Prague, 1998: Babatunde Olatunji, master of drums and virtuoso of West African percussion, had a midnight gig. A fan nudged through the crowd at the concert's end. Holding out the worn cover of a vinyl LP album, he asked for Babatunde's autograph. The record? Babatunde's famous Drums of Passion, © Columbia Records 1959. recorded forty years earlier in New York City, 1958.
Babatunde Gives Autographs all the time. But this was different. The man asking for the autograph was a member of the Prague Symphony Orchestra—a violinist. Babatunde Olatunji (pronounced baba-TUN-deeola-TUN-gee) has dedicated his life to spreading the drumbeat of African music and heritage to people around the world (including classical musicians from the Czech Republic), helping to unify humanity and break down cultural and racial boundaries. For him, music is not mere entertainment. Music liberates. Drums heal. They're messengers of love—connecting people to others and to the deepest life-rhythms of prayer, health, and equality. They're a call to freedom. They're a rallying cry to human rights; a symbol, ultimately, of roots and royalty for the second largest of Earth's seven continents, Babatunde's homeland—Africa.
"The drum is a very important instrument," explained Babatunde on the eve of his recent induction into the Harlem Hall of Fame. "Rhythm is the soul of life. The whole universe revolves in rhythm. Everything and every human action revolves in rhythm. Many Africans feel that moving out of rhythm is the basis of disease. Many tones of the drums help bring you to your senses, especially when people play together. So the healing starts there."
