“This amazing new recording is performed by powerful musicians and recorded beautifully…[Alfredo Calvo’s]…mastery of Lucumi praise poetry and raw power shine, and the chorus shines with him. The drumming is phenomenal, embodying the beauty and power of Matanzas bata….If you haven’t experienced this music in person in Matanzas, you have to hear this CD to believe it.â€
Mark Corrales
Batadrums.com
“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.â€
Bruce Polin
Ddescarga.com
“…[One] of the most invigorating illustrations of Orisha music…to come out of Matanzas since Lydia Cabrera’s and Josefina Tarafa’s 1950s recordings recently released by the Smithsonian Institute.â€
Willie Ramos
Eleda.org
“Very interesting display of living history.
[It] is very interesting to see how the Africans in Cuba were able to keep a very large and important part of the culture intact. The performance was very ritmo Africano. You should also view the DVD of the same name to see it! Remarkable!â€
Michael Kidd
Scotch Plains, NJ
