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
Eso Es Amar
Ray Barretto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ver nacer esperanzas con cada amanecer,
Aunque cruces los dedos quizás puedas perder,
Eso es amar es querer.
Levantar un teléfono y volverlo a colgar,
Y cambiar por silencio nuestras ganas de hablar,
Contemplarla de lejos o atreverse a mirar,
Eso es querer es amar.
Hay verdades que dañan mucho más,
Pero si es que la quieres no podrás soportar,
Esa agonía de notar lo que quizás podría pasar,
Levantarse de nuevo y volver a caer
Contestar preguntando para corresponder,
Si es que te sientes raro no preguntes porque?
Eso es amar es querer.
Extender ambas manos procurando evitar
Que se vaya ese algo que nos hace soñar,
Y aunque estés preocupado solo en ella pensar,
Eso es querer es amar... porque?
Eso es amar es querer.
These lyrics to Ray Barretto's song "Eso Es Amar" speak about the various aspects and emotions involved in love. The first verse talks about the act of walking while thinking, and how it may lead to new hopes and possibilities with each new day. It also acknowledges the risk involved in love, where even if you cross your fingers for luck, there is a possibility of losing. Despite this, the lyrics assert that this is what love is - wanting and desiring someone.
The second verse reflects on the complexities of communication in a relationship. It talks about the struggle of picking up and hanging up the phone, choosing silence over expressing one's desires. It also mentions the contrast between observing someone from afar and bravely looking into their eyes, both of which are ways of loving and wanting someone.
The chorus emphasizes the importance of timing and understanding when it comes to love. There are moments in life when it's better to stay silent, as some truths can cause more harm than good. However, if you truly love someone, it becomes unbearable to keep it to yourself, leading to the agony of the possibility of what may occur. It suggests that love requires resilience and the ability to keep going, even if there are setbacks. The lyrics also mention the act of answering questions to reciprocate the feelings of love, and accepting the feeling of being different without questioning why. Overall, the song portrays love as a complex but essential aspect of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Caminar mientras piensas esta vez puede ser,
Walking while you think this time can be.
Ver nacer esperanzas con cada amanecer,
Seeing hopes being born with each sunrise.
Aunque cruces los dedos quizás puedas perder,
Even if you cross your fingers, you might still lose.
Eso es amar es querer.
That is love, that is wanting.
Levantar un teléfono y volverlo a colgar,
Picking up a phone and hanging it up again.
Y cambiar por silencio nuestras ganas de hablar,
And exchanging our desire to talk for silence.
Contemplarla de lejos o atreverse a mirar,
Watching her from afar or daring to look at her.
Eso es querer es amar.
That is wanting, that is love.
En la vida hay momentos en que es bueno callar,
In life, there are moments when it's good to be silent.
Hay verdades que dañan mucho más,
There are truths that hurt even more.
Pero si es que la quieres no podrás soportar,
But if you love her, you won't be able to bear it.
Esa agonía de notar lo que quizás podría pasar,
The agony of noticing what could possibly happen.
Levantarse de nuevo y volver a caer
Getting up again and falling back down.
Contestar preguntando para corresponder,
Answering by asking to reciprocate.
Si es que te sientes raro no preguntes porque?
If you feel strange, don't ask why?
Eso es amar es querer.
That is love, that is wanting.
Extender ambas manos procurando evitar
Extending both hands trying to avoid
Que se vaya ese algo que nos hace soñar,
That something that makes us dream from going away.
Y aunque estés preocupado solo en ella pensar,
And even if you're worried, only thinking about her.
Eso es querer es amar... porque?
That is wanting, that is love... why?
Eso es amar es querer.
That is love, that is wanting.
Writer(s): Ruben Blades
Contributed by Gabriel G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JLGS
on El Diablo
Pero mi pregunta es, tendrá un mensaje en su Fe? Como q el enemigo no puedo tocar porque no solamente tiene fuerza internal pero en su Fe?