Arará! Book

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Cover Photo by Michael Mason

Cover Design by Brenda Stumpf of Pime8 Interactive
2012 by Richard Thaler

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To my sons Nick and Ben
Arar!
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you first and foremost to Lzaro Galarraga for sharing his
experience and knowledge of Afro-Cuban music with my fellow
students and me. We are all indeed blessed to be able to learn from
such an accomplished master. Thank you to Robert Fernandez for
reading the chapter on Arar history and for providing feedback. And
finally, thanks to Angel Lus Figueroa, Bobby Wilmore, and the rest of
the Paws Music family for their continued support.
INTRODUCTION
I first met Lzaro and began studying bat drums with him in
1999. Over time, as I got deeper into Afro-Cuban music and culture
and as I got to know Lzaro better, I realized how incredibly fortunate I
was to have found him. Not only is he one of the premier performers
and teachers of Afro-Cuban music, he is part of a rapidly dwindling
generation of musicians whose lives straddle the Cuba of old and new.
He grew up in a time when the music was inextricably woven into the
fabric of everyday life. During the day, one only had to follow the sound
of the drums to find a ceremony of Lucum, Iyes, Palo, Arar or
Abaku taking place somewhere in the city. In the evening there was
always a rumba party at someones house, or son or some other type
of dance music being performed at a cabaret. Lzaro has personally
known and performed with many of the great figures of 20th Century
Cuban music. It has been a great pleasure and privilege to hear the
stories of his amazing life as part of my doing research for this book.
In 2001, Lzaro released his CD Arar! on 50-50 Records,
(now available on iTunes). Ive transcribed the songs on this CD and
presented them here in the hope that it will aid those who want to learn
more about this unique and challenging music.
Richard Thaler
March 2012
Arar!
ARAR HISTORY
Arar is a term used to describe the music, dance and
religion of the Ewe-Fon people (also called the Adj) originally
from the area of West Africa once called Dahomey, now the
modern nation of Benin. The name Arar derives from a kingdom
in Dahomey called Arad.1 Slaves from Dahomey were brought to
Cuba since the beginning of the Spanish occupation in the 16th
century. The Ewe-Fon were also brought to Santo Domingo,
Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela, and the
French colonies of Haiti and Louisiana.
Arar cabildos2 were in existence in Cuba since the 17th
Century.3 Arar cabildos declined in number in the late 19th and
early 20th Century, as did many others, due to either members
dying off, sacred drums being confiscated or destroyed, or
through assimilation into the predominant Yoruba Afro-Cuban
culture. Today only a few cabildos still exist.
Arar has similarities to the Haitian Vodou and Cuban
Lucum religions with some overlap in songs, deities and
practices. For example, the Arar deities (called fodn) Asojano,
Jebioso, Afr, Afrekete, and Nanagosi are identified with their
respective Yoruba Orishas, Babaluaye, Chango, Ellegua,
Yemaya, and Oshn. While some syncretism likely occurred on
Cuban soil, there was contact between and assimilation of beliefs
Roglio Martinez Fur in Dialogos Imaginarios 1979, citing Fernando Ortiz says
The Ewe-Fon came to Cuba under various names: Arar Abop, Arar Agicn,
Arar Cuatro Ojos, Arar Cuvano, Arar Magino, Arar Nezeve, Arar Sabal or
Sabluno, Dahomey and Mina.
2
Cabildos were mutual aid societies that were allowed by the Catholic authorities
and whose members included slaves. Many of the African religious practices were
kept alive and hidden within the activities of the cabildo.
3
Fernando Ortiz stated that an Arar Magino cabildo existed in Havana as early as
1691.
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and practices between the Ewe-Fon and their Yoruba neighbors

in Africa pre-dating their arrival in Cuba.4
The Arar musical ensemble consists of the ogn, an iron
bell (today often replaced by a guataca or cowbell), a high drum
(called the huncito, gege, or salidor, played standing), a middle
drum (the hungedde, apliti, or mula, played standing), a low drum
(the hun, or bajo, played seated), and the lead improvisational
drum (the hunga, yonof or caja, played standing).5 The drums
are used in various combinations depending on the rhythm that is
being played. The lead drum is played with one hand and one
stick or with two hands, depending on the rhythm, while the
supporting parts use two sticks. The original Arar drums were
hollowed out tree trunks. The skin was stretched over a wooden
hoop and laced to wooden pegs that were used to tune the drum.
True Arar drums are consecrated, similar to the
fundamento Yoruba bat drums and can only be played by those
who have been initiated into their mysteries. Since few authentic
drums still exist, conga drums are used in their place for practice
and in performances. Arar songs are sometimes incorporated
into Lucum ceremonies where the rhythms are adapted for the
bat drums. Some Arar songs can also be sung a capella with
handclaps as the only rhythmic accompaniment.
Singing and playing Arar music can be challenging. The
Adj language is tonal and the words are pronounced with a
distinctive nasal sound. The difficulty of singing Arar songs is
compounded by the syncopated placement of accented syllables
in relation to the beat. The complex polyrhythms and beautiful
melodies of Arar make it one of the most compelling of the AfroCuban musical genres.
Until their liberation in 1835, the Dahomey were subjects of and paid tribute to the
Yoruba monarch, the Alafin of Oy.
5
Lzaro Galarraga refers to the drums as gege, apliti, and yonof.
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In recording his CD, Arar!, Lzaro Galarraga drew on a

