Jazz Articles about Ray Barretto

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Spectrum

by Dean Nardi
April 13, 2026

Was it jazz or rock? This was (is) the eternal question about fusion. Back in the 1970s when the Mahavishnu Orchestra pioneered the genre, the electric and chaotic unpredictability of the John McLaughlin-led outfit cut across what was thought to be basic jazz concepts by displaying loud electric guitar riffing over what could stand for prog rock organ, bass and drum. And shockingly, none of the original players blew into their instruments. But Mahavishnu McLaughlin was as cruel ...

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Ray Barretto: Together

by C. Andrew Hovan
December 30, 2025

As of this writing, it has been more than 20 years since we lost the great conguero Ray Barretto. A native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, Barretto was among the first musicians to bring the conga drum into the standard jazz combo. His unmistakable touch can be heard throughout the early 1960s on a string of jazz classics by Lou Donaldson, Red Garland, Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Herbie Mann, and Jimmy Forrest. As the Latin music scene exploded in ...

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Que Viva La Musica

by C. Andrew Hovan
July 17, 2023

Much has been made about the making of a hybrid style involving Latin music and jazz strains that was established by Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo in the late '40s. However, the ripples of those early experiments would reach far and wide for subsequent decades, even if the casual listener might have been largely unaware of such developments. One of the key figures to come from this movement would be the late conguero Ray Barretto, who has yet to be ...

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Gene Ammons: Boss Tenor

by Matthew Aquiline
July 20, 2016

Tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons' tone can be best described using the qualities of an ideally brewed cup of joe: rounded, bold, smooth, and exhilarating after first taste. Widely regarded as an original founder of the “Chicago school of tenor sax," Ammons' nonchalant, yet indelible sound--echoing the soft, breathy tone of Lester Young--drove him to a great deal of fame within the post- World War II jazz crowds of the '50s. Ammons, famously nicknamed “Jug," had an inherent ability ...

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Ray Barretto: Jazz

by Graham L. Flanagan
August 7, 2009

Although both of his parents were full-blooded Puerto Ricans, Ray Barretto was as American as they come. Born in Brooklyn, by the age of seven he had already resided in that borough, as well as Spanish Harlem and the Bronx. His biological lineage, combined with the place he was born and raised, gives new meaning to the concept of Latin jazz. Fania honors his legacy with a compilation featuring ten of the strongest works he recorded for the ...

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Ray Barretto: Que Viva La Musica, Indestructible & Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 1 & 2

by Russ Musto
January 6, 2008

Ray Barretto Que Viva La Musica Fania 2006 Ray Barretto Indestructible Fania 2006 Fania All-Stars Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 1 Fania 2006 Fania All-Stars Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 2 Fania 2006

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Zoho Music: Latin Jazz, New York City Style

by C. Michael Bailey
January 18, 2007

Zoho Music has established itself as the pre-eminent purveyor of Latin jazz. Resurrected from the ashes of the former Khaeon label by Jochen Becker, Zoho boasts a stable of renowned and diverse musicians. Here are three of the best recordings recently released by the label.

Ray Barretto Standards Rican-ditioned Zoho Music 2006

Standards Rican-onditioned was the last recording released by New York percussionist Ray Barretto before his death in ...