For Y'all Ray Barretto - 2007 Que Viva La Música

Produced solely a brusque fourth dimension after his death, Ray Barretto's A Man together with His Music tells the even of a immature conguero who went from sitting inwards on New York's after-hours jam sessions to becoming a Latin music menage name, the around influential conguero of his lifetime. It's a long story, spanning meliorate than 45 years together with quite a few records, together with it's surprising that the Fania label could cram it into a two-disc set. Beginning inwards his boogaloo years, amongst famous cuts similar "El Watusi" together with "Soul Drummers," the collection demonstrates that Barretto's habits of rule-breaking together with genre-fusing were evidently formed early. These tracks exhibit a sophistication that the bulk of the boogaloo genre did non share. Moving on to Barretto's salsa/Latin jazz experimentation, "Abidjan" together with "The Other Road" are a will to his ongoing creativity. There are, of course, a number of his indispensable hits included, similar "Indestructible," "Vale Mas un Guaguanco," together with "Guarare." The absence of whatever of Barretto's genuine jazz go is noticeable together with curious, but considering the source of this collection (Fania), that is understandable, if somewhat disappointing. There are guaranteed to hold out to a greater extent than than a few collections pose together immortalizing the late, bully main conguero/bandleader. For those who favor his salsa side, A Man together with His Music is certain to please.

Well-known inwards jazz circles for his early on go as a ubiquitous sideman amongst the likes of Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Lou Donaldson together with Red Garland together with for fronting his ain footing degree Latin jazz ensemble during the in conclusion decades of his life, conguero Ray Barretto was as of import as ane of the leading figures inwards the AfroCuban music usually known as salsa. Affectionately known as "Hard Hands ("Manos Duras ), Barretto too had a sensitive finger on the pulse of the Puerto Rican community together with his many albums for the Fania label during the '60s-70s were fundamental to the soundtrack that accompanied the ascent consciousness together with pride of his people.

The two-CD ready Que Viva La Musica chronicles Barretto's impressive artistry during that revolutionary era, amongst the root disc focusing primarily on his go melding Latin music amongst elements of AfroAmerican progressive pop together with soul together with the minute documenting his pop advancements inside the traditional Latin trip the lite fantastic music genre. The root disc begins amongst several tracks of Barretto's pre-Fania go for Tico together with UA Latino, starting amongst 1962's "El Watusi (the conguero's Billboard-charting Gold Record) together with progressing through a history of his crossover hits, amongst lyrics inwards both Castilian together with English. Reflecting the influences of James Brown, Sly Stone together with Motown, the disc is a gumbo of trip the lite fantastic political party music that rocked the barrios of New York for to a greater extent than than a decade together with although around of the songs on the ready could hold out described as stream pieces, many of them are ripe for reevaluation. The music on disc two, on the other hand, is timeless inwards every sense of the word; as relevant together with innovative as when they were root recorded. Each of the program's thirteen cuts ("El Hijo De Obatala , "Guarare together with the championship track, to cite a few) is a classic featuring driving rhythms together with socially powerful lyrics amongst soaring horn solos that should satisfy the around demanding of jazz listeners.

Barretto himself was an avid discophile who learned much observing jazz producers together with engineers together with his ain productions were of the highest quality. Indestructible (1973) is ane of his greatest albums, amongst pristine audio that allows ane to hear the subtle intricacies of the Latin musical rhythm section. With wonderfully man Pb vocals past times Tito Allen together with coros from Hector Lavoe together with Willie Colon (among others) the Castilian lyrics telephone out amongst a ability that fifty-fifty those who range non sympathize them tin feel. The band—jazz soloists similar Artie Webb together with Manny Duran on flute together with flugelhorn, pyrotechnical trumpeters Roberto Rodriguez together with "Papy Roman together with a smoking musical rhythm department amongst pianist Edy Martinez out front—is ane of Barretto's strongest units. The music flows through an engaging sequence of songs whose varied forms together with rhythms are well-explained inwards Bobby Sanabria's illuminating liner notes.

In add-on to his go as a leader, Barretto was a founding fellow member of the Fania All-Stars, the legendary Latin super grouping that traveled the footing spreading the gospel of salsa inwards stadium concerts. Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 1 & 2 documents the band's 1968 initiatory surgery at the intimate Greenwich Village social club that would subsequently go The Bottom Line. The band nether the administration of flutist/percussionist Johnny Pacheco consisted of a revolving cast of characters that included pianist Larry Harlow together with trombonist Willie Colon together with too featured invitee artists Tito Puente together with Eddie Palmieri. Barretto is heard throughout together with his composition "Son Cuero Y Boogaloo kicks off the minute volume, but the jam-session-like atmosphere together with the less-than-perfect audio stand upward inwards contrast to the conguero's ain excellently produced dates.

The belatedly bully Ray Barretto's recordings for the Tico together with Fania labels correspond an extremely of import chapter inwards the history of Salsa together with this compilation offers a fine (if incomplete) overview of his illustrious career. Hopefully, Emusica Records (Fania's novel owner) volition reissue all of Ray's Tico together with Fania CDs. Most of his major hits together with trademark tunes are hither together with no self-serving Barretto fan should hold out without this bully compilation.

Track listing:

Disc 1
01     El Watusi    2:40    
02     El Bantu    2:18    
03     Senor 007    2:13    
04     Do You Dig It    2:29    
05     Soul Drummers    3:50    
06     Hard Hands    2:27    
07     Together    2:36    
08     Right On    2:45    
09     Acid    5:06    
10     Abidjan    4:50    
11     Power    6:09    
12     The Other Road    6:03        
13     Lucretia the Cat    5:35    
14     Cocinando    10:09
15     Arrepientete    5:15    
   
Disc 2
01     Que Viva La Musica    5:28    
02     La Pelota    4:17    
03     Indestructible    4:14    
04     El Hijo De Obatala    5:03    
05     Guarare    5:37    
06     Vale Mas Un Guaguanco    4:21    
07     Ya Vez    5:43    
08     Tu Propio Dolor    4:13    
09     Fuerza Gigante    4:41    
10     Rhythm of Life 6:37    
11     Manos Duras 5:12    
12     Prestame Tu Mujer 6:14    
13     Aguadilla 4:09