Drums of Passion

Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji enjoyed a rich musical legacy during his lifetime. He is credited as being one of the first musicians to bring genuine African music to Western ears en masse, having burst on the scene in 1959 with his debut, Drums of Passion. Here he is warming up for the Deadin 1986.

It was the first known album of traditional West African drumming and chants to be recorded in the United States (Olatunji moved to Atlanta in 1950 before relocating permanently to New York City), and was released during a high tide of political and cultural change-- including appearing alongside epochal jazz recordings by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and Ornette Coleman. As listeners were exposed to different styles and the collective interest in world music and jazz continued to grow in popularity, Olatunji helped turn people's attention away from the corny melodies that dominated the exotica genre fad by offering authentic, captivating songs from his native homeland.

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...THIS is a DUDE! for the REAL DEAL on Babatunde Olatunji go HERE, and download his drum tuition video. Listen to his philosophy as he guides you through the first stages of talking with the voices of the drums. Then go HERE and raise your spirits along with the master - "The spirit of the drum is something that you feel but cannot put your hands on," Olatunji once explained to an interviewer. "It does something to you from the inside out. It hits people in so many different ways, but the feeling is one that is satisfying and joyful."...