Babatunde Olatunji

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Michael Babatunde Olatunji (born April 7, 1927 in Ajido , Nigeria , † April 6, 2003 in Salinas , California ) was a Nigerian percussionist , composer and promoter of West African music.

Live and act

Olatunji grew up in Nigeria and came into contact with traditional African music at an early age as a Yoruba . He came to North America in 1950 on a Rotary International scholarship to study administration at Morehouse College in Atlanta and then at New York University . There he initially founded a percussion group on the side. Through his acquaintance with John Hammond , he came in 1957 to a recording contract with Columbia Records . His first record was his “Drums of Passion” in 1959, one of the very first pure percussion albums. The success of the record meant that Olatunji also founded an ensemble of the same name, in which, for example, Clark Terry , Bill Lee , Horace Silver , Yusef Lateef and Charles Lloyd played.

The master drummer has not only made other recordings of his own, but has also performed with jazz musicians such as Julian Cannonball Adderley , Herbie Mann , Randy Weston and Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln in their productions, e.g. B. Freedom Now . He was also friends with John Coltrane , who named the piece Tunji, recorded in 1962, after him and supported him in establishing his Olatunji Center for African Culture in Harlem in April 1967 with a concert, one of his last live performances. With bassist Bill Lee he was involved in the music for the feature film Nola Darling (original title She's Gotta Have It ) by Spike Lee . Since 1985 he has taught at the Esalen Institute .

Olatunji has also been to Europe several times, but he was particularly active in North America as an ambassador for African music. He was the teacher of many percussionists in the USA, e. B. Mickey Hart , and together with Betty Warner-Dietz wrote the book Musical Instruments of Africa: Their Nature, Use and Place in the Life of a Deeply Musical People (John Day Company, 1965).

Olatunji is also known as the "father of world music ". Carlos Santana had a cover version of the on Drums of Passion contained Jingo-lo-ba his first big hit.

Publications

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 Records ) box set
  • Drums of Passion: Celebrate Freedom, Justice & Peace (1993)
  • Drums of Passion: The Beat (1989 Rykodisc )
  • Drums of Passion: The Invocation (1988 Rykodisc)
  • Dance to the Beat of My Drum (1986)
  • Soul Makossa (1973 Paramount) (Single / EP)
  • Olatunji
  • Flaming Drums (1962 Columbia)
  • Zungo! (1961)
  • Drums of Passion (1959)

Video albums

  • 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)

Fonts

  • with Betty Warner Dietz: Musical Instruments of Africa: their Nature, Use and Place in the Life of a Deeply Musical People. John Day Company, New York 1965
  • Yorùbá òde òní. T. Nelson, Ikeja (Lagos) 1980 (Yoruba language)
  • Drums of Passion Songbook: the Songs of Babatunde Olatunji. Olatunji Music, New York 1993
  • The Beat Of My Drum: An Autobiography. Temple University Press, Philadelphia 2005

literature

  • Gregory F. Barz: Olatunji, Babatunde. In: Grove Music Online , July 20, 2005

Web links

See also

personal data
SURNAME Olatunji, Babatunde
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Olatunji, Michael Babatunde
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Nigerian percussionist
DATE OF BIRTH April 7, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Ajido , Nigeria
DATE OF DEATH April 6, 2003
Place of death Salinas (California)