African-derived sacred musics constitute the purest Afro-Cuban traditions currently being performed in North America. Although there has been considerable flow of musical ideas outward from these styles into secular genres, secular innovations have had virtually no impact on sacred styles.
By far the best known sacred music is that associated with the religious system variously known as Regla de Ocha, Lucumí, or, to nonpractitioners and most commonly, Santería. Within Santería, ritual music making—as...