Drumming Love Story

"To Sister Joy. One Love. Baba Olatunji. Nov. 7. 1996."

© Joy Krauthammer 2.7.2015

"To Sister Joy.  One Love.  Baba Olatunji.  Nov. 7. 1996."

© Joy Krauthammer 2.7.2015

In this Joyous Personal Love Story ~ following my heart and passion about drums ever since I was a teen, I share that I became a drummer 23 years after teen years and my first drum interest. I'm still performing world music on ethnic hand drums 29 years after my first drum kit lesson in 1986.

Pictured is my beloved large djembe, commissioned and made personally for me over 2 decades ago (around 1992) by master drummer, Paolo Mattioli, obm, when he was living in Topanga Canyon.  Paulo called it a "cadillac", maybe because of its beveled edges. (It did cost more than any other djembe.)

Today, as I do most weeks, I 'performed' with my djembe. I love it that renowned drum master Babatunde Olatunji*, obm, AKA Baba, autographed my drum when I was accompanying him Nov. 7, 1996, at Rusty's club on the Santa Monica Pier.

Olatunji's "Drums of Passion" was the very first LP album that I ever purchased. As a teen, I traveled by myself by bus and subway from Queens into Manhattan (with my babysitting hard earned dollars), to a big music store. This is the album that deeply touched my soul. I knew nothing about African music but listening on the store's head sets, I loved Drums of Passion.

My first African drum teachers were 'Baba's' colleagues (i.e. Nigerian priest, Ayo Adeyemi). Then finally, the LOVE STORY with drumming continued when I got to play with Baba, and not only listen to his album in a store as I had done a couple decades earlier. 

A dream I had never even imagined. A beshert (meant to be) story from the very beginning.

*Story of Babatunde Olatunji  http://babatunde-olatunji.blogspot.com

 JOY'S STORY  http://joys-music.blogspot.com

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