This CD offers you a look inside the Santeria traditions as practiced in the home of one of the oldest and most respected Santeros in Matanzas, Cuba: Alfredo Calvo.

The CD includes a full cycle of praise songs to the Orishas, played on the sacred drums called Aña and sung by Alfredo Calvo. The CD also presents, for the first time, the sacred Lukumi Bembe Makagua, which were made in the early 20th century as war drums for the Orisha Chango.

Alfredo Calvo is the last surviving godchild of Ferminita Gomez, a Yoruba ex-slave who founded one of the most important branches (the Egboda) of the Afro-Cuban religion popularly known as Santeria.

Calvo was crowned a priest of Agayu by Ferminita when he was 12 and she was 102. It was foretold during his initiation that he would be the person to carry on the traditions of her house.

Hundreds of godchildren and many sets of Aña have been born in his house (including the first set of Aña ever brought to the United States, by Francisco Aguabella), and he has taught dozens of drummers, singers, and priests of the religion.

The CD is structured around the presentation of a newly initiated priest (Iyawo) of Chango, the warrior Orisha of thunder and lightening. In Havana and the United States, such a presentation is a rather cursory affair, but in Matanzas it is the way in which the new priest is presented to the community as well as the drums, and it is an elaborate event.

The priest is dressed in the full satin regalia of his or her Orisha, ceremoniously brought out from his throne to be paraded before the community and then presented to the drums. Then the community joins in, singing and dancing as the akpon (lead singer) and the Aña drummers play praise songs to each of the main Orishas.

To see a presentation like this first-hand, please see Kabiosile's DVD "Vamos al Tambor: Presentations in Matanzas, Cuba (http://cdbaby.com/cd/alfredocalvo2 ).

In addition to the traditional Aña drumming and praise songs, this CD also includes a track of never-before-recorded Lukumi Bembe Makagua drums, which were made as war drums for Chango in the early 20th century. These drums, which are similar to Arara bembe drums, are

* upright (as opposed to the hourglass across-the-lap style of Aña and bata drums) and

* are played with sticks (and, in the case of the main drums, one hand and one stick).

Alfredo Calvo was present at the birth of the Makagua drums. In recent years, he has created a drumming innovation of bringing in the Bembe drums to play along with the Aña, then switching the entire tambor to Bembe. The sound is unique and powerful. Whatever Orishas didn't come down to join the party before are sure to arrive as soon as the crowd and drums break into "Marele Okuo," which means "Something new has been born."

Reviews:

"Fifty years from now, this will be considered one of the most important recordings to come out of Matanzas," says Michael Spiro, master drummer (see his newest CD at http://cdbaby.com/cd/spirowilliams)

BataDrums.com writes in a recent review: "This amazing new recording is performed by powerful musicians and recorded beautifully....[Alfredo Calvo's]...mastery of Lukumi praise poetry and raw power shine, and the chorus shines with him. The drumming is phenomenal, embodying the beauty and power of Matanzas bata. The surprise comes at the end of the cycle: after playing a long section of bata for Chango that is unique and hair-raising, the bembe drums join the bata, sending the energy through the roof....The interplay of Calvo's praise singing and the drumming is indescribable.... If you haven't experienced this music in person in Matanzas, you have to hear this CD to believe it."

Bruce Polin, of Descarga.com, says, "Beautifully recorded, and wonderfully sung by Alfredo Calvo Cano and Alberto Puñales Cabrera, this may be the best recorded
document of Bembe as it is performed in Matanzas. Rare material. Highly recommended."