BIOGRAPHY OF LÁZARO GALARRAGA
By Richard Thaler 2012
Lázaro won’t 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 he’ll just smile and say, “I’m fifty-nine”. We both laugh because he’s been fifty-nine for the twelve years I’ve known him. Or he’ll say (in his heavily accented English), “Why is everybody so interested in a man’s age?” It’s true that at times, particularly when he’s singing or playing the drums, he seems ageless. He always says that he feels old until he puts the batá drum on his lap. Then he’ll play for hours without breaking a sweat. Sometimes while teaching he’ll jump up to demonstrate a dance step, moving with the grace and ease of a man in his twenties. So, while I can’t tell you the year he was born or how old he is now…here is what I do know about my teacher and padrino, Lázaro Pedro Galarraga Trillo.
His Family
Lázaro’s 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 Petrona’s time many still practiced the ancient African religion that would become known in the New World as Lucumí or Santeria.[1] 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 Lázaro many of the old songs and their meanings. She died in 1975 at the age of 109 years old. Lázaro knows little about his paternal grandfather except that he and Petrona met and married while both were still enslaved. He died many years before Lázaro was born.
Petrona had four children: Fermin, the eldest, Antonio, Gregoria, and Ismael, who was Lázaro’s father. Ismael (1901-1979) was a Marine in the armed services who later became a shopkeeper. Lázaro was very close to his father. It was Ismael who baptized Lázaro’s first-born son. Lázaro calls Ismael his ‘compadre’, a term that denotes the deep bond between the parent of a child and that child’s godparent. When Ismael died, it was Lázaro who shaved and dressed his body.
Lazaro’s 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). Lázaro recalls that at his funeral an honor guard of soldiers was present to keep vigil at his casket.
Lázaro’s mother and father met and married in Havana. Lázaro was born in the Barrio Los Sitios (central Havana), close to the Masonic temple. The family lived at Concepción de la Valle #158 between Escobar and División 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 Lázaro 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. Lázaro’s 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, Carabali (Abakuá), and Arará/Dahomey. During Lázaro’s childhood, in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the practice of the old religions was inextricably woven into the everyday fabric of the Afro-Cuban community.
Lázaro 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 understand the language of the Lucumí tradition[2].
The other important tradition for young Lázaro was Palo, also called Las Reglas de Congo – a religious tradition brought to Cuba by people of the Congo basin of central Africa. Lazaro’s father was a Palero whose religious lineage went back to Andrés 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. [3] When Lázaro 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 Chacón. Lázaro learned Palo songs from one of the senior Paleros of the 20th C., Emilio O’Farril. The grandson of Congolese slaves, Emilio O’Farril (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. [4] Other senior Paleros that Lázaro learned from were Arcadio and Mundo (last names unknown).
The Iyesá 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 Iyesá existed in Cuba in the 19th and early 20th Century, today all but two have disappeared and many of the Iyesá songs have been incorporated into the Lucumi liturgy. In Lázaro’s youth there was still an active house of Iyesá owned by Juan al Miral, located across the street from the house of Palo. Lázaro would often attend these ceremonies and there he absorbed the music and songs of the Iyesá tradition.
In his early teens he began spending more time at the Abakuá lodge Usagaré Efóri Méwo in the barrio Los Sitios. Abakuá 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 Abakuá have played prominent roles in the independence movement against Spain and in Afro-Cuban life in general. Lázaro wanted to become initiated into Abakuá 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 Lucumí religion. It takes a year to accomplish, requiring study and discipline and his family thought the process would have a positive effect on Lázaro. However, once you enter Lucumí, you cannot be initiated into other religions.[5] Lázaro was unable to fulfill his ambition to enter Abakuá and he was unhappy. To make sure 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 couldn’t go out in public. 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 Lucumí religion).
The word Arará describes the music, dance and religion of the Ewe-Fon people (also known as the Adjá) 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 Arará and Lázaro began spending time there learning about this tradition.
He began playing the conga drums at age six and the batá drums (the sacred drums of Lucumí) at the age of twelve. He had many teachers including Girardo Rodriguez, Jesus Peréz, 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 batá drumming. Pablo Roche’s father, Andres Sublime, reportedly received the first set of consecrated batá drums in Cuba. It is also said that Pablo Roche created the batá rhythm Chachalakpafún, widely used to accompany songs in the batá liturgy. Many of Pablo’s students went on to become important figures in Afro-Cuban religious and folkloric music and it was from these men that Lázaro studied. When Lázaro met Pablo, Pablo was an elderly man, much respected and the most senior of drummers. In those days, students didn’t 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 Lucumí 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 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 Lázaro’s teachers.
