Various Artists - Havana & Matanzas, Cuba, ca. 1957: Bat�, Bemb�, and Palo Songs from the historic recordings of Lydia Cabrera and Josefina Tarafa

These recordings, made just prior to Fidel Castro's rise to power, reflect Afro-Cuban musical and spiritual life in Havana and around the sugarcane mills of Matanzas. Lydia Cabrera and Josefina Tarafa captured a fascinating snapshot of African slave-descendant communities performing their religious songs and ceremonies. In the Cuban countryside, Yoruba, Dahomean, and Kongo-Angolan religions had been faithfully preserved, and linguistic, symbolic, and musical elements were blended to produce new religious expressions. These recordings are a soundtrack to Cabrera's writings on Afro-Cuban religions. 32-page booklet with extensive notes and photos. 69 minutes.