As the anniversaries of pandemic lockdowns arrive, many of us have been reflecting on the people we’ve lost in the past year, whether from COVID or any other cause. If any good can come from all times, I hope we never again take for granted the opportunity to say goodbye or come together to celebrate a life.
Even as he reached his late 70s, Allen seemed creatively indefatigable. In 2017 he released his Blue Note debut, The Source, in 2018 he toured with techno legend Jeff Mills, and in 2019 he released Rejoice, a collaboration built from 2010 sessions with Hugh Masekela and completed following the South African trumpeter’s death in 2018.
