The great Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji passed away on Sunday from complications related to diabetes.
His 1960 album Drums of Passion (Link with sound samples) sold over five million copies, and is considered by many to be the first "world music" record — I've always hated that phrase, "world music," because it seems like such a lazy way to refer to everything "other," without recognizing the specific culture from which art emerges. Olatunji didn't make "world music," he played Nigerian music. But if calling him the godfather of "world music" means recognizing the fact that he introduced African music to pop and jazz audiences throughout the world, then I think that sounds just about right. I feel thankful for having had the opportunity to see him perfom live a few times when I was a teenager. The beauty of those performances will stay with me for a long time.
And he believed in peace. WP story about his death here, More about his life and work here, NPR tribute and audio archive (thanks, Stefan), Discuss
