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
La Orquesta
Ray Barretto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anunciando claridad
Que los miembros de la orquesta
Vienen para guarachar.
Sonando la tumbadora,
Cadencioso y tropical,
Ray Barretto con su ritmo
El piano y el contrabajo
El bongo con el timbal
Un coro bien acoplado
Oye la flauta pitar
Oigan bien este mensaje
Un mensaje musical
Ya la orquesta está tocando
No queda más que bailar
Bailen bien mi gente
Que con mi orquesta
¡Eh! Si hay ambiente
Bailen bien mi gente
Que con mi orquesta
¡Eh! Si hay ambiente
Bailen bien mi gente
Que con mi orquesta
¡Eh! Si hay ambiente
Bailen bien mi gente
Que con mi orquesta
¡Eh! Si hay ambiente
Toca Barretto, toca
Suena la tumba y ponme a gozar
¡Ay Barretto!
Toca Barretto, toca
Suena la tumba y ponme a gozar
¡Ay Barretto!
Toca Barretto, toca
Suena la tumba y ponme a gozar
¡Ay Barretto!
Toca Barretto, toca
Suena la tumba y ponme a gozar
¡Ay Barretto!
Toca Barretto, toca
Suena la tumba y ponme a gozar
¡Ay Barretto!
Ya lo ven mi gente
Que con mi orquesta
¡Eh! Si hay ambiente
Ya lo ven mi gente
Que con mi orquesta
¡Eh! Si hay ambiente
Ya lo ven mi gente
Que con mi orquesta
¡Eh! Si hay ambiente
The song La Orquesta by Ray Barretto is an uplifting and rhythmic celebration of music and dance. The lyrics begin by describing the announcement of the orchestra's arrival with the sound of trumpets, calling people to dance and enjoy the music. The tumbadora (conga drum) sets the tropical and catchy rhythm for Ray Barretto to play, making the ground tremble with his music. The lyrics describe the participation of other instruments such as the piano, contrabass, bongo, timbal, and the flute, all playing together in harmony and synchrony within the orchestra. The vocalist encourages the audience to listen to the musical message and then dance to the rhythm.
The chorus is repetitive and catchy, inviting people to dance and enjoy the music with the orchestra of Ray Barretto. The last part of the song is an exaltation of Barretto's skill in playing the tumbadora and a confirmation that people can feel the ambiance of the orchestra. The lyrics suggest that the audience can't resist dancing and enjoying the rhythm of the orchestra, which makes them feel alive.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuando suenan las trompetas
As the trumpets sound,
Anunciando claridad
Announcing clarity,
Que los miembros de la orquesta
The members of the orchestra,
Vienen para guarachar.
Are coming to play guaracha.
Sonando la tumbadora,
The tumbadora sounding,
Cadencioso y tropical,
Cadenced and tropical,
Ray Barretto con su ritmo
Ray Barretto with his rhythm,
Hace la tierra temblar.
Makes the earth tremble.
El piano y el contrabajo
The piano and the double bass,
El bongo con el timbal
The bongo with the timbales,
Un coro bien acoplado
A well-coupled choir,
Oye la flauta pitar
Hearing the flute whistle.
Oigan bien este mensaje
Listen well to this message,
Un mensaje musical
A musical message,
Ya la orquesta está tocando
The orchestra is already playing,
No queda más que bailar
There's nothing left to do but dance.
Bailen bien mi gente
Dance well my people,
Que con mi orquesta
Because with my orchestra,
¡Eh! Si hay ambiente
Hey! There is an atmosphere.
Toca Barretto, toca
Play Barretto, play,
Suena la tumba y ponme a gozar
The tumbadora sounds, make me enjoy.
¡Ay Barretto!
Oh Barretto!
Ya lo ven mi gente
My people already see it,
Que con mi orquesta
That with my orchestra,
¡Eh! Si hay ambiente
Hey! There is an atmosphere.
Writer(s): Roberto Orlando Rodriguez
Contributed by Lily W. 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?