconian-Reptilian agenda, the Bilderberg Group and the chemtrail phenomenon could easily earn him a place as paranoid paleoconservative radio star Alex Jones's favorite rapper.

While it's not certain who Strut Records have in mind to combine for Vol. 5, whomever they pair up will certainly have quite a challenge topping the dynamic duo of Jimi Tenor and Tony Allen.

Standout Tracks: "Selfish Gene", "Path to Wisdom", "Darker Side of Night", "Three Continents" RON HART