Kephas is a word with both Greek and Aramaic origins, the equivalent of “Rock.” It is also the moniker of a man on a spiritual path and the name of an accomplished recording artist. Kephas is a Florida-based songwriter, producer, guitarist and vocalist at the axis of an expansive collection of sounds: electric guitar lines soar over a percolating hotbed of Latin percussion in songs that map a terrain of textures and rhythms across a cinematic soundscape.

Born in Miami to Cuban immigrant parents, Kephas was raised on the sounds of their homeland: urbane big bands easing effortlessly into the rhythms of Africa; the hushed sanctity of a Catholic mass contrasting with the rituals of Santería. Kephas’ first instruments were cello and drums, but when he picked up the guitar his pathway was illuminated. “I felt a calling,” he notes.

It was the era of guitar heroes, and Kephas was influenced by the extended jams of Southern Rock and inspired by Carlos Santana, an artist who also crossed cultures. “I work in Engli