Percussion master Babatunde Olatunji on the cover of his groundbreaking 1959 release "Drums of Passion." A digitally remastered version was released in 2000.

Babatunde Olatunji (April 7, 1927 - April 6, 2003) was a Nigerian drummer. April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863 Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian. ...

Born in the village of Ajido, Nigeria, a member of the Yoruba people, Olatunji was introduced to traditional African music at an early age. He read in Reader's Digest magazine about the Rotary International Foundation's scholarship programme, and applied for it. He came to the United States of America on a Rotary scholarship in 1950 and was educated at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. The Yoruba (Yorùbá in Yoruba orthography) are a large ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in Africa; the majority of them speak the Yoruba language (ede Yorùbá). The Yoruba constitute approximately 30 percent of Nigerias total population[], and around 22 million individuals throughout the region of West... A tradition is a story or a custom that is memorized and passed down from generation to generation, originally without the need for a writing system. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Rotary International is an organization of Rotary Clubs (service clubs) located all over the world (more than 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas). ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Morehouse College is a private, all-male, historically black liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. ... Nickname: Hotlanta, The Big Peach, The ATL, A-Town, Home of the Oomp Camp Location in Fulton County in the state of Georgia Coordinates: Country United States State Georgia Counties Fulton, Dekalb Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Area    - City 343. ...

After graduating from Morehouse, Olatunji went on to New York University to study public administration. There, he started a small percussion group to earn money on the side while he continued his studies. He won a following among jazz musicians, notably creating a strong relationship with John Coltrane and Columbia Records A&R man John Hammond who signed him to the Columbia label in 1957. New York University (NYU) is a major research university in New York City. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans at around the start of the 20th century. ... John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967), nicknamed Trane, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... There are two John Hammonds of note. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

With Coltrane's help, he founded the Olatunji Center for African Culture in Harlem. This was the site of Coltrane's final performance. For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ...

In 1959 Olatunji released his first of six records on the Columbia label, called Drums of Passion. Carlos Santana had a major hit with his cover version of this first album's Jingo-lo-ba. Olatunji favoured a big percussion sound, and his records typically featured more than 20 players, unusual for a percussion based ensemble. Drums of Passion became a major hit and remains in print; it introduced many Americans to world music. Drums of Passion also served as his band name. This band included at, various times, among others; Clark Terry, Bill Lee, Horace Silver, Yusef Lateef and Charles Lloyd. Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947), known simply as Carlos Santana or Santana, is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. ... World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ... Clark Terry performs with the Great Lakes Navy Band Jazz Ensemble Clark Terry (born December 14, 1920) is an American swing and bop trumpeter and flugelhorn player. ... Bill Lee (born July 23, 1928 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American musician. ... Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver, born on September 2, 1928 in Norwalk, Connecticut) is a famous jazz pianist and composer born to a Cape Verdean father (of mixed Portuguese-black descent) and a mother of Irish and African descent. ... Album cover of Eastern Sounds Dr. Yusef Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston, October 9, 1920) is an American jazz musician. ... Charles Lloyd on stage with Billy Higgins Charles Lloyd (March 15, 1938-) is an American jazz musician. ...

Olatunji's subsequent recordings include Drums of Passion: The Invocation (1988), Drums of Passion: The Beat (1989) which included Airto Moreira and Carlos Santana, Love Drum Talk (1997), and Olatunji Live at Starwood (2003 - recorded at the 1997 Starwood Festival[1]) with guest Halim El-Dabh. Olatunji also recorded with Cannonball Adderley on his African Waltz album, Horace Silver, Quincy Jones, Pee Wee Ellis, Stevie Wonder, Randy Weston, and with Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln on the pivotal Freedom Now Suite aka We Insist, with Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart on his Grammy winning Planet Drum projects, and with Muruga Booker and Sikiru Adepoju on Circle of Drums (2005). 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Airto Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian Jazz percussionist and musician. ... Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947), known simply as Carlos Santana or Santana, is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Logo from 1999 Starwood is a festival presented by the Association for Consciousness Exploration (ACE), along with many volunteers during a week in the month of July. ... Halim El-Dabh (b. ... Cannonball Adderley, 1960 Julian Edwin Cannonball Adderley (September 15, 1928 - August 8, 1975), originally from Tampa, Florida, was a jazz alto saxophonist of the small combo era of the 1950s and 1960s. ... Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver, born on September 2, 1928 in Norwalk, Connecticut) is a famous jazz pianist and composer born to a Cape Verdean father (of mixed Portuguese-black descent) and a mother of Irish and African descent. ... Quincy Jones on the cover of Back on the Block (1989). ... Pee Wee Ellis is an American saxophonist. ... Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, named later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris), [1] is an African American singer, songwriter, record producer, musician, and social activist. ... Randy Weston (b. ... Jazz in 3/4 time cover released in 1957 on EmArcy Maxwell Lemuel Roach (born January 10 (according to the official records, though his family claims January 8), 1924)to parents Alphonse and Cressie Roach. ... Abbey Lincoln (born Anna Marie Wooldridge on August 6, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois) is a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress, who is widely respected for her writing skills. ... The Grateful Dead were an American psychedelia-influenced rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. ... Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born September 11, 1943) is known as one of the two drummers from the rock band the Grateful Dead. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Olatunji composed music for the Broadway and Hollywood productions of Raisin in the Sun. He assisted Bill Lee with the music for his son Spike Lee's hit film She's Gotta Have It. Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... ... Lorraine Hansberrys 1959 A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway. ... Bill Lee (born July 23, 1928 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American musician. ... Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Spike Lee, is a controversial American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with social and political issues. ... Shes Gotta Have It is a 1986 comedy-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee. ...