lifetime of singing and playing of songs from the tradition. He first
learned Arar songs from his grandmother, Petrona when he was
five years old. Lzaro credits her and her daughter, Gregoria (his
aunt and his fathers sister) as being his first teachers. As a
teenager he was an active member in a house of Arar where he
often sang at Arar ceremonies. Later he became a member of
the Conjunto Folklrico Nacionl de Cuba, where he routinely
performed Arar songs as part of their repertoire. For a more
detailed biography of Lzaro, please see the Appendix at the end
of this book.
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TRACK LISTING: CD BACK COVER
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THE RHYTHMS
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Arar Drums
Book Cover Photo and grey scale version (above) by Michael Mason
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THE SONGS
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LYRIC PRONUNCIATION KEY
The Adj language is sung/spoken with a nasal twang.

(Spanish vowels)
A=
a short a in English, pronounced as ah.
E=
a long a in English, as in the word paper.
I=
a long e in English, as in the word see.
O=
a long o in English, as in the word home.
U=
a long u in English, or oo sound as in the word soon.
Ai =
a long i in English, as in the word pipe.
Other sounds:
When a u precedes any other vowel it adds a soft w to it. For
example ua is pronounced wa, ue is weh, and ui is we.
The consonant r is pronounced as a sound in between an r and l.
The consonant blend of gb is pronounced with a very light g followed
by an mb. The nasal twang is pronounced.
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Track 1: AFR (for Afr)

1.
2.
3.
Akpon:
Ellegba mado, kere kere jeum

Kere kere yenu nado
Kere kere jeum Ellegba masorisa
Coro:

Kere kere yenu nado
Kere kere jeum Ellegba masorisa
Akpon:
Aa aa fae, aa aa fodn Ellegba

Aa aa ni fodn Ellegba, aa aa fodn Ellegba
Coro:
Aa aa fae, aa aa fodn Ellegba
Akpon:
Aa aa ni fodn Ellegba, aa aa fodn Ellegba (we)
Akpon:
Tutu yeye tutu. Awo
Coro:
Tutu yeye tutu
Akpon:
Aluwa
Coro:
Tutu yeye tutu
Akpon:
Afr
Coro:
Tutu yeye tutu
Akpon:
Osika
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Track 2: JEBIOSO (for Jebioso)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Akpon
Ewiso gada, gada e,

Alado yati bodama donta
Adao sobo rago meto
Coro:
Ewiso gada, gada e,

Alado yati bodama donta
Adao sobo rago meto
Akpon:
Iye ago ire
Coro:
Iye ago ire
Akpon:
Akro meseni sobo akrobeya
Coro:
Ago masago ireo, sobo akrobeya
Akpon:
E, akoni masago ire. Akro meseni soba akrobeya
Coro:
Ago masago ireo, sobo akrobeya
Akpon:
Inse lokuosuo, inse lubaibai (2X)

Jebioso soni krodara krobola dehni sodai (2X)
Inse lokuosuo, inse lubaibai
Coro:
Inse lokuosuo, inse lubaibai (2X)

Jebioso soni krodara krobola dehni sodai (2X)
Inse lokuosuo, inse lubaibai
Akpon:
Sobo maro fide mada sawo

Jebioso kueri nokue
Jebioso kueri nokue
Coro:

Jebioso kueri nokue
Jebioso kueri nokue
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5.
6.
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Akpon:
E e iye, e e iye (2X)

awakara dobuya awakara yenwe
awakara dobuni weido idena sobo
Coro:

awakara dobuya awakara yenwe
awakara dobuni weido idena sobo
Akpon:
Idena sobo, idenaka dyenwe

Idena sobo, sobo, idenaka dyenma bakara
yonkuiya, bakara dyenwe, abakara dokue niwedo
Idena sobo.
Coro:

Awakara dobuya awakara dyenwe
Awakara dobuni weido idena sobo
Akpon:
Ero maino lakumo nayawa nado

Jebioso lakuma nado
Coro:
Ero maino lakumo nayawa nado
Akpon:
Jebioso la kuma nado
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Track 3: AFREKETE (for Afrekete)

