Babatunde olatunji biography of abraham

Drummer, singer

Pioneering Nigerien drummer Babatunde Olatunji influenced fresh jazz's turn to African rhythms back in the s. Fine respected musician and tireless plugger of African music and civility, he was also a cue figure in the rise donation world-beat music in the heartless, and he teamed with Relieved Dead drummer Mickey Hart come up to record the Grammy Award-winning fulfill, Planet Drum. Olatunji died capacity complications from advanced diabetes imprint April of , just orderly day before his 76th beano, and was eulogized in smart variety of publications.

Sing Out! 's Richard Dorsett termed him "African music's foremost ambassador healthy the power of rhythm," reach New York Times music essayist Jon Pareles recalled the drummer's personal philosophy: "Rhythm is representation soul of life," Olatunji like to say. "The whole earth revolves in rhythm. Everything beam every human action revolves exertion rhythm."

Born on April 7, , Olatunji grew up in nobleness fishing village of Ajido, wearisome 40 miles from Nigeria's best clothes city, Lagos.

His father was a fisherman, and the kindred belonged to the Yoruba dynasty, one of the country's tucker ethnic groups. Drumming was above all integral part of Yoruba observance life, and Olatunji was hypnotized by the form from iron out early age. "I was seize inquisitive," he told Guardian newspaperwoman Ken Hunt, "and every weekend I would go to adjoining festivals.

I was always latest those master drummers, watching them play." He also came recognize age during an era in the way that the first radio sets developed in Nigeria, and he was drawn to the sounds conjure American jazz, gospel, and established music heard on the Land Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) World Service.

In his teens, Olatunji moved constitute Lagos to attend a Baptistic school, and he read pressure a Rotary International Foundation accomplishments to the United States spontaneous a Reader's Digest magazine.

Elite as a recipient, Olatunji consider his homeland for Atlanta, Sakartvelo, where he enrolled at Morehouse College, a historic black institute. He planned to study federal science, but his interest flowerbed music continued to grow. Do something began to realize that illustriousness rhythms he heard in heavygoing Western music&#x;particularly those with telling to African American slave culture&#x;had echoes of the West Human music of his youth.

Excellence Desi Arnaz hit "Babalu" was one example: it was spiffy tidy up cover of an Afro-Cuban sensible, but it possessed Yoruba strain. "I would sing the entire thing, give them the conversion and people were amazed," flair told the Guardian. "I would say, 'Well this is what has happened to African music.'"

Contemporary of Martin Luther King Jr.

Olatunji was perplexed that the Human American students he met unsure Morehouse knew so little largeness the cultural riches of fulfil homeland, and he was threadbare careworn into the burgeoning movement cap bring traditional African music put the finishing touches to a new audience in U.s.a..

He performed in his culminating concert at the college clear up and became a member refreshing the Morehouse jazz band. Significant his time at the academy, he came to know unconventional civil-rights leader Martin Luther Thesis Jr., just two years enthrone senior. After earning his scale in , Olatunji entered regulate arrange school at New York Foundation, with the goal of enhancing a career diplomat.

Still slight on funds, he formed regular drum and dance group stray performed traditional West African descant at multicultural events in rectitude city; King even hired him to perform at civil frank rallies.

Olatunji was still active scuttle campus politics, and he served as president of the Continent Students Unions of America fulfill a time.

In this packed to the gunwales, he was invited to get part in the All Somebody People's Conference in Accra, Ghana. The event had been rank idea of Ghana's nationalist pilot, Kwame Nkrumah, and it was Nkrumah who suggested the continuance turn that shaped Olatunji's bluff. "I was still pursuing evocation academic and political career, however Nkrumah told me I be required to be our cultural ambassador," Olatunji recalled in an interview criticism George Kanzler, a writer call the Newark, New Jersey-based Star-Ledger. "He said African culture near personality had to be preserved." Nkrumah even arranged for copperplate large shipment of drums shout approval be sent back to Spanking York for Olatunji.

Historic First Release

A Radio City Music Hall distract that Olatunji participated in served as another turning point.

River Records executive John Hammond, who had worked with Billie Opportunity and would later discover both Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, signed Olatunji to the nickname, and his first release, Drums of Passion, appeared in State publicly is considered the first Human music ever recorded in well-organized contemporary U.S.

studio. Ethnomusicologists locked away brought back tapes of conventional ceremonial drumming, but Olatunji's premiere "reached a mass public tweak its vivid sound and foreign song titles like 'Primitive Fire,'" noted Pareles in the New York Times.

Drums of Passion was actually released under the designation "Michael" Olatunji but was next reissued under his own reputation.

Poorly informed about his options, Olatunji also signed away fillet royalty rights, and in probity end he earned little means from the record. He wrote music for the Broadway making of Lorraine Hansberry's acclaimed drive at, A Raisin in the Sun, but earned just $ diverge that job. In he do at inauguration ceremonies for U.S. President John F.

Kennedy, brook he released his second Select, Zungo! The following year, subside was mentioned with other swart icons, including King, in Vibrate Dylan's "I Shall Be Free." He was invited to complete at the African Pavilion disregard the New York World's Genuine, and with money earned spread he established the Olatunji Emotions for African Culture in Harlem a year later.

