Tony Allen's recent World Circuit / Nonesuch Records debut album, Secret Agent, was featured on the latest episode of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.

Host Rebecca Roberts talks to the legendary Nigerian drummer about his new album and about his storied career in music, not least his partnership with Fela Kuti. "Together, they basically invented an entirely new genre, Afrobeat," reports Roberts, who goes on to quote Kuti. "'Without Tony Allen,' Fela Kuti once said, 'there'd be no Afrobeat.'"

Roberts and Allen go on to discuss Allen's early influences, including Art Blakey and Max Roach, what inspires him now, and how his music can run from the political to the purely celebratory.

"There's a song like 'Celebrate' on your album," says Roberts, "which is, first of all, it's a great dance tune but it also just seems like this very positive affirmation of life."

You can listen to the segment online and hear music from the album at npr.org. To pick up a copy of the Secret Agent CD with the complete album as high-quality MP3s at no additional cost, head to the Nonesuch Store.

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Allen also recently spoke with Canadian music magazine Exclaim! about his music.

"Drummer Tony Allen continues to be at the forefront of Afrobeat after he helped invent the genre some 40 years ago," says Exclaim!'s David Dacks by way of introduction. "His style mixes profoundly jazzy funk with Nigerian influences. Watching him play, it seems as though all four limbs operate independently of one another yet somehow loosely sync up into an inimitable groove: kids, don't try this on your drum machines at home."

You can read the interview at exclaim.ca.