THE MEASTRO CALLED OLATUNJI IN THE WESTERN WORLD

THE MEASTRO CALLED OLATUNJI IN THE WESTERN WORLD

April 7, 1927 – Babatunde Olatunji was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist and recording artist was born in Ajido, Lagos State, Nigeria on this date in 1927.

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 program, and applied for it.

He went to the United States of America in 1950. Olatunji received a Rotary scholarship in 1950 and was educated at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he desired to, but never sang in the Morehouse College Glee Club.

Olatunji was a good friend of Glee Club director Dr. Wendell P. Whalum and collaborated with him on a staple of the choir’s repertoire, “Betelehemu”, a Nigerian Christmas carol.

After graduating from Morehouse, he 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.

Columbia Records A&R man John Hammond signed Olatunji to the Columbia label in 1957. In 1959 Olatunji released his first of six records on the Columbia label, called Drums of Passion.

Drums of Passion became a major hit and remains in print; it introduced many Americans to world music. Drums of Passion also served as the band’s name. Notable members included; Clark Terry, Bill Lee, Horace Silver, Yusef Lateef, Sikiru Adepoju, Charles Lloyd, Sanga of The Valley, and William “Spaceman” Patterson among others.

Olatunji won a following among jazz musicians, notably creating a strong relationship with John Coltrane, with whose help he founded the Olatunji Center for African Culture in Harlem. This was the site of Coltrane’s final performance. Olatunji recorded with many other prominent musicians including Cannonball Adderley, 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!, and with Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart on his Grammy winning Planet Drum projects.

He is also mentioned in the lyrics of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Free” as recorded on the album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. In 1969, Carlos Santana had a major hit with his cover version of this first album’s “Jin-go-lo-ba”, which Santana recorded on his debut album, Santana, as “Jingo.”

Olatunji’s subsequent recordings include Drums of Passion: The Invocation (1988), Drums of Passion: The Beat (1989), Love Drum Talk (1997), Circle of Drums (2005), and Olatunji Live at Starwood with guest Halim El-Dabh.

He also contributed to Peace Is The World Smiling: A Peace Anthology For Families on the Music For Little People label (1993). Olatunji favored a big percussion sound, and his records typically featured more than 20 players, unusual for a percussion-based ensemble. Olatunji was part of Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum projects, including the album Planet Drum, which won the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album of 1991, the first year for which the award was given. He was an inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2001. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABATUNDE OLATUNJI!!!! {R.I.P}