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Unpolluted human spirit preserved in master drummer’s African polyrhythms
There’s
something primal and joyous but also chilling about Nigerian master
drummer Babatunde Olatunji’s classic 1959 album Drums of Passion.
Perhaps this is why some of our finest musicians held him in such high
regard: Bob Dylan name-checked Olatunji in “I Shall Be Free,” John
Coltrane was inspired to compose “Tunji” in his honor, and Carlos
Santana made Drums of Passion’s “Jin-Go-Lo-Ba” one of his signature
tunes.
The album’s visceral, thunderous power opens a portal connecting us to a rich, human past from which we are now almost completely removed. For thousands of years, life on this planet was virtually the same—simple, unchanging. Now in the Information Age, Drums of Passion is an important reminder of who we really are—of that primordial rhythm that’s still deep within us, pulsing with each heartbeat.
Listen to Babatunde Olatunji's "Jin-Go-Lo-Ba" from Drums of Passion:
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Bought this about two years ago when I started to explore Africa's musicians. This is an album or CD any drummer should own...this is from 1960 but it could be 1860. Ancient songs brought to the new world. I've seen a video clip of Babatunde playin live with the Greatful Dead! A must-have for people who love djembes, gourd shakers, and chanting in different languages.