Ray Barretto, a percussionist extraordinaire and legend in the Salsa & latin Jazz music community has left the music scene with his death in February 2006 at age 76.
Born of Puerto Rican descendence in Brooklyn during the depression, he lived with his mother in East Harlem, The South Bronx and other "boricua" districts before he joined the army, where in the latter 1940's he heard Dizzy Gillespie's hard bebop. The young man was transfixed by Dizzy Gillespie - Manteca," which featured conguero Chano Pozo.
He started sitting in at a Munich jazz club, and after his discharge, by the early 50's he had bought his own Cuban Cnga drum and was playing regularly at clubs like The Bucket of Blood. Soon Mambo was the rage, and Barretto eventually started playing with Tito Puente in 1957, replacing the famed Mongo Santamaria. He became a band leader on his own by 1961, and had a big hit with his group Charanga Moderna and their boogaloo dance craze single called "el Watusi" in 1963 that was the first Latin record to hit the Billboard top 20, and went Gold.
Barretto is credited by some for bringing the African Conga drum into popular music, and had a crossover appeal that transcended the genre boundries of mainstream music categories. He gained recognition beyond the Puerto Rican music scene, ex. played on many Blue Note albums. He beacme associated with the Latin label Fania in the 1960's and played for three decades in the popular ensemble called the Fania All Stars alongsde Willie Colon, Ruben Blades and others. His 1972 album, "Carnaval", is considered a masterpiece amongst latin Jazz afficianados with the songs "Cocinando Suave" and his interpretation of Gershwin's "Summertime".
Highlights of Barretto's run with the Fania All Stars were their tours of spots like Panama, Puerto Rico and Zaire where they played to 80,000 in Kinshasa before the Ali-Foremen fight. Undoubtedly their sell out concerts at N.Y's Yankee Stadium in 1973 & 1975 would have to be included as well.
In 1975 and 1976, Barretto earned back-to-back Grammy nominations for his solo albums "Barretto" (with the prize-winning song "Guarere") and his double "Barretto Live...Tomorrow". By 1976, although he had stopped performing & touring with his live salsa orchestra, he was regularly voted Best Conga Player in music magazine annual polls. He became interested in jazz fusion forms, and pursued this musical passion despite it's lack of commercial appeal. Barretto felt restricted by the Salsa scene, it's conventions and strict danceable format, and did not like the tag Latin Jazz either.
He teamed with singer Celia Cruz in 1983 for the first of several albums, finally winning a 1990 Grammy with her for their 1989 song "Ritmo En El Corazon". In 1992, he formed the ensemble New World Spirit, and was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
He had recently been named best drummer in the 2005 DownBeat poll, and received the NEA's 2006 Jazz Masters Fellowship before his health declined. His recent albums "Taboo" (1994), "My Summertime" (1998) and his final album 2005's "Time Was - Time Is" all received Grammy nominations for best Latin jazz performance.
Over the years he is said to have recorded more than 70 albums for numerous labels including Riverside, Atlantic, EMI, CTI, Fania, Tico, RCA Victor, Concord Picante, Prestige, Blue Note, Circular Moves, Sunnyside and his last for O+ Music. Amongst his many musical collaborators included Cannonball Adderly, Joe Farrell, Wes Montgomery, Cal Tjader, Charlie Palmieri, George Benson, Lou Donaldson, Dizzy Gillespie, José Curbelo , Adalberto Santiago, Steve Gadd, Hector Lavoe, Yusef Lateef, Gene Ammons, Red Garland, Ray Vega, Oscar Hernandez, Tito Gomez, and even Little Miami Steven Van Zant's Sun City project. At the time of his death in a New Jersey hospital, he was in his late 70's, and had recently had several health setbacks including suffering asthma, compounded by heart attack, bypass surgery, pneumonia , a tracheotomy and just enough damned ailments to take Fuerza Gigante down.
