Obituary—Lazaro Ros Havana, 1925-2005
Latin Beat Magazine, April, 2005 by Luis Tamargo

Regarded by many experts, before his recent demise, as the greatest living akpuón (singer of the Afro-Cuban religion colloquially known as santería), the influential folklorist Lázaro Ros was trained by Eugenio de la Rosa in the sharp nasal style linked to the Yoruba-derived ceremonial chants, and characterized by its sweet timbre and persistent vibrato. A founding member of Cuba's Conjunto Folklórico Nacional, Ros was also a professor at the Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) and other Havanese institutions.

As a musical master who felt free to experiment without damaging the primordial essence of the ancestral forms, Ros was a true innovator who embraced the blending of Lucmní and Arará traditions with modern instrumentation and contemporary arrangements, as illustrated in his groundbreaking collaborations with the fusion groups Síntesis and Mezcla.

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