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Femi Koleoso, Tony Allen, Billy Cobham, Dele Sosimi

Ezra Collective鈥檚 Femi Koleoso talks to Tony Allen, Billy Cobham, and Dele Sosimi all about drumming for legends, and why you should love what you do.

Previously broadcast on the 麻豆社 World Service, Music Life is a show in which four musicians from around the world share their experiences of a life in music.

This one's for those with rhythm. Ezra Collective drummer Femi Koleoso and Dele Sosimi of Fela Kuti's Egypt 80 are joined on Music Life by two of the greatest drummers of all time - Billy Cobham and Tony Allen. Nigeria's Tony Allen passed away not long after this was recorded. With his band mate Fela Kuti he founded the Afrobeat sound, which led Fela to declare: "without Tony there would be no Afrobeat". Billy Cobham is a Panamanian-American jazz drummer who played with Miles Davis in the 60s and 70s, before forming the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He's gone on to play with Peter Gabriel, Quincy Jones, James Brown and many more. Dele Sosimi is a Nigerian-British musician who also played with Fela Kuti, playing keyboards in his Egypt 80 band, before forming Positive Force with Fela's son Femi Kuti.

Femi Koleoso gets to put questions to his musical heroes; the musicians he鈥檚 looked up to which have made him the musician he is today, leading to his work with London jazz group Ezra Collective, Jorja Smith, and Loyle Carner.

1 hour

Music Played

  • Ezra Collective

    Quest For Coin

  • Miles Davis

    Honky Tonk

  • Max Roach

    Lonesome Lover

  • Fela Kuti

    Roforofo Fight

  • Dele Sosimi

    E Go Betta

  • Billy Cobham

    Anxiety

  • Billy Cobham

    Stratus

  • Ezra Collective

    Mace Windu Riddim

  • Dele Sosimi

    Where We Want Be

  • Koola Lobitos

    Fere

  • Fela Kuti

    Eko Ile

  • Billy Cobham

    29

  • Tony Allen

    Moving On

Broadcast

  • Sun 27 Dec 2020 13:00