1.
Akpon:
Coro:
Sohi moloya, odrupre maya guere, alani fanfa

repeats
Akpon:
Coro:
Mgbara igbara igbagba, gbara igbara igbagba, ago iboilelue

dea
Anaweroe, eroanawero, sarabode
Akpon:
Coro:
Sohi moloya, odrupre maya guere, alani fanfa

repeats
2.
Akpon:
Coro:
Magua, magua, magua ousie, ousie magua, magua yenue

repeats
3.
Akpon:
Coro:
Akpon:
Agua dolo kitambu solo, chenchen eminambu solo

Agua dolo kitambu solo
Chenchen eminambu solo
4.
Akpon:
Sewese, adanada
Coro:
Sewese
Akpon:
Adanada
Coro:
Sewese
(this call and response is repeated until the Akpon calls the next section)
Akpon:
Iman daie!
Coro:
Sewese, iman daie, sewese
(this repeats until the Akpon returns to the first section)
Akpon:
Coro:
Adana da
Sewese
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Track 4: ERO BAMIMA (for Asojano)
Akpon:
Ero bamima, ero bamima e

Ero bamima, ero bamima e, ajamana
Odasura kueoka eikue
Asodaunkue, odaunkue
Odaunfolo gege sulo mere mara lenu
Awowodono dosudonu karadaunkue
Odaunfolo gegesu kele, kele, kele, kele
Mere mara lenu
Coro:
Ero bamima, ero bamima e

Ero bamima, ero bamima e, ajamana
Odasura kueoka eikue
Odaunfolo gege sulo mere mara lenu
Awowodono dosudonu karadaunkue
Odaunfolo gegesu kele, kele, kele, kele
Mere mara lenu
This song is a rezo or sung prayer. It is sung in free time, meaning that the
phrasing and the duration that the notes are sustained are the choice of the singer.
The transcription that follows is an approximation of the way that Lzaro sings this
song on his CD.
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Track 5: SEBIRODO (for Asojano)
1.
2.
Akpon:
Sebirodo naenu naise weweto
Coro:
Sebirodo naenu naise bie
Akpon:
Arairosa
Coro:
Oerolodie
Akpon:
Arairosa
Coro:
Oerolodie
Akpon:
Omaya wimaya wimase weweto
Coro:
Sebirodo naenu naise bie
Akpon:
Saragodebo, saragode, saratitinamo saragodebo

Saragodebo, saragode, saratitinamo saragodebo
Agromito nawado ummmm, saragodebo, saragode
Saratitinamo saragode, agromito nawado ummmm.
Coro:
Saragodebo, saragode, saratitinamo saragode

Saragodebo, saragode, saratitinamo saragode
Agromito nawado ummmm, saragodebo, saragode
Saratitinamo saragode, agromito nawado ummmm.
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Track 6: BONICHA KUALA (for Asojano)
1.
Akpon:
Bonicha kuala e, manu finda wanda e

Bonicha kuala, nanu bomalu iboidekue
Coro:
Bonicha kuala e, manu finda wanda e

Bonicha kuala
Akpon:
Nanu bomalu iboidekue
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Track 7: MALOWOLO (for Asojano)

Akpon:
Malowolo wemie dasanumina bonlodo.

Malowolo wemie dasanumina bonlodo
E ikesetowa kesetowa mina bonlodo.
E isawamelo sawamelo mina bonlodo.
Malowolo wemie dasunumina bonlodo (gayade).
Coro:
Malowolo wemie dasanumina bonlodo.

Malowolo wemie dasanumina bonlodo
E ikesetowa kesetowa mina bonlodo.
E isawamelo sawamelo mina bonlodo.
Malowolo wemie dasunumina bonlodo.
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Track 8: ASOYIN (for Asojano)

Rezo (Akpon prayer)
Agboye medu kuina, kuina. Susagba sugbo medu kuina.

Agboye medu kuina, kuina. Susagba subo medu kuina, kuina
Mero goye medu kuem, kuem. Mero goye medu kuina.
Mero goye medu kuina, kuina. Mero goye medu kuem.
Gudumi da kodo kiedo nisa wani soe (2X)
Moden amoi manoso iyenoso.
Eya kele wesu, kele wesu, kele wesu, kele juem
Moden amoi manoso iyenoso..Mabasile soyi eminie. (drums enter)
Coro:
Osikua osikua mabasile

Soyi eminie osi kua osi kua
Akpon:
Wimi sodie Asoyi emidie
Coro:

Soyi eminie osikua osikua
Akpon:
Mabasile Asoyi emidie
Coro:

Soyi eminie osikua osikua
Akpon:
Djaoe!
Coro:
Djaoe! Isunnege emidie, imaugade nutangala
Akpon:
Daeno maguae, daeno maguae
Coro:
Okuira baiyu kuikui deno, odaeno maguee
Akpon:
Isunnege emidie, imaguade nutangala

Imaguade nutangala, imauguade nutangala
Coro:

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Akpon :
Imaguade nutangala, imaguade nutangala
Coro:
Akpon:
Coro:
Okuira baiyu kuikui deno, odaeno maguae
Akpon:

Imaguade nutangala, efimaye nejeum kuelegba
Coro:
Akpon:
Coro:
Okuira baiyu kuikui deno, odaeno maguae
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Track 9: ADO SANO (for Asojano)
1.
2.
Akpon:
Ado sano nanubae

