Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagán (April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...

styles, as well as

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave (rhythm), clave, and Afro-Brazil ...

. His first hit, "El Watusi", was recorded by his Charanga Moderna in 1962, becoming the most successful

pachanga Pachanga is a genre of music which is described as a mixture of son montuno and merengue and has an accompanying signature style of dance. This type of music has a festive, lively style and is marked by jocular, mischievous lyrics. Pachanga ...

song in the United States. In the late 1960s, Barretto became one of the leading exponents of

boogaloo Boogaloo or bugalú (also: shing-a-ling, Latin boogaloo, Latin R&B) is a music genre, genre of Latin music and dance which was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City mainly by stateside Puerto Ricans with ...

and what would later be known as

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

. Nonetheless, many of Barretto's recordings would remain rooted in more traditional genres such as son cubano. A master of the

descarga A descarga (literally ''discharge'' in Spanish) is an improvised jam session consisting of variations on Cuban music themes, primarily son montuno, but also guajira, bolero, guaracha and rumba. The genre is strongly influenced by jazz and it w ...

(improvised jam session), Barretto was a long-time member of the

Fania All-Stars The Fania All-Stars is a musical group formed in 1968 as a showcase for the musicians on Fania Records, the leading salsa music record label of the time. History Beginnings In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by Jerry Masucci, ...

. His success continued into the 1970s with songs such as "Cocinando" and "Indestructible". His last album for

Fania Records Fania Records is a New York City, New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964 in music, 1964. The label took its name from a popular luncheonette fre ...

, ''Soy dichoso'', was released in 1990. He then formed the New World Spirit jazz ensemble and continued to tour and record until his death in 2006. He is the father of American vocalist and saxophonist Chris Barretto, best known for his work with

Periphery Periphery or peripheral may refer to: Music *Periphery (band), American progressive metal band * ''Periphery'' (album), released in 2010 by Periphery *"Periphery", a song from Fiona Apple's album '' The Idler Wheel...'' Gaming and entertainme ...

and

Monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

Life and career

Early years

Barretto was born on April 29, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents moved to New York from

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

in the early 1920s, looking for a better life. His father left their family when Barretto was four, and his mother Delores moved the family to first Spanish Harlem (El Barrio) on NYC's East Side then at the age of 7 to the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

.From a young age he was influenced by his mother's love of music and by the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

and

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

. In 1946, when Barretto was 17 years old, he joined the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. While stationed in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, he met Belgian vibraphonist

Fats Sadi "Fats" Sadi Pol Lallemand (23 October 1927, Andenne, Belgium – 20 February 2009, Huy) was a Belgian jazz musician, vocalist, and composer who played vibraphone and percussion. He chose the name "Sadi" because he disliked his last name, which m ...

. However, it was when he heard

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

's " Manteca" with

Gil Fuller Walter Gilbert "Gil" Fuller (April 14, 1920, Los Angeles, California – May 26, 1994, San Diego, California) was an American jazz arranger. He is no relation to the jazz trumpeter and vocalist Walter "Rosetta" Fuller. In the 1930s and 1940s, F ...

and

Chano Pozo Luciano Pozo González (January 7, 1915 – December 3, 1948), known professionally as Chano Pozo, was a Cuban jazz percussionist, singer, dancer, and composer. Despite only living to the age of 33, he played a major role in the founding of Latin ...

that he realized his calling. Barretto was not able to escape racial discrimination while stationed in Germany, which led him to a nightclub that was welcoming to black servicemen. He was able to start his music career at this club by playing the back head of a banjo.

Beginnings as a sideman

In 1949, when Barretto returned home from military service, he started to visit clubs and participated in jam sessions, where he perfected his

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

playing. He is credited as being the first U.S. born percussionist to incorporate the conga drum into jazz. On one occasion

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

heard Barretto play and invited him to play in his band. Later, he was asked to play for José Curbelo and

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

, for whom he played for four years. It was in 1958, while playing for

Puente Puente, a word meaning ''bridge'' in Spanish language, may refer to: People * Puente (surname) Places *La Puente, California, USA *Puente Alto, city and commune of Chile *Puente de Ixtla, city in Mexico *Puente Genil, village in the Spanish provi ...