Olatunji was known for making a brief impassioned speech for social justice before performing in front of a live audience. His progressive political beliefs are outlined in "The Beat Of My Drum: An Autobiography," with a foreword by Joan Baez, (Temple University Press, 2005). He toured the American south with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. When he performed before the United Nations General Assembly, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev took off his shoes and danced. Later, he was one of the first outside performers to perform in Prague at Václav Havel's request. On July 21, 1979, he appeared at the Amandla Festival along with Bob Marley, Dick Gregory, Patti LaBelle and Eddie Palmieri, amongst others. Progressivism is a term that refers to a broad school of contemporary international social and political philosophies. ... Joan Chandos Báez (born January 9, 1941) is an American folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style. ... Temple University is a university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Martin Luther King Jr. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (Russian: ; IPA: ); surname more accurately romanized as Khrushchyov; April 17, 1894 [O.S. April 5]–September 11, 1971) was the leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Joseph Stalin. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Václav Havel (official portrait) Václav Havel, GCB, CC (IPA: ) (VA-slav HA-vel) (born October 5, 1936) is a Czech writer and dramatist. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... The Amandla Festival was a world music festival that took place in the Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 21, 1979. ... Robert Nesta Marley, OM (February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981), commonly known as Bob Marley, was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holt on May 24, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an R&B/soul legend who fronted two moderately successful groups before achieving success as a solo artist in the late 1970s and in the process has influenced a new generation of female singers. ... Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936 in New York City) - pianist and bandleader. ...

Olatunji also contributed to "Peace Is The World Smiling: A Peace Anthology For Families" on the Music For Little People label (1989). 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Olatunji is mentioned in the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Free" as recorded on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... The Freewheelin Bob Dylan, released May 27, 1963, was folk musician Bob Dylans second LP. This release established him as a songwriter of premier importance. ...

Olatunji was also a music educator, and invented a method of teaching and recording drum patterns. He co-wrote, "Musical Instruments of Africa: Their Nature, Use and Place in the Life of a Deeply Musical People" with Betty Warner-Dietz (John Day Company, 1965). He taught at the Esalen Institute in California starting in 1985 until his death from diabetes in 2003. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Esalen Institute is a center for humanistic education, a nonprofit organization devoted to multidisciplinary studies ordinarily neglected by traditional academia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Discography

• Circle of Drums (2005 Chesky)
• Healing Session (2003 Narada)
• Olatunji Live at Starwood (2003) Recorded Live at the Starwood Festival 1997
• Drums of Passion [Expanded] (2002)
• Love Drum Talk (1997 Chesky)
• Drums of Passion and More (1994 Bear Family) Box Set
• Drums of Passion: Celebrate Freedom, Justice & Peace (1993)
• Drums of Passion: The Beat (1989 Rykodisc)
• Drums of Passion: The Invocation (1988 Rykodisc)
• Soul Makossa (1973 Paramount) (Single/EP)
• Dance to the Beat of My Drum
• Olatunji
• Flaming Drums (1962 Columbia Records CS8666)
• Zungo! (1961)
• Drums of Passion (1959)

Video/DVD Logo from 1999 Starwood is a festival presented by the Association for Consciousness Exploration (ACE), along with many volunteers during a week in the month of July. ...

• Olatunji Live at Starwood [DVD] (2005 ACE) Recorded Live at the Starwood Festival 1997
• African Drumming [Instructional Video] (2004)
• Love Drum Talk [Video] (1998 CHE, TMS, Chesky)

Also Appears On Logo from 1999 Starwood is a festival presented by the Association for Consciousness Exploration (ACE), along with many volunteers during a week in the month of July. ...

• 2000 Afeni Shakur Discusses "The Rose That Grew from Concrete, Vol. 1"
• 2000 Club Africa, Vol. 2: Hard African Funk, Afro-Jazz, & Original Afro-Beat
• 2000 The Rose That Grew from Concrete
• 1998 Mondo Beat: Masters of Percussion
• 1998 New Visions: World Rhythms
• 1998 Selections from Mondo Beat
• 1995 The Big Bang
• 1994 The Best of Both Worlds: Rykodisc/Hannibal World Music Sampler
• 1994 The Big Bang: In the Beginning Was a Drum
• 1991 Around the World for a Song (Rykodisc)
• 1991 Planet Drum - Mickey Hart (Rykodisc)
• 1990 At the Edge - Mickey Hart (Rykodisc)

References

• Reference to Starwood Festival appearance in poet Ray McNiece bio [2]

See also

• Polyrhythm

Polyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms. ...

External links

• Babatunde Olatunji's official website
• Second official website
• Babatunde Olatunji at the African Music Encyclopedia
• Babatunde Olatunji's personal page
• Salon Feature on Olatunji
• Interview with Olatunji, October 2000