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
Pastime Paradise
Ray Barretto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Living in a pastime paradise
They've been spending most their lives
Living in a pastime paradise
They've been wasting most their time
Glorifying days long gone behind
They've been wasting most their days
In remembrance of ignorance oldest praise
Tell me who of them will come to be
How many of them are you and me
Dissipation
Race relations
Consolation
Segregation
Dispensation
Isolation
Exploitation
Mutilation
Mutations
Miscreation
Confirmation to the evils of the world
They've been spending most their lives
Living in a future paradise
They've been spending most their lives
Living in a future paradise
They've been looking in their minds
For the day that sorrows gone from time
They keep telling of the day
When the savior of love will come to stay
Tell me who of them will come to be
How many of them are you and me
Proclamation
Of race relations
Consolation
Integretion
Verification
Of revelations
Acclamation
World salvation
Vibrations
Stimulation
Confirmation to the peace of the world
They've been spending most their lives
Living in a pastime paradise
They've been spending most their lives
Living in a pastime paradise
They've been spending most their lives
Living in a future paradise
They've been spending most their lives
Living in a future paradise
We've been spending too much of our lives
Living in a pastime paradise
Let's start living our lives
Living for the future paradise
Praise to our lives
Living for the future paradise
Shame to anyones lives
Living in the pastime paradise
The song "Pastime Paradise" by Ray Barretto discusses the theme of individuals who have been wasting their lives by living in the past. The people who are being referred to in the song spend most of their time thinking about and glorifying the glory days of the past. They have been wasting their time and lives by living in remembrance of the oldest concepts of ignorance.
The song further explores the idea that people wait for a savior to come and save them from their sorrows. It conveys the notion that people look into their minds for hope that one day they will live in a future paradise where there is peace, love, and the world's salvation. The song emphasizes that instead of living in a pastime paradise, people need to start living their lives for the future paradise. The song's lyrics also call out for an end to race relations, segregation, isolation, and exploitation of the world's evil. The song encourages people to live their lives for the betterment of the future instead of dwelling on the past.
Line by Line Meaning
They've been spending most their lives
Living in a pastime paradise
People have been wasting most of their lives living in a world of illusions and temporary pleasures.
They've been wasting most their time
Glorifying days long gone behind
They have been misusing their time by focusing on the past and ignoring the present.
In remembrance of ignorance oldest praise
People worship outdated ideas and beliefs that are no longer relevant or valid.
Dissipation
Race relations
Consolation
Segregation
Dispensation
Isolation
Exploitation
Mutilation
Mutations
Miscreation
Confirmation to the evils of the world
These words represent the negative results of the misguided actions of humanity, such as racism, violence, and destruction.
They've been spending most their lives
Living in a future paradise
People have been dreaming of a future utopia, but they are still lost in their illusions and distractions.
They've been looking in their minds
For the day that sorrows gone from time
People keep hoping for a time when all pain and suffering will disappear, but they are not taking action to make it happen.
They keep telling of the day
When the savior of love will come to stay
People keep talking about the arrival of a savior, but they are not taking responsibility for creating a better world themselves.
Proclamation
Of race relations
Consolation
Integretion
Verification
Of revelations
Acclamation
World salvation
Vibrations
Stimulation
Confirmation to the peace of the world
These words represent the positive outcomes of the enlightened actions of humanity, such as equality, integration, and harmony.
We've been spending too much of our lives
Living in a pastime paradise
We have been wasting too much of our time and energy on things that do not matter, and ignoring the real problems of the world.
Let's start living our lives
Living for the future paradise
It is time for us to start taking action to create a better future for ourselves and the world.
Praise to our lives
Living for the future paradise
We need to celebrate the positive changes that we can make in our lives and in the world.
Shame to anyones lives
Living in the pastime paradise
It is a shame for anyone to waste their life living in illusions and distractions, ignoring the real problems of the world.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stevie Wonder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Son of God.
Es de Stevie Wonder, pero está interpretación con estos grandes maestro es descomunal, ni la de coolio llega a sorprender como está 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Nik Awaken
Its very difficult to touch steve's wonder songs but these guys are something else...great work.
Omnipotent
Better then the original and I never say that ever
Soledad Espa
Madre mía del amor hermosoooo!! ¿cómo no he conocido ésto antes? Qué goce, pero qué barbaridad, qué locura de maestría. GRACIAS.
Florence Doberman
Every aspect of this track is superb
Peter Bechtel
I quite fortunately discovered this masterpiece on a jazz compilation album years and years ago. I heard a Flamingosis remix of this track and decided to put the original on. Man, this is SO GOOD (especially at 6AM hopped up on a little caffeine while you're working - ha)!
Levacho4 Levacho4
The masterpiece indeed
Mao
sonando a todo volumen en mi casa , temazo del maestro de las Kongas Ray barreto vocal Willie Torrez ...tremendo legado musical nos dejo el rey de las manos duras
Beans
Estoy borracha escuchando este tema. Wow. Ray es el dios.
TJFH
Few songs equal the original version and this is Stevie Wonder! Es la puta caña