, that Barretto received his first recording credit. Barretto developed a unique style of playing the conga and soon he was sought by other jazz band leaders. Latin percussionists started to appear in jazz groups with frequency as a consequence of Barretto's musical influence. In 1963 Barreto played conga on Kenny Burrell's album ''

Midnight Blue Midnight blue is a dark shade of blue named for its resemblance to the apparently blue color of a moonlit night sky around a full moon. Midnight blue is identifiably blue to the eye in sunlight Sunlight is the portion of the electromag ...

'', noted by several critics as one of the greatest jazz albums.

Charanga Moderna and rise to fame

In 1960, Barretto was a house musician for the

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

, and Riverside labels. He also recorded on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

with Jazz flautist

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...

. New York had become the center of Latin music in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and a musical genre called

was the Latin music craze of the early 1960s. In 1962, Barretto formed his first group, Charanga La Moderna, and recorded his first hit, "El Watusi" for

Tico Records Tico Records was a New York City record label that was founded in 1948, and was known for 30 years as the "home of the recorded mambo". It was originally owned by George Goldner and later acquired by Morris Levy and incorporated into Roulette Recor ...

. He was quite successful with the song and the genre, to the point of being typecast (something that he disliked).

Boogaloo and early salsa

In 1965, Barretto signed with the Latin division of

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

, UA Latino, and began recording a series of albums in the

genre, which merges

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

with

. On his album ''El Ray Criollo'', Barretto explored the modern Latin sounds of New York, combining features of charanga and conjunto to birth a new style which would later be known as

. After recording four albums for the United Artists label, Barretto joined the Fania record label in 1967, and his first recording for the new label was the 1968 album ''Acid'', which is often cited as one of the most enduring boogaloo albums, with songs such as "A Deeper Shade of Soul" and the title track was included in the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the fictitious Latin music radio station "Radio Espantoso". During this period,

Adalberto Santiago Adalberto Santiago (born April 23, 1937) is an internationally known salsa singer. Career Born April 23, 1937, in Pozas barrio, Ciales, Puerto Rico, Adalberto's relaxed and flawless lead vocals are among the best in the salsa genre of Latin ...

was the band's lead vocalist.

Success with Fania

In 1972 Barretto's ''Que viva la música'' was released. "Cocinando," a track from the album, opened the soundtrack of the Fania All Stars film ''

Our Latin Thing ''Our Latin Thing'' () was a 1972 documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the burgeoning Latin music scene in New York City. It focused on a concert put together by the management of Fania Records at Manhattan's Cheetah nightclub featuring a ...

'' in which Barretto had a role. After a number of successful albums, and just as his Afro-Cuban band had attained a remarkable following, most of its members left it to form Típica 73, a multinational

conglomerate. In 1973, Barretto recorded the album ''Indestructible'', in which he played "La familia", a song written by José Curbelo in 1953 and recorded by the sonero Carlos Argentino with the Cuban band

Sonora Matancera La Sonora Matancera is a Cuban band that played Latin American urban popular dance music. Founded in 1924 and led for more than five decades by guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer Rogelio Martínez, musicologists consider it an icon o ...

; Tito Allen joined as new vocalist. Allen left the band after ''Indestructible''. The series of departures left Barretto depressed and disappointed with salsa; he then redirected his efforts to jazz, while remaining as musical director of the

Fania All Stars The Fania All-Stars is a musical group formed in 1968 as a showcase for the musicians on Fania Records, the leading salsa music record label of the time. History Beginnings In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by Jerry Masucc ...

. In 1975 he released ''Barretto'', also referred to as the ''Guararé'' album, with new vocalists Ruben Blades and Tito Gomez. Barretto played the conga in recording sessions for the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

and the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

. He performanced on

's "Discotheque" album also. In 1975, he was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for the album ''Barretto''. From 1976 to 1978, Barretto recorded three albums for Atlantic Records, and was nominated for a Grammy for ''Barretto Live...Tomorrow''. In 1979, he recorded ''La Cuna'' for CTI Records and produced a

record for Fania, titled ''Rican/Struction'', which was named 1980 "Best Album" by Latin N.Y. Magazine, with Barretto crowned as 'Conga Player of the Year'.

