Ray Barretto (April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) was a Grammy Award-winnin… Read Full Bio ↴Ray Barretto (April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) was a Grammy Award-winning Latin/Latin jazz musician of Puerto Rican ancestry.

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

Se Traba
Ray Barretto Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Este son montuno se traba)
(Se traba, se traba)
(Este son montuno se traba)
(Se traba, se traba)

Este ri-, este ri-
Este rico son montuno
Es difícil de bailar

Este rico son montuno
Es difícil de bailar

Ponga usted a los bailadores
Que no saben vacilar

(Este son-, este son-)
(Este son montuno se traba)
(Se traba, se traba)
(Este son montuno se traba)
(Se traba, se traba)

Para bai-, para bai-
Para bailar este son
Guíate de guapetón
Para bailar este son
Guíate de guapetón

Y cuando se traba el son
Aprieta sin compasión

(Este son-, este son-)
(Este son montuno se traba)
(Se traba, se traba)
(Este son montuno se traba)
(Se traba, se traba)

Preparen-, preparen-
Prepárense, bailadores
Que cuando se traba el son-
¡Prepárense, bailadores!
Que cuando se traba el son

Comienza la confusión
Y se forma el vacilón

(Este son-, este son-)
(Este son montuno se traba)

(Este son montuno se traba)

(Este son montuno se traba)

(Este son montuno se traba)

(Traba, traba, traba, traba, traba)

(Este son montuno se traba)

Oye, se traba mi son, que está sabrosón

(Este son montuno se traba)

Cuando se traba el son, aprieta sin compasión

(Este son montuno se traba)

Se traba mi son

(Este son montuno se traba)

(Traba, traba, traba, traba, traba)

(Este son montuno se traba)

Oye, qué rico mi son

(Se traba)

Qué rico y sabrosón

(Se traba)

Que cuando se traba el son-

(Se traba)

Aprieta sin compasión

(Se traba)

(Se traba)

Traba, traba, traba (se traba)
Traba, traba, traba, traba (se traba)

Eh, se traba mi son

(Se traba)

Oye mamai', qué sabrosón

(Traba, traba, traba, traba, traba)

(Este son montuno se traba)

Para bailar este son-

(Se traba)

Guíate de guapetón

(Se traba)

Que cuando se traba el son-

(Se traba)

Aprieta sin compasión

(Se traba)

Traba, traba (se traba)

(Se traba)

Eh, mi son, mi son

(Se traba)

¡Qué rico y sabrosón!

(Se traba)

(Traba, traba, traba, traba, traba)

Overall Meaning

The song "Se Traba" by Ray Barretto is a Son Montuno, a popular genre of Cuban music that originated in the early 20th century. The song is about the difficulties of dancing to this style of music and the confusion that can arise when the music "trabas," or stalls. The lyrics suggest that inexperienced dancers should follow the lead of more experienced dancers and be prepared to tighten up their steps when the music stalls.

The song's repetitive chorus of "se traba" reinforces the idea that the music is tricky to dance to, but also adds to the fun and playful nature of the song. The verses encourage dancers to let loose and have a good time, even when the music stalls, and to follow the lead of the "guapetón," or attractive dancer who knows how to move to the music.

Overall, "Se Traba" is a lively and upbeat song that celebrates the joy of dancing to Son Montuno while acknowledging the challenges that come with it.

Line by Line Meaning

Este son montuno se traba
This particular style of song is tricky

Se traba, se traba
It gets trickier as it goes

Este rico son montuno
This specific complex song style

Es difícil de bailar
Is difficult to dance to

Ponga usted a los bailadores
Get the dancers ready

Que no saben vacilar
Who can't sway to it

Para bailar este son
To dance this song style

Guíate de guapetón
Be guided by the stylish folks

Y cuando se traba el son
When the song gets complicated

Aprieta sin compasión
Squeeze on without mercy

Prepárense, bailadores
Get ready, dancers!