Ediso naiseboa
Ediso, afimaye lediso naiseboa
Coro:
Ado sano nanubae

Ediso naiseboa
Akpon:
Ediso, alua ediso naiseboa
Coro:
Ado sano nanubae

Ediso naiseboa
Akpon:
Ediso, baba ediso naiseboa
Akpon:
Eminewa okuo zazae

Eminewa okuoso
Coro:
Eminewa okuo zazae

Eminewa okuoso
Akpon:
Zazo zazo za
Coro:
Zazo zazo za
Akpon:
Eminewa okuo zazae

Eminewa okuoso
Coro:
Eminewa okuo zazae

Eminewa okuoso
Akpon:
Zazo zazo za
Coro:
Zazo zazo za
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Track 10: LA TIOSA (for Nanagosi)
1.
2.
Akpon:
Asokarara, asokaradoe
Sokaradoe, asokaradoe
Coro:
Asokarara, asokaradoe
Akpon:
Sokaradoe, asokaradoe
Akpon:
Asokara, kara suawea

Suawea male, suawea
Coro:
Asokara, kara suawea
Akpon:
Suawea, suawea
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APPENDIX
BIOGRAPHY OF LZARO GALARRAGA
Lzaro wont tell anyone how old he is
He has shared many details about his life with me but when
the subject of his age comes up hell just smile and say, Im fiftynine. We both laugh because hes been fifty-nine for the twelve
years Ive known him. Or hell say (in his heavily accented
English), Why is everybody so interested in a mans age? Its
true that at times, particularly when hes singing or playing the
drums, he seems ageless. He always says that he feels old until
he puts the bat drum on his lap. Then hell play for hours without
breaking a sweat. Sometimes while teaching hell jump up to
demonstrate a dance step, moving with the grace and ease of a
man in his twenties. So, I cant tell you the year he was born or
how old he is nowhere is what I do know about my teacher and
padrino, Lzaro Pedro Galarraga Trillo.
His Family
Lzaros paternal grandmother, Petrona, was born in 1866
in Lagos, Nigeria. She was of the Yoruba ethnic group, one of the
largest in West Africa. The Yoruba had a sophisticated political
system in the form of the kingdom of Ife, which held power
between 1100 AD and 1700 AD and in the kingdom of Oyo from
1700 to 1900. Almost all modern day Yoruba practice the
Christian or Muslim faith, but in Petronas time many still practiced
the ancient African religion that would become known in the New
World as Lucumi. Sometime during her childhood she was
enslaved and taken to Cuba and then later obtained her freedom
when Cuba abolished slavery in 1886. She was a well-regarded
herbalist, healer and mid-wife. It was she who taught Lzaro
many of the old songs and their meanings. She died in 1975 at
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the age of 109 years old. Lzaro knows little about his paternal
grandfather except that he and
Petrona met and married while both still enslaved. He died many
years before Lzaro was born.
Petrona had four children: Fermin, the eldest, Antonio,
Gregoria, and Ismael, who was Lzaros father. Ismael (19011979) was a Marine in the armed services who later became a
shopkeeper. Lzaro was very close to his father. It was Ismael
who baptized Lzaros first-born son. Lzaro calls Ismael his
compadre, a term that denotes the deep bond between the
parent of a child and that childs godparent. When Ismael died, it
was Lzaro who shaved and dressed his body.
Lazaros mother, Adelaida (1902-1984), was born in the
province of Santiago de Cuba in the city of Bayamo. She had one
younger brother, Sergio Trillo. Her father, Pelayo Trillo Romero,
had been a soldier in the war of independence against Spain
(1895 -1898). Lzaro recalls that at his funeral an honor guard of
soldiers was present to keep vigil at his casket.
Lzaros mother and father met and married in Havana.
Lzaro was born in the Barrio Los Sitios (central Havana), close
to the Masonic temple. The family lived at Concepcin de la Valle
#158 between Escobar and Divisin Street. His grandmother
Petrona lived close by at Sitios #224, between Lealtad and
Companario Street. They lived in an acesoria, a group of attached
single story residences sharing a bathroom, toilet, water pump,
and courtyard.
Adelaida was a talented seamstress whose services were
sought out by the wives of important and wealthy members of
Havana society. Often Lzaro would return home from school and
see a limousine parked in front of his house. Entering, he would
find his mom conferring with a smartly dressed woman over a
picture of an outfit from the latest fashion magazine. Lzaros
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favorite toy was an electric train set, given to his mother one
Christmas by the wife of the Ambassador to Rome.
Early Musical and Religious Life
During the long history of slavery in Cuba, captives were
taken from many areas and ethnic groups in Africa. With them
came their different religions and traditions, many of which were
preserved and hidden within cabildos, mutual aid societies of
slaves and freedmen that were allowed by the Catholic Church.
Over time, these traditions coalesced into four main groups, the
Yoruba, Congo/Bantu, Abaku, and Arar/Dahomey. During
Lzaros childhood, in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the practice of the
old religions was inextricably woven into the everyday fabric of the
Afro-Cuban community.
Lzaro began singing at religious ceremonies at the age of
five. He was a prodigy who picked things up fast. He would learn
the songs and later sing them back to his aunt and grandmother
who would then correct his mistakes. His grandmother taught him
the meaning of the words and in this way he gradually learned to
speak the old Yoruba language of the Lucumi tradition6.
The other important tradition for young Lzaro was Palo,
also called Las Reglas de Congo a religious tradition brought to
Cuba by people of the Congo basin of central Africa. Lazaros
father was a Palero whose religious lineage went back to Andrs
Cristo de los Dolores Petit (1829 - 1878) - a free mulatto with
strong ties to the Catholic Church and an important figure in the
development of aspects of modern Afro-Cuban religion including
Kimbisa, one of four branches of Palo. 7 When Lzaro was seven
years old he was initiated into Palo at the house of Augustin
Hernandez in Santa Clara. In Havana he would attend Palo
ceremonies at the house of Antonio Chacn. Lzaro learned Palo
6
Yoruba is still spoken in Nigeria but differs from the Yoruba of Lucumi in much
the same way as modern English differs from 19th century English.
7
Miller, Ivor, Voice of the Leopard (p. 105)
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songs from one of the senior Paleros of the 20th C., Emilio
OFarril. The grandson of Congolese slaves, Emilio OFarril (1905
-199?) obtained the rank of Tata Deabola, the highest in the
order. He was the chief informant for ethnomusicologist Fernando
Ortiz on matters pertaining to the Congo tradition in Cuba. 8 Other
senior Paleros that Lzaro learned from were Arcadio and Mundo
(last names unknown).
The Iyes people were a Yoruba subgroup from the region
of Illesha in Western Nigeria. They had unique rhythms, songs,
and instruments used in the practice of their religion. While many
houses of Iyes existed in Cuba in the 19th and early 20th Century,
today all but two have disappeared and many of the Iyes songs
have been incorporated into the Lucumi liturgy. In Lzaros youth
there was still an active house of Iyes owned by Juan al Miral,
located across the street from the house of Palo. Lzaro would
often attend these ceremonies and there he absorbed the music