New World Spirit

In 1990, Barretto won his only Grammy, in the Tropical Music category, for the album ''Ritmo en el corazón'' ("Rhythm in the Heart"), a collaboration featuring the vocals of

Celia Cruz Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of , earning the nickna ...

and

. His 1968 song "A Deeper Shade Of Soul" was sampled for the 1991 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 #21 hit " Deeper Shade of Soul" by Dutch band

Urban Dance Squad Urban Dance Squad was a Dutch rap rock band formed after what was originally intended as a one-time jam-session at a festival in Utrecht on December 20, 1986. The band consisted of a guitarist, bassist, drummer, rapper, and DJ. Urban Dance Squa ...

. Also in the 1990s, a Latin agent,

Chino Rodríguez James Mui, known professionally as Chino Rodriguez (February 2, 1954 — November 5, 2022), was an American musician and impresario who specialized in Latin music, salsa and Latin jazz. Biography Rodriguez was born as James Mui on February 2, ...

, approached Barretto with a concept he also pitched to Larry Harlow. The idea was "The Latin Legends of Fania", and Barretto, Harlow, Yomo Toro, Pete "el Conde" Rodríguez, Junior González, Ismael Miranda, and Adalberto Santiago came together and formed "The Latin Legends of Fania", booked by Chino Rodríguez of Latin Music Booking.com. However, in 1992 Barretto left the Legends to focus on his new jazz ensemble, New World Spirits, with which he recorded several albums for the

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the ...

label. In 1999, Barretto was inducted into the

International Latin Music Hall of Fame The International Latin Music Hall of Fame (ILMHF) was an annual event established in 1999 and held in New York City to honor artists who have largely contributed to the Latin music genre. In addition to the induction into the Hall of Fame, the a ...

. In 2006, the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

awarded Barretto its Jazz Masters Award. Barretto lived in Northern New Jersey and was an active musical producer, as well as the leader of a touring band which embarked on tours of the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

Death

A resident of

Norwood, New Jersey Norwood is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,641, a decrease of 70 (−1.2%) from the 2010 census count of 5,711, which in turn reflected a decline ...

, Barretto died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

and complications of multiple health issues on February 17, 2006, at

Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) is a 950-bed non-profit, research and teaching hospital providing tertiary and healthcare needs located west of New York City, in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of 2019, it r ...

in New Jersey. His body was flown to Puerto Rico, where Barretto was given formal honors by the

Institute of Puerto Rican Culture An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

; his remains were cremated.

Discography

As leader

* ''Barretto para bailar'' ( Riverside, 1961) * ''Latino!'' (Riverside, 1962) * ''Charanga Moderna'' ( Tico, 1962) * ''Moderna de Siempre'' (Tico, 1963) * ''On Fire Again (Encendido otra vez)'' (Tico, 1963) * ''The Big Hits Latin Style'' (Tico, 1963) * ''Guajira y guaguancó'' (Tico, 1964) * ''Viva Watusi!'' (

