(AFR 125 - 09.10.26) Babatunde Olatunji and West African Drumming Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, instruments, concepts, and historical facts about Babatunde Olatunji and African musical culture from the lecture notes.

Babatunde Olatunji

A renowned Nigerian drummer, composer, educator, and activist born on April 7, 1927, who popularized African music and Yoruba culture in the United States.

Drums of Passion

Babatunde Olatunji's famous debut album released under Columbia Records, which sold 5,000,000 copies and was added to the National Recording Registry in 2004.

Talking drum (Dun dun)

A West African drum with pitch controlled via tension cords when squeezed, used to mimic the tonal inflections of the Yoruba language.

Agogo

A traditional West African double iron bell hand-forged from iron that denotes the structural timeline and holds the tempo of a performance.

Yoruba flywhisk

A traditional object held by Olatunji at the beginning of his performance as a symbol of power, respect, and authority.

Kiwoowo

A song of greeting or to lift the spirits, performed using a call-and-response musical form.

Olatunji Center for African Culture

A center established in 1968 in Harlem to provide African music, dance, and language lessons to children and the community.

Aigido

A small fishing town near Badagry and Lagos, Nigeria, where Babatunde Olatunji was born in 1927.

Babatunde (Name Meaning)

A name meaning 'father has returned', given to Olatunji because he was born two months after his father passed away.

Trinity of Drumming

Olatunji's concept that drumming unites three spirits: the spirit of the tree, the life force of the animal skin, and the spirit of the percussionist.

John Hammond

The Columbia Records executive who discovered and signed Babatunde Olatunji to a record deal in 1957.

Djembe

A well-known West African hand drum played with hands that produces both deep resonant tones and high sounds.