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
Vive y vacila
Ray Barretto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
nada
porque yo se que es lo que es
nada
ven donde mi que yo te voy a
enseñar
ponte en algo
ponte en algo
cuando tu te vas lo que tu te
lo que tu te llevas ‘mano es lo
que has gozado
ponte en algo
ponte en algo
la realidad, la realidad es nacer
nacer y morir
por esto yo te digo
ponte en algo
ponte en algo
ahi ven y ven, ven y ven conmigo
que yo te voy a enseñar
vivir!
ponte en algo
ponte en algo
vacila como yo vacila como yo
guaguanco
guaguancò que me muero
que me repique, me repique, me
repique los cueros
vacila como yo, vacila como yo,
vacila como yo, vacila
ale lele lelele lele
The lyrics of Ray Barretto's song Vive y vacila are a call to embrace life and enjoy it to the fullest. The opening line "soy como soy tu no me digas nada porque yo se que es lo que es nada" translates to "I am who I am, don't tell me anything because I know what's up." This sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer is confident in their way of life and wants to share it with others. They urge the listener to come with them and learn to "vacila," or enjoy life through music and dance.
The verses touch on themes of impermanence and the importance of living in the moment. The lines "cuando tu te vas lo que tu te llevas ‘mano es lo que has gozado" mean "when you leave, what you take with you is what you have enjoyed." This emphasizes the importance of making the most of life while you can, as everything is temporary. The singer emphasizes that "la realidad es nacer y morir" - the reality is to be born and to die. Therefore, they urge the listener to "ponte en algo," or find something to live for, to embrace life and vacila like they do.
Overall, the lyrics of Vive y vacila are a celebration of the joys of life, as well as a reminder to make the most of the time we have. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy chorus make it a perfect dance tune that embodies the spirit of living in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
soy como soy tu no me digas nada
I am who I am, don't tell me to change, because I know who I am and I won't change for anyone.
porque yo se que es lo que es nada
I know what is and what isn't important, and I won't waste my time on anything that doesn't matter.
ven donde mi que yo te voy a enseñar
Come to me, and I will teach you something valuable.
ponte en algo ponte en algo
Get involved in something, find your passion and pursue it.
cuando tu te vas lo que tu te cuando tu te vas lo que tu te
When you leave, all you take with you is the memories of what you experienced.
lo que tu te llevas ‘mano es lo que has gozado
What you take with you is what you enjoyed, what made you happy.
la realidad, la realidad es nacer nacer y morir
The reality of life is that we are born and we die.
por esto yo te digo ponte en algo ponte en algo
That's why I'm telling you to find something meaningful to do with your life.
ahi ven y ven, ven y ven conmigo que yo te voy a enseñar vivir!
Come along with me, and I will show you how to really live!
vacila como yo vacila como yo guaguanco guaguancò que me muero
Have fun like I do, dance the guaguanco like I do, it's so fun it's to die for!
que me repique, me repique, me repique los cueros vacila como yo, vacila como yo, vacila como yo, vacila ale lele lelele lele
The drums are beating, motivating me to have fun, to dance and live life to the fullest, so let's all have fun and dance together.
Writer(s): Tony Fuentes
Contributed by Riley R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@luizgrar1737
Soy como soy tu no me digas nada
Porque yo se que es lo que es vacilon
No no no no, que tu no estas en nada
Ven donde mi que yo te voy a enseñar
La vida es muy corta mira
Ponte en algo
Ponte en algo
Vive y vacila
Cuando tu te vas lo que tu te llevas
Mulato mulato
Cuando tu te vas lo que tu te llevas
Lo que tu te llevas 'mano es lo que has gozado
Ponte en algo
Vive y vacila
Ponte en algo
Vive y vacila
La realidad, la realidad es nacer
Nacer y morir
Por esto yo te digo
Vive tu vida
Ponte en algo
Vive y vacila
Huesito, huesito, huesito
Pa' cementerio
Oye, si tu no vacilas
Ponte en algo
Vive y vacila
Ahi ven y ven, ven y ven conmigo
Que yo te voy a enseñar de la vida
Vivir
Ponte en algo
Vive y vacila
Ponte canallón, ponte canallón
Po' ponte canallón, venga a bailar
Venga a bailar y vacilar
Ponte en algo
Vive y vacila
Ahi na' ma'
Ven ven ven que muero
Vive y vacila
Vacila como yo vacila como yo guaguanco
Vive y vacila
Vive, vive, vive, vive tu vida
Vive y vacila
Huesito pa' cementerio belen
Si tu no vacilas
Vive y vacila
Ven, ven, ven, ven, ven, ven, ven, ven
Vive y vacila
Guaguancó que me muero
Vive y vacila
Que me repique, me repique, me repique los cueros
Vive y vacila
Vacila como yo, vacila como yo, vacila como yo, vacila
Vive y vacila
No me critiques no me critiques mi vida molina
Vive y vacila
Molina ven ven, molina ven ven
A gozar
Vive y vacila
Wuo wuo wuo caballeros
Vive y vacila
Be be be ben belelelle
Vive y vacila
Ale lele lelele lele
Vive y vacila
@williampadillacastro9264
La combinación perfecta , Ray Barreto en los cueros y cantando Adalberto Santiago . Excelente tema , " Vive y Vacila " . Muy buen mensaje de reflexión , hay que vivir y vacilar la vida como Dios manda . Salsaludo desde Cali , Colombia la capital mundial de la Salsa , donde no se camina sino que se baila !!!
@lucasrojas6708
Tema espectacular
@alfonsomoscosoguaman6060
Saludos salseras(os)
Somos la 43 generación de ABRAHÁM en esta ERA DE ACUARIO CON JESÚS EL CRISTO EN NOSOTROS.
AMMG, 30-XI-2023.
@laureanodavila9835
Ese numerito es el que mas me vacila para bailar y escuchar.
@robertoquimi7321
No ay nada mejor que la salsa de verda no esa guevada de salsa choque
@eduardomoscoso5173
ESTO ES LA VERDADERA SALSA DURA Y PESADA......SÓLO PA' LOS QUE SABEN DE MÚSICA FUERTE...RAY..RARRETO Y ADALBERTO POR SIEMPRE INMORTALES !!!
@jorgesandoval6608
Ray Barreto Vive y Vacila tremendo Clasicoooooooooooooooo
@ricardovallejos9759
Se le puede escuchar "n" veces y es como si la escucharas por primera vez. La contundencia de Barretto en su máxima expresión. Adalberto, sonero de los bravos....
@luisfranco9042
Es unas de las salsa que más e escuchado y nunca me cansaré de escucharla
@jbyesterday3959
Ray's 3 part harmony on coro goes to the heart & soul even after all these years. I'm 68, & I've been digging this jammie for decades !