Gerardo (Giraldo) Rodriguez was one of Lázaro’s most important mentors. There is a photograph in John Mason’s book Orin Órisá which shows him playing batá drums with Pablo, Trinidad Terragrosa, and Jesus Peréz. Several rare recordings by Gerardo exist including the 1960’s circa album ‘Afro Tambores Batá’ and two other recordings made around that time featuring Gerardo Rodriguez and his batá group accompanying Chico O’ Farrill and his orchestra. His brother, Adriano was a respected singer who also can be heard on some of these recordings.
Jesus Peréz (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 batá drummer and disciple of Pablo Roche. He was also known as an accomplished drum carver. According to Lázaro, Trinidad’s older brother, Goyo Terragrosa, owned one of the oldest batá sets in Havana.
Armando Sotolongo was a well-regarded batá drummer and also a founding member of the Conjunto Nacional.
José 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 Lázaro was Felix Mollinet, who in 1937 started a güiro group called the ‘Conjunto Santa Barbara’ in Los Sitios. When Lázaro was about seventeen years old he began spending time with Felix and Felix’s friend 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 eventually hired Lázaro to play shekere in his Conjunto (troupe). One of his fellow musicians was Angel Bolaños who is a very well respected Afro-Cuban drummer still living in Havana. During Carnival, Lázaro 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 Lázaro’s 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 Lucumí orisha (deity), Yemaya. Often the comparsas 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 Eligio’s 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 it’s very challenging for the players to keep up. Holding and playing a drum while marching in a comparsa requires a lot of stamina. Lázaro 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 Malecón (Sea Wall). They would then turn left at the Malecón, 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 8 hours or more. Lázaro recalls a neighborhood drunk called ‘El Jorobado’ (the hunchback). He might have spent much of his life 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. Lázaro remembers how as a teenager he was dancing through the streets one Carnival day. A friend of his mother’s came up to him and told him that her brother just died. Lázaro kept dancing even as he registered this sad news – his body couldn’t stop moving. The woman stormed off to tell Lázaro’s 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 Lázaro got into big trouble with his parents because he took his grandfather’s prized machete to Carnival for protection. He said that you could always tell who had a machete hidden in their pant leg by their stiff gait.
His Career in Cuba
In his early twenties Lazaro began working with José Oriol Bustamante’s folkloric performance group as a dancer, singer, and drummer. At that time Lázaro earned his living primarily from singing in religious ceremonies and from 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 large-scale music troupe dedicated to the collection, preservation and performance of sacred and folkloric Afro-Cuban music. Jose Oriol Bustamonte recruited Lázaro 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 Lázaro’s 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 Carabalí Isuama. Descendants of the Carabalí people of West Africa established this cabildo in 1894. The comparsa of Carabalí Isuama perform their traditional music and dance during Santiago’s Carnival. During their time together, Tanya taught Lázaro many of the songs and dances 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, Cuba’s 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 akpón (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 Péréz 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. Lázaro 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 Lázaro Pedroso. When Lázaro left the Escuela Nacional de Arte to rejoin the Conjunto he recommended that Lázaro Pedroso 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 often 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 someone’s home, behind walls and closed doors.
Lázaro 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, Tiotón, Eulugio, Egaristo Aparilio, Carlo Embales, and Miguel Chapotín (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, Lázaro and Alexandra split and he relocated to Los Angeles to join Orisha Afro-Dance (with Nengue Hernandez, Tony Rosa, Tambu, Juan Flores, and Lorenzo Peñalber). In 1986 they performed at the Los Angeles Mask Festival. In 1991 he founded the Afro-Cuban 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”.[6] He performed on subsequent recordings with Cachao and toured with his band. In 1998 Lázaro created the band ‘Caribbean Crew’ with Angel Luís 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 workshops. He also teaches song and batá 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, Lázaro is active in the Lucumí community, singing as akpón in Afro-Cuban religious ceremonies throughout the world.
[1] Also known as la regla de ocha. The origin of the term Lucumi is not certain. It is explained as having evolved from the name of the from the West African people of Ulkamy (also called Ulcami or Ulkumi) or alternately having derived from the friendly greeting ‘oluku mi’.
[2] The language of the Lucumí evolved from the Yoruba language spoken in West Africa.
[3] Miller, Ivor, “Voice of the Leopard” (p. 105)
[4] Navarro, Osvaldo, “Every Thing Has Its Thing”
[5] This may not be the case today or was the case with everyone in the past, but it was so at that time in Lázaro’s community.
[6] Israel ‘Cachao’ López (1918-2008): bassist, composer, and bandleader who along with his brother Orestes López 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.