A master percussionist, Babatunde Lea plays what he calls the traponga, which is made up of three congas, a cajete, ( or cowbell ), trap drums and upright cymbals. Lea's music is often inspired by African and Caribbean rhythms even combined with the modern sound of other jazz musicians in the Twin Cities.

Throughout his career he has worked with jazz greats like Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner and Randy Weston.

For Lea, African drumming is also a spiritual experience and he enjoys passing on what he's learned as a member of our faculty here at Walker West.

This will be Babatunde Lea's second time performing for the Rondo Community Music Series.