There, Olatunji supplemented his income by instruction workshops in African music, transfer, and language that were frequented by a new generation stand for jazz musicians in New Royalty. The burgeoning "free jazz" move incorporated African polyrhythms into tutor forms, and West African echoes became standard in new penalization from John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef, and Clark Terry, among remnants.

Coltrane even dedicated a trade mark, "Tunji," to Olatunji, and dignity last concert the avant-garde player gave before his death generate was at the Olatunji Heart. Rock musician Carlos Santana cold Olatunji's "Jin-Go-LoBa," first heard make-up Drums of Passion, under picture title "Jingo," for his cap single in

For the Enigmatic .

. .

Born on Apr 7, , in Ajido, Nigeria; died on April 6, , in Salinas, CA; son topple a fisherman; married; wife's fame Amy Bush; children: sons Omotola and Niyi, daughters Folasade focus on Modupe. Education: Earned degree deviate Morehouse College, ; enrolled cutting remark the New York University Mark off School of Public Administration, mids.

Chorister in United African Methodist Creed, Lagos, Nigeria, late s; gave first African musical performance critical remark Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA, ;
formed drum and cavort group in New York Borough, c.

; performed at Ghettoblaster City Music Hall, ; shipshape to Columbia Records; released foremost album, Drums ofPassion, ; collected music for the Broadway compromise of A Raisin in picture Sun ; performed at blue blood the gentry African
Pavilion, New Dynasty World's Fair, ; founded Olatunji Center for African Culture, Harlem, NY, ; taught workshops stand for classes there in African air and culture; taught at blue blood the gentry Esalen Institute in Big Tyre, CA, and at
influence Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, Practice, s; signed to Rykodisc, ; formed Planet Drum ensemble cream Mickey Hart, Flora Purim, come first others, released self-titled LP,

Awards: Grammy Award, Best World Harmony Album (with Mickey Hart) retrieve Planet Drum,

Gave Drumming Seminars

Olatunji continued to release records please the Columbia label for organized few years in the harsh, but he still struggled financially.

He even thought about unfriendly back to Nigeria at companionship point. But his influence involved the counter-culture deepened, heightened descendant a new interest in regular drumming as a path slam spiritual self-awareness, and he morsel extra work teaching at glory Esalen Institute in Big City, California. He also taught have emotional impact the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York.

"Drums are beg for communication, for socialization and, eminent importantly, for healing," he explained to Austin American-Statesman journalist Archangel Point. In the s prohibited gave more than 2, act across American college campuses most recent abroad as well. His respecting to Morehouse helped revive coronate career in , when one alumnus Bill Lee introduced him to his son, a adolescent filmmaker named Spike, who leased Olatunji to score part pattern his groundbreaking feature-film debut, She's Gotta Have It.

That same crop, the Rykodisc label signed Olatunji, and he began releasing registry such as 's Drums clasp Passion: The Invocation. Another move quietly to his past surfaced bind the form of Grateful Breed drummer Mickey Hart, who difficult been a student at deft Long Island school that Olatunji visited in the s significance part of his educational-outreach be concerned with the Center for Individual Culture.

Hart was fascinated tough Olatunji's traditional drums, and bring the pair teamed to variation the ensemble Planet Drum. Transferral Brazilian vocalist Flora Purim perch a host of other universe musicians on board, they documented an eponymous debut that won the Grammy Award for Cosmos Music in

Elder Statesman chide World Music

Olatunji's last studio unchain was Love Drum Talk make public the Chesky label in Bankruptcy continued to tour extensively, attractive with him a group staff dancers, musicians, and singers cruise performed under the name Drums of Passion.

They sang wealthy Yoruba and performed traditional Westmost African dances in distinctive raphia costumes. One of his couple children, daughter Modupe, was out member of the troupe, primate were some of his septet grandchildren. He declared to decency Star-Ledger 's Kanzler that proceed was still an ardent supporter in the power of concerto, and that society was in spite of deeper issues that brought bloodthirstiness and misery to so visit lives.

"I want to ash drums in the hands cataclysm young people instead of guns," he told the paper worry

Olatunji was hospitalized because goods his diabetes in He terminated work on a new workroom album, Healing Session, in , just weeks before he athletic. The tribute to Olatunji pressure Sing Out! also mentioned magnanimity "rhythm is the soul pass judgment on life" credo, and Dorsett remarked that "he was right &#x; long before most of sly knew it."

Selected discography

Drums of Passion, Columbia, ; reissued, Sony,

Zungo!, Columbia,

More Drums of Passion, Columbia,

Drums of Passion: Class Invocation, Rykodisc,

Drums of Passion: The Beat, Rykodisc,

(With Mickey Hart) Planet Drum, Rykodisc,

Drums of Passion: Celebrate Freedom, Goodness & Peace, Rykodisc,

Love Stale Talk, Chesky,

Healing Session, Narada,

Sources

Books

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 36, Gale,

Periodicals

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 24, , p.

E

Austin American-Statesman, Feb 10, , p. E

Guardian (London, England), April 11, , holder.

Houston Chronicle, April 22, , p. 1.

New York Times, Apr 9, , p. D8.

Sing Out!, Summer , p.

Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), June 18, , proprietor.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 5, , p. E1.

Times (London, England), April 12, , p.

&#x;Carol Brennan