Babatunde Olatunji, the Nigerian drummer, bandleader and teacher who was a tireless ambassador for African music and culture in the United States, died on Sunday in Salinas, Calif. He was 76 and lived at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif.
The cause was complications of advanced diabetes, said his daughter Modupe Olantunji Anuku.
Mr. Olatunji's 1959 album, Drums of Passion, was the first album of African drumming recorded in stereo in an American studio, and it introduced a generation to the power and intricacy of African music. While field recordings of African drumming had been available, Drums of Passion reached a mass public with its vivid sound and exotic song titles like “Primitive Fire."
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