and songs of the Iyes tradition.
In his early teens he began spending more time at the
Abaku lodge Usagar Efri Mwo in the barrio Los Sitios.
Abaku is a male initiation secret society in Cuba derived from the
practices of people from the Ekpe leopard society of the Cross
River Basin in West Africa (also called the Calabars). Members of
Abaqu have played prominent roles in the independence
movement against Spain and in Afro-Cuban life in general.
Lzaro wanted to become initiated into Abaqu but it was
not to be. He had been skipping school, getting into fights, and
had been thrown out of three schools because of his bad
behavior. His mother and grandmother became concerned and
decided that he should make Ocha the initiation into the Lucum
religion. It takes a year to accomplish, requiring study and
discipline and his family thought the process would have a
positive effect on Lzaro. However, once you enter Lucum, you
cannot be initiated into other religions. Lzaro was unable to fulfill
his ambition to enter Abaku and he was unhappy. To make sure
8
Navarro, Osvaldo, Every Thing Has Its Thing
114
Arar!
that he went ahead with Ocha, his mother and grandmother kept
him confined in his room for a month. They did this by taking
away all of his pants so he couldnt go out in public. He
remembers passing the time, bouncing a ball with his friends
standing below his second story balcony. He and his mother
made Ocha together when he was 15 years old at the house of
Mateo and his wife Nieves. His aunt Gregoria was his madrina
(godmother in the Lucum religion).
The word Arar describes the music, dance and religion of
the Ewe-Fon people (also known as the Adj) originally from the
area of West Africa once called Dahomey, now the modern nation
of Benin. The house of Mateo and Nieves was also a house of
Arar and Lzaro began spending time there learning about this
tradition.
He began playing the conga drums at age six and the bat
drums (the sacred drums of Lucum) at the age of twelve. He had
many teachers including Girardo Rodriguez, Jesus Perz,
Trinidad Terragrosa, Armando Sotolongo, Aguedito, and Mario
Pernal. To put this into context, we have to begin with Pablo
Roche, recognized as the greatest figure in 20th century bat
drumming. Pablo Roches father, Andres Sublime, reportedly
received the first set of consecrated bat drums in Cuba. It is also
said that Pablo Roche created the bat rhythm Chachalakpafn,
widely used to accompany songs in the Lucum tradition.
Many of Pablos students went on to become important
figures in Afro-Cuban religious and folkloric music and it was from
these men that Lzaro studied. When Lzaro met Pablo, Pablo
was an elderly man, much respected and the most senior of
drummers. In those days, students didnt learn by taking a class.
Instead, they would spend as much time as they could in the
presence of their elders, listen to the music and not ask too many
questions. Senior players would not make it easy for a beginner.
For example, if a student showed too much interest while they
were playing the Oro-seco, (a part of the Lucum ceremony that is
pure rhythm) they would send him away to run an errand so that
by the time he returned they would be finished. Oye, go get us
115
Arar!
some cigars and not from that shop on the corner. Go the store
at the corner of.(a mile away). After time if the aspiring
drummer proved to be committed and respectful, they would allow
him to stay during sessions. If a student showed promise, little by
little they would let him sit in and play. Here is some biographical
information on Lzaros teachers.
Gerardo (Giraldo) Rodriguez was one of Lzaros most
important mentors. He was a disciple of Pablo Roche and can be
seen in photographs playing bat drums with Pablo, Trinidad
Terragrosa, and Jesus Perz. Several rare recordings by Gerardo
exist including the 1960s circa album Afro Tambores Bat and
two other recordings made around that time featuring Gerardo
Rodriguez and his bat group accompanying Chico O Farrill and
his orchestra. His brother, Adriano was a famous singer who also
can be heard on some of these recordings.
Jesus Perz (1915-1985) is considered to be one of the
great Afro-Cuban musicians of the 20th Century. Besides playing
drums, he played the tres, flute, bass, trumpet, and was an
accomplished singer and dancer. He was the chief informant for
Fernando Ortiz on matters relating to the Yoruba musical
tradition. He was also one of the founding members of the
Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba (more about them later).
Trinidad Terragrosa (1897- ?) was another famous bat
drummer and disciple of Pablo Roche. He was also known as an
accomplished drum carver. According to Lzaro, Trinidads older
brother, Goyo Terragrosa, owned one of the oldest bat sets in
Havana.
Armando Sotolongo was a well-regarded bat drummer and
also a founding member of the Conjunto Nacional.
Jos Oriol Bustamante (1918 - ?) was known for his singing
and dancing, and was also a principal founding member of the
Conjunto Nacional.
Another major musical influence for Lzaro was Felix
Mollinet, who in 1937 started a giro group called the Conjunto
Santa Barbara in Los Sitios. When Lzaro was about seventeen
years old he began spending time with Felix and Felixs friend
116
Arar!
Eligio Sardenas. Felix and Eligio at this time were elderly men
who would meet at the corner or the park in Los Sitios, drink rum
and swap stories. In time they warmed to this young man who
seemed so interested in what they had to say and they took him
under their wing. Felix taught Lzaro how to play the shekere (a
beaded gourd used in giro) and eventually hired him to play for
his Conjunto (troupe). One of his fellow musicians was a young
man named Angel Bolaos who is a very well respected AfroCuban drummer still living in Havana. During Carnival, Lzaro
played quinto (a high-pitched conga drum) in Elegios comparsa
band.
Carnival was the most anticipated time in the Cuban
calendar. It took place in the first week of January but later was
moved by the Castro regime to July 9 to coincide with Cuban
Revolution Day (now it usually takes place in August). During
Carnival, dozens of comparsas (music/dance troupes), each
representing their neighborhood would parade down the streets of
Havana before assembling at the center of town to compete
before judge and jury who would decide which group was best.
Each group had a theme. For example, there were Los
Sultanas, who would dress in Arab costumes. There was the
comparsa El Alacran, whose dance mimicked slaves working in
the field. In Lzaros barrio of Los Sitios, they were represented
by La Bollera, an eighty member all female dance group. A
bollera is a type of black-eyed pea that is a food of the Lucumi
orisha (deity), Yemaya. Often the comparsa would hand out gifts
to the crowd; La Jardinera (the gardeners) handed out flowers,
La Bollera handed out peas. The comparsa would hire the
musicians for the parade and it was Eligios band that played for
La Bollera.
The rhythm played during Carnival is called Conga
Habanera and it is played while marching through the city. There
are at least 10 different percussion instruments, each playing
unique parts and often accompanied by trumpets or other wind
instruments. The music can get really fast and its very
117
Arar!
challenging for the players to keep up. Holding and playing a