More Barretto Links & Sample MP3'z & Interviews available at
http://lilmikesf.blogspot.com/2006/02/conga-king-ray-barretto-rip.html
Ay No
Ray Barretto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quiero bailar en la claridad
Can't: . En un oscuro Rincon
No me gusta a mi bailar
Porque no puedo marcar
Al suabe dulce y sabroso son
Can't: . Quiciera en la claridad
Lucir todos mis pacitos
Pero que tenga un buen compassion
Can't: . Contigo na ma, Contigo na ma
Yo quiero bailar en la claridad ai na ma
Can't: . Voy a pagar la Luz para pensar
Y asi saber lo que traigo Contigo Mami
Solo piano
Cant: Ai claridad claridad, ai clari claridad, ai clari claridad
Claridad
Can't: me gusta... tu sabes que me gustas
Can't: . Cumbele maina con son
Que traigo un son sabroson.
The lyrics of Ray Barretto's song Ay No convey the desire to dance in clarity and brightness, rather than in the darkness of a corner. The singer of the song expresses a preference for marking the beat of the music, something difficult to achieve in the obscurity of a hidden spot. They want to showcase their simple and rhythmic dance steps, provided that the music has a good compassion. The lyrics suggest that the singer wants to dance with someone, as they repeat the line "Contigo na ma" meaning "Only with you."
The desire to dance in the light shows a clear contrast with the dullness of being hidden away in a corner. The lyrics suggest the importance of clear and open communication, which the metaphor of light represents. The singer wants to connect with another person, share their dance steps and be appreciated for their rhythm. The song makes a simple yet powerful statement about the importance of being open, seen and appreciated.
Line by Line Meaning
Hay no que oscuro esta
It's so dark in here
Quiero bailar en la claridad
I want to dance in the light
En un oscuro Rincon
In a dark corner
No me gusta a mi bailar
I don't like to dance
Porque no puedo marcar
Because I can't keep the beat
Al suabe dulce y sabroso son
To the soft, sweet, and tasty sound
Quiciera en la claridad
I wish to be in the light
Lucir todos mis pacitos
To show off all of my moves
De un son ritmico sencillo
To a simple rhythmic beat
Pero que tenga un buen compassion
But that has a good feeling
Contigo na ma, Contigo na ma
Only with you, only with you
Yo quiero bailar en la claridad ai na ma
I want to dance in the light, oh baby
Voy a pagar la Luz para pensar
I'll pay for the light to think
Y asi saber lo que traigo Contigo Mami
And to know what I have with you, baby
Solo piano
Only piano
Ai claridad claridad, ai clari claridad, ai clari claridad
Oh light, light, oh clear clarity
Me gusta... tu sabes que me gustas
I like you, you know that I like you
Cumbele maina con son
Cumbele tomorrow with the sound
Que traigo un son sabroson
That brings a tasty sound
Contributed by Jayce A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cristobalalves6271
Un temazo el manos duras y Tito ALLEN 🎵🎶🎼
@josecolon9069
Que clase de combinacion: Barreto y sus manos duras con su bandon, Tito Allen cantando y el Gran Hector Lavoe y Meñique en el coro....casi na' lo maximo. Lo mejor d lo mejor
@orlandomacias9446
Tha is heavi weith
@lopz33
¡Tremenda versión clásica a cargo del Rey de las Manos Duras cantando Tito Allen!
@orlandomacias9446
CONGRATULATION MY BROTHER
@orlandomacias9446
Barreto you are lo maximo
@luckylouie522
ARREGLOS LOUIE CRUZ 🎼
@raulsoto3065
Ray Barreto un maestro en el género, siempre acompañado de grandes Soneros Boricuas como Adalberto Santiago y Tito Allen y otros más muy buenos todos .
@wraigosa
Se siente la presencia del gran Héctor Lavoe en este LP del gran Ray Barretto. Por cierto, son de casi igual apariencia física, Ray Barretto y Héctor Lavoe, debido a su abundante cabello y sus gafas. Y lo que tienen en común es que ambos están haciendo gozar a tatita Dios en el Cielo.
@richardfigueroa9498
Wilmar Raigosa Ray wra mucho mas alto y corpulento que Hector.