Yoruba religion was, and is, intimatelly tied to a concept of family, those living and the dead. Control over natural forces is attributed to the ancestors. Those with ashe, power, were transformed into divine beings, Orishas. According to the Yoruba, this metamorphosis happens during moments of emotional crisis. The individual's material self disappears, burned by passion and only his or her ashe remains, manifested as pure energy. These Orishas, and their liturgical drumming, chanting and dancing came to new world with the African slaves brought to Cuba. The Recordings are inspired by the notations of Thomas Altmann, a german musician who spent some time in Cuba. They are freely edited and arranged in a new way. (c)+(p) 2004 I.C.R.