drum while marching in a comparsa requires a lot of stamina.
Lzaro says his group would typically start at the corner of
Sitios and Campanario in Central Havana, wind through the
streets in the area until coming to Belascoain St. where they
would head towards the Malecn (Sea Wall). They would then
turn left at the Malecn, march to the Hotel Nacional and then
back to the Prado. Then it was up the Prado and back to the
center of town a total distance of 6 -7 miles taking 5 hours or
more.
Lzaro recalls a neighborhood drunk called El Jorobado
(the hunchback). He might have been passed out on the street,
but when it was time for the comparsa to perform, everyone
wanted him for their band. Because no matter how drunk he was
he could play the very challenging bell part, never dropping a beat
as he lurched his way down the street.
The music was infectious and took over the city. Lzaro
remembers how as a teenager he was dancing through the
streets one Carnival day. A friend of his mothers came up to him
and told him that her brother just died. Lzaro kept dancing even
as he registered this sad news - his body couldnt stop moving.
The woman stormed off to tell Lzaros mother about her rude
son. When he got home, his mother was very angry with him.
Carnival could also be dangerous. Boisterous behavior
sometimes led to violence. Once Lzaro got into big trouble with
his parents because he took his grandfathers prized machete to
Carnival, as protection. He said that you could always tell who
had a machete hidden in their pant leg by the stiff way they
walked.
His Career in Cuba
In his early twenties Lazaro began working with Jos Oriol
Bustamantes folkloric performance group as a dancer, singer,
and drummer. In those days there was a paucity of folkloric
performances since the music was played primarily in religious
118
Arar!
ceremonies and not for the general public. Most of Lzaros

