From the Washington Post:

Francisco Aguabella, 84, an Afro-Cuban percussionist considered a master sacred drummer who also had a wide-ranging career in jazz and salsa, died May 7 of cancer at his Los Angeles home. His career "bears testimony to the existence and continuity of a sacred tradition in dancing and music that has been present throughout the development of popular music in the Afro-Cuban style," wrote Raul Fernandez, a professor at the University of California at Irvine, in his 2006 book "From Afro-Cuban Rhythms to Latin Jazz….Almost all the people who learned to play the sacred drums had him as their teacher. He provided great continuity," Fernandez, a professor in UC Irvine's Chicano/Latino studies department, said in an interview. "He was the carrier of the tradition….He was the only person in the U.S. who learned from Cuban masters."

For the full story, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/09/AR201005....

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