Música de los Cultos Africanos en Cuba – Complete 14-LP Ethnographic Record Set (1950s Afro-Cuban Sacred Music)

First-ever offering of the complete 14-record collection of Lydia Cabrera & Josefina Tarafa’s legendary 1950s Afro-Cuban religious music recordings – a true holy grail for collectors, researchers, and institutions. This vintage set, privately issued in Cuba and never sold commercially, documents Santería, Palo Monte, and other Afro-Cuban ritual music in unparalleled depth.

Highlights & Key Features

• Complete 14-LP Set (First Time on Market): All fourteen original 33⅓ RPM vinyl discs from “Música de los cultos africanos en Cuba” are included – the first time a full set has ever been publicly offered for sale. Privately pressed in Cuba circa 1956 and distributed in only one limited edition, these records were never sold in stores. Only a handful of complete sets were produced for scholars, and most reside in library archives – making this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire the entire collection.

• Extremely Rare Afro-Cuban Field Recordings: Over 11 hours of authentic 1950s field recordings capturing the sacred music and ceremonies of Afro-Cuban religions. Renowned Cuban ethnographer Lydia Cabrera (1899–1991) – an authority on Santería and other Afro-Cuban faiths – collaborated with photographer Josefina Tarafa to record Santería (Lucumí/Yoruba) drum rituals, Palo Monte chants of Kongo origin, Arará songs from Dahomey traditions, and more. These recordings, made in Havana and rural Matanzas, Cuba, capture prayers, batá drumming, bembé chants, and secret liturgical songs performed by practitioners in their communities. The result is “arguably the single most robust archive of Afro-Cuban sacred music traditions in the mid-20th century” – a cultural treasure trove for ethnomusicologists and anthropologists.

• Historical & Cultural Significance: Música de los cultos africanos en Cuba is more than a record set – it’s a vital ethnographic document. Cabrera, famed for her 1954 book El Monte (an iconic study of Afro-Cuban religions), devoted her career to preserving Cuba’s African-derived spiritual heritage. These recordings were the only audio project of her career, created to safeguard oral traditions “without the filter of interpretation”. They serve as an audio counterpart to Cabrera’s writings, preserving living examples of rituals and music that might have otherwise been lost. For researchers, this collection offers invaluable primary material: songs to the orishas (deities) of Santería, Congo palo chants, ceremonial drum rhythms, and vernacular languages (Yoruba, Kikongo, Arará dialects) as sung by Cuban priest‐artists in the 1950s. Owning this set is like holding the very source material that scholars and institutions have relied on for decades.

• Provenance & Rarity Verified: The scarcity of this set cannot be overstated. It was issued in two volumes (two boxes of 7 discs each) in the 1950s, in minuscule numbers. No commercial label – the labels read “No label / Not for sale” – and very few copies were ever made available outside of the original recipients. To illustrate its rarity: in 2010, an incomplete half-set (only Volume 2, containing 7 of the 14 discs) sold at auction for $405 – underscoring the high value collectors place on even fragments of this collection. Until now, a full 14-LP set has remained virtually unobtainable on the open market. This offering represents a unique chance to acquire both volumes together, complete with all discs and documentation, directly from a private collection.

• Excellent Condition & Complete Package: Remarkably for a 65+ year-old ethnographic set, these vinyl records are in good, well-preserved condition (played sparingly, with clean playback). The two original slipcase boxes are intact, showing only minor wear commensurate with age. All 14 discs (33⅓ RPM, mono) retain their original sleeves. Importantly, the set includes the original 19-page booklet of liner notes and photographs (26 cm brochure) that accompanied the records – a crucial part of the collection, featuring Cabrera’s and Tarafa’s annotations and rare photos of the ceremonies. In short, nothing is missing; this is a 100% complete original set as distributed in the 1950s. (Serious buyers can request more details or photos of the item’s condition.)

• For the Serious Collector or Institution: This collection is coveted by top-tier archives and universities – for instance, the University of Miami’s Cuban Heritage Collection holds Cabrera’s papers and has only recently digitized these recordings for preservation. But owning an original pressing of Música de los cultos africanos en Cuba is an entirely different level of prestige. It is an ideal acquisition for a museum, library special collection, or devoted private collector of Cuban/Caribbean music. Whether you are a music historian, anthropologist, or vinyl enthusiast, this set represents the crown jewel of Afro-Cuban cultural recordings – the kind of artifact that surfaces once in a lifetime. Don’t miss the opportunity to be the first to bring this legendary set into the public sphere.

Shipping & Handling

• Shipping from Spain: This 14-LP set will be professionally packaged to ensure safe transit. Given the rarity and value, we will double-box the records and cushion them securely. Shipping will be via trackable, insured air mail (signature required). We have experience shipping rare vinyl internationally – rest assured your purchase will reach you in excellent condition. International buyers are welcome (please contact for a shipping quote to your region). All customs documentation will be handled properly.

• Insurance: Full insurance is included for peace of mind, given the irreplaceable nature of this item.

• Prompt Dispatch: We understand the importance of this acquisition and will dispatch within 2 business days of cleared payment. Tracking information will be provided immediately.

Don’t Miss This Rare Offering

This is the first time the complete 14-LP “Música de los cultos africanos en Cuba” has ever been offered for sale to the public – truly a once-in-a-lifetime collecting opportunity. It’s not just a record set, but a cornerstone of Afro-Cuban cultural heritage, painstakingly recorded in the field over 65 years ago and nearly impossible to find today. Serious buyers, archivists, and institutions: this is your chance to own the full Cabrera-Tarafa collection in its original format. Act now to secure this unparalleled piece of music history.

Keywords: Afro-Cuban, Santería, Yoruba, Palo Monte, Lukumí, Arará, Ethnomusicology, Field Recording, Folklore, Cuba, Ritual Music, Anthropology, Vinyl, Rare LP, Lydia Cabrera, Josefina Tarafa, Collector’s Edition

Sources: Lydia Cabrera & J. Tarafa – Música de los cultos africanos en Cuba (Havana, ~1956, private issue); University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection & Culture Shock Miami (2025 event); Popsike auction archive (2010 sale of partial set); Smithsonian Folkways notes; Wikipedia (Lydia Cabrera bio).