earnings came from his percussion work, accompanying cabaret
dancers in the many nightclubs catering to wealthy Cuban and
American tourists in pre-revolution Cuba. Sometimes he would
play alongside his mentor, Girardo Rodriguez. Some of the clubs
he worked at were the Nacional, Sans Souci, Casino Parisian,
Montmartre, Tropicana, Morocco, and Club 66.
In 1961, a group of senior folkloric artists and scholars
founded the Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba, the first largescale music troupe dedicated to the collection, preservation and
performance of sacred and folkloric Afro-Cuban music. Jose Oriol
Bustamonte recruited Lzaro as a member. In the first year the
Conjunto put together their repertoire of music from sources all
over the country. They brought in experts from different traditions
and also sent out members to other parts of the country to learn.
One of Lzaros assignments was to travel to Santiago de
Cuba to learn about Tumba Francesca. Tumba Francesa is a
music and dance form that emerged in the Oriente province as a
result of the influx of Haitian immigrants to Cuba in the 19th
century. It blends African music with traditional French dance
music. He stayed for several months in Santiago and there met
Tanya Castellanos Marti, the lead choreographer and dancer for
the Cabildo Carabal Isuama. Descendants of the Carabal people
of West Africa established this cabildo in 1894. The comparsa of
Carabal Isuama perform their traditional music and dance during
Santiagos Carnival. During their time together, Tanya taught
Lzaro many of the songs and dances 7 from her tradition.
After one year he left the Conjunto and began teaching at
the Escuela Para Instructores de Arte, a newly formed institute
whose purpose was to teach Cuban arts and disseminate them
throughout the country. Within a year he began teaching about
Afro-Cuban music, dance, song and culture at the also newly
formed Escuela de Arte, Cubas premier school of the arts. He
became a professor there and stayed until 1977. He worked at
the Escuela on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The rest of the
time he was free to work at other jobs. He was in demand as an
119
Arar!
akpn (lead religious singer) and would sometimes sing at a

ceremony every day. Often his good friend from the Conjunto,
Felipe Alphonso, would join him.
In 1977 he was asked by Jesus Prz to return to the
Conjunto. He agreed and stayed a member until he left Cuba in
1982. By that time the Conjunto had become very famous and
spent much of their time performing all over the world. Lzaro
went on tour in cities throughout Western Europe, Eastern
Europe, Russia, South America, Central America, and Mexico.
Another one of his good friends and a compadre was famed
drummer Lzaro Pedroso. When Lzaro left the Escuela Nacional
de Arte to rejoin the Conjunto he recommended Lzaro Pedroso
to replace him.
Rumbas were an important part of the musical and social
life of Cuba. Rumba emerged in the late 19th Century as a secular
music and dance form that that blended Spanish melodies with
African rhythms. The subject matter of a rumba song is often
about everyday life and based on real events. In its most basic
form, rumba is performed with only drums and voice. It became
the popular music at informal gatherings. Because of the frequent
fights no doubt exacerbated by alcohol, the authorities tried to
break up rumba parties. For this reason, rumbas were always
held in someones home, behind walls and closed doors.
Lzaro often played and sang at the rumbas. Some of the
great rumberos that he remembers performing with from those
days include Felipe Alphonso, Regino Jiminez, Tiotn, Eulugio,
Egaristo Aparilio, Carlo Embales, and Miguel Chapotn (from the
group Yoruba Andabo).
Life in the US to the Present
In 1982 he and his wife, Alexandra, immigrated to the
United States. After living in New York City for two years, Lzaro
and Alexandra split and he relocated to Los Angeles to join
Orisha Afro-Dance (with Nengue Hernandez, Tony Rosa, Tambu,
Juan Flores, and Lorenzo Pealber). In 1986 they performed at
120
Arar!
the Los Angeles Mask Festival. In 1991 he founded the AfroCuban music group Iroko with Bill Summers. In 1994 he
performed with Francisco Aguabella and Nengue Hernandez
before President Bill Clinton at the White House. In the early
1990s he met Cachao and performed on his Grammy award
winning 1993 album Master Sessions Vol 1.9 He performed on
subsequent recordings with Cachao and toured with his band. In
1998 Lzaro created the band Caribbean Crew with Angel Lus
Figueroa. In 2002 he and pianist Guillermo Cespedes formed the
band Odara. Since moving to the United States he has
performed and recorded with such artists as Chucho Valdez Jr.,
Herbie Hancock, Celia Cruz, Jose Feliciano, Los Papines, Diego
El Cigala, Omar Sosa, and Gloria Estefan.
In 1999 he became the musical director and resident master
instructor for Paws Music in Los Angeles, where he continues to
teach bi-monthly workshops. He also teaches song and bat
drumming to private students and is one of the senior professors
at the annual Humboldt University Explorations in Afro-Cuban
Dance and Drum workshop. As he has done throughout his life,
Lzaro is active in the Lucum community, singing as akpn in
Afro-Cuban religious ceremonies through out the United States.
Israel Cachao Lpez (1918-2008): bassist, composer, and bandleader who along
with his brother Orestes Lpez created the mambo. After immigrating to the
United States he fell into relative obscurity until re-discovered by Andy Garcia in the
1990s. His new band won acclaim and his records won several Grammys.
121
Arar!
122
Arar!
Partial Discography
Cachao: Master Sessions Vol 1 & 2
Cachao: Ahora Si!
Cachao: Cuba Linda
In Puerto Rico: Moforibale Tambores Bat
Francisco Aguabella: Caravana Cubana
Gary Stroutsos: Oru: The Natural Order
Bill Summers: The Essence of Kwanzaa & Il Orisha
Odara Lzaro Galarraga (with Guillermo Cspedes)
Arar! Lzaro Galarraga, 50-50 Records
Em kkn Lzaro Galarraga, 50-50 Records
Antimati Enganga Lzaro Galarraga, (featuring his son,
Afimaye Galarraga) 50-50 Records
Film Credits
Color de Cuba, El Piropo, Dance with Me, Blow,
Americanos, The Lost City.
Stage Credits
Cabildo de Regla, Alafin de Oyo, Rumba Comparsas
Video/DVD Credits
With Maria Costas: Macho Men and the Women Who Love
Them.
123
Arar!
124
Arar!
About The Author
Richard Thaler began studying Afro-Latin Percussion in 1999, first

