Jazz Articles about Ray Barretto
Ray Barretto: Jazz

by Graham L. Flanagan
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 ...
read moreRay Barretto: Que Viva La Musica, Indestructible & Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 1 & 2

by Russ Musto
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
read more
Zoho Music: Latin Jazz, New York City Style

by C. Michael Bailey
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 ...
read moreRemembering Ray Barretto

by AAJ Staff
By David Amram When Ray and I first met and played together in the Fall of 1955 at the Monday night sessions at the 125 club in Harlem, Ray was the only conga player and I was the only French horn player who always showed up. We used to always laugh because we were surrounded by a small army of great musicians who played what were then considered traditional jazz instruments. ...
read moreRay Barretto: Time Was - Time Is

by Russ Musto
Ray Barretto continues to refine his brand of swinging, Latin-inflected jazz with each succeeding release. On Time Was - Time Is, the venerable conguero leads a polished instrumental ensemble featuring Joe Magnarelli on trumpet and Myron Walden on alto with Robert Rodriguez at the piano and Sean Conly and Vince Cherico on bass and drums. The set kicks off with a couple of Afro-Cuban classics. Bobby Sanabria joins the group on percussion to emphasize the folkloric rhythms ...
read moreRay Barretto: Time Was - Time Is

by Jim Santella
The Ray Barretto Sextet delivers. It turns a program of traditional songs and original pieces into a performance of modern jazz designed to inspire. The conguero, who knows about finding rich talent, has put together a stellar ensemble that performs with cohesion, precision, and passion.
It's been nearly fifty years since Barretto replaced Mongo Santamaria in Tito Puente's ensemble. During his varied career he's experienced jazz from every angle: from traditional Latin to funk, bebop, and straight-ahead. With ...
read moreRay Barretto: Acid

by John Ballon
By the time 1968 rolled around, Ray Barretto was a celebrated studio session player whose hard-driving conga rhythms could be heard all over the records of Dizzy Gillespie, Cal Tjader, Cannonball Adderley, and countless others. Once he dropped Acid onto the music world, Barretto firmly established a reputation for himself as an innovator in his own right.
Like the drug itself, Acid had a mind-expanding influence on everyone, allowing for a far more adventurous and eclectic edge to slip into ...
read more