with Angel Lus Figueroa and then, a few years later, with Maestro
Lzaro Galarraga. Mr. Thaler currently teaches and performs with the
Paws Music Academy in Los Angeles. He is the author of Afro-Latin
Percussion Fundamentals: Congas book and CD, published by Paws
Books and available at www.amazon.com. He lives in Santa Monica,
California with his beloved wife of thirty years, Agnes, and their
German shepherd, Bailey. They are the proud parents of Nicholas and
Benjamin. You may contact Richard Thaler by email at:
richard@pawsmusic.com. To learn about studying with or booking
Lzaro Galarraga, please direct your inquiries to www.pawsmusic.com
or call 213.804.PAWS (7297).
125
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Cover Photo by Michael Mason

2012 by Richard Thaler

To my sons Nick and Ben

and practices between the Ewe-Fon and their Yoruba neighbors

In recording his CD, Arar!, Lzaro Galarraga drew on a

TRACK LISTING: CD BACK COVER

LYRIC PRONUNCIATION KEY

The Adj language is sung/spoken with a nasal twang.

a short a in English, pronounced as ah.

a long a in English, as in the word paper.

a long e in English, as in the word see.

a long o in English, as in the word home.

a long u in English, or oo sound as in the word soon.

a long i in English, as in the word pipe.

Track 1: AFR (for Afr)

Ellegba mado, kere kere jeum

Ellegba mado, kere kere jeum

Aa aa fae, aa aa fodn Ellegba

Aa aa fae, aa aa fodn Ellegba

Aa aa ni fodn Ellegba, aa aa fodn Ellegba (we)

Tutu yeye tutu. Awo

Tutu yeye tutu

Tutu yeye tutu

Tutu yeye tutu

Ewiso gada, gada e,

Ewiso gada, gada e,

Iye ago ire

Iye ago ire

Akro meseni sobo akrobeya

Ago masago ireo, sobo akrobeya

E, akoni masago ire. Akro meseni soba akrobeya

Ago masago ireo, sobo akrobeya

Inse lokuosuo, inse lubaibai (2X)

Inse lokuosuo, inse lubaibai (2X)

Sobo maro fide mada sawo

Sobo maro fide mada sawo

E e iye, e e iye (2X)

E e iye, e e iye (2X)

Idena sobo, idenaka dyenwe

E e iye, e e iye (2X)

Ero maino lakumo nayawa nado

Ero maino lakumo nayawa nado

Jebioso la kuma nado

Track 3: AFREKETE (for Afrekete)

Sohi moloya, odrupre maya guere, alani fanfa

Mgbara igbara igbagba, gbara igbara igbagba, ago iboilelue

Sohi moloya, odrupre maya guere, alani fanfa

Magua, magua, magua ousie, ousie magua, magua yenue

Agua dolo kitambu solo, chenchen eminambu solo

Track 4: ERO BAMIMA (for Asojano)

Ero bamima, ero bamima e

Ero bamima, ero bamima e

Track 5: SEBIRODO (for Asojano)

Sebirodo naenu naise weweto

Sebirodo naenu naise bie

Omaya wimaya wimase weweto

Sebirodo naenu naise bie

Saragodebo, saragode, saratitinamo saragodebo

Saragodebo, saragode, saratitinamo saragode

Track 6: BONICHA KUALA (for Asojano)

Bonicha kuala e, manu finda wanda e

Bonicha kuala e, manu finda wanda e

Nanu bomalu iboidekue

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