, 1965) * ''Señor 007'' (United Artists, 1966) * ''El Ray Criollo'' (United Artists, 1966) * ''Latino con Soul'' (United Artists, 1966) * ''Fiesta En El Barrio'' (United Artists, 1967) * ''Acid'' ( Fania, 1968) * ''Hard Hands'' (Fania, 1968) * ''Together'' (Fania, 1969) * ''Head Sounds'' (Fania, 1969) * ''Barretto Power'' (Fania, 1970) * ''The Message'' (Fania, 1971) * ''From the Beginning'' (Fania, 1971) * ''Que viva la música'' (Fania, 1972) * ''Indestructible'' (Fania, 1973) * ''The Other Road'' (Fania, 1973) * ''Barretto'' (Fania, 1975) * ''Tomorrow: Barretto Live'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, 1976) * ''Energy to Burn'' (Fania, 1977) * ''Eye of the Beholder'' (Atlantic, 1977) * ''Can You Feel It?'' (Atlantic, 1978) * ''Gracias'' (Fania, 1978) * ''La Cuna'' (CTI Records, 1979) * ''Rican/Struction'' (Fania, 1979) * ''Giant Force'' (Fania, 1980) * ''Rhythm of Life'' (Fania, 1982) * ''Todo se va poder'' (Fania, 1984) * ''Aquí se puede'' (Fania, 1987) * ''Irresistible'' (Fania, 1989) * ''Ritmo en el Corazón'' (Fania, 1990) * ''Handprints'' (Concord Picante, 1991) * ''Soy Dichoso'' (Fania, 1992) * ''Live in New York'' (Messidor, 1992) * ''Salsa Caliente de Nu York'' (Universe, 2001) * ''Fuerza Gigante: Live in Puerto Rico April 27, 2001'' (Universe, 2004) * ''Standards Rican-ditioned'' (

Zoho Music Zoho Music is a Latin jazz independent record label based in New York, founded by Joachim Becker in 2003. In 2005, the label expanded to blues, R&B, Southern and classic rock on the Zoho Roots imprint. The catalog consists of over 180 CD releases ...

, 2006) With New World Spirit * ''Ancestral Messages'' (Concord Picante, 1992) * ''Taboo'' (Concord Picante, 1994) * ''My Summertime'' (Owl, 1995) * '' Contact!'' (Blue Note, 1998) * ''Portraits in Jazz and Clave'' (RCA, 2000) * ''Trancedance'' (Circular Moves, 2001) * ''Homage to Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers'' (Sunnyside, 2003) * ''Hot Hands'' (compilation of ''Ancestral Messages'' and ''Taboo'') (Concord Picante, 2003) * ''Time Was - Time Is'' (O+ Music, 2005)

As sideman

With

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...

* ''

Blue Gene Blue Gene was an IBM project aimed at designing supercomputers that can reach operating speeds in the petaFLOPS (PFLOPS) range, with relatively low power consumption. The project created three generations of supercomputers, Blue Gene/L, Blue ...

'' (

, 1958) * ''

Boss Tenor ''Boss Tenor'' is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded in 1960 and released on the Prestige label.Up Tight!'' (Prestige, 1961) * '' Boss Soul!'' (Prestige, 1961) * '' Twisting the Jug'' with Joe Newman and

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuffy (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. He was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...

(Prestige, 1961) * '' Soul Summit Vol. 2'' (Prestige, 1962) – rec. 1961 * '' Late Hour Special'' (Prestige, 1964) – rec. 1961 * '' Velvet Soul'' (Prestige, 1964) – rec. 1961 * '' Goodbye'' (Prestige, 1974) With

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

* ''

Bluesy Burrell ''Bluesy Burrell'' (also released as ''Out of This World'') is an album by guitarist Kenny Burrell with saxophonist Coleman Hawkins recorded in 1962 and originally released on the Moodsville label. Reception AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars ...

'' with

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...

(Moodsville, 1962) * ''

'' (

, 1963) * ''

Crash! ''Crash!'' is a 1977 film directed by Charles Band. It starred José Ferrer, Sue Lyon, John Ericson, Leslie Parrish, John Carradine and Reggie Nalder. Synopsis Jealous invalid husband (Ferrer) tries to kill sexy blond wife (Lyon), who uses oc ...

'' with

Brother Jack McDuff Eugene McDuffy (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. He was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era ...

(Prestige, 1963) * '' Soul Call'' (Prestige, 1964) * '' God Bless the Child'' (CTI, 1971) With

and

* ''Tremendo Trío!'' (Fania, 1983) With

* ''Ritmo en el Corazón'' (Fania, 1989) With

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened to "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

* '' Bacalao'' with

Shirley Scott Shirley Scott (March 14, 1934 – March 10, 2002) was an American jazz organist. Her music was noted for its mixture of bebop, blues, and gospel elements. She was known by the nickname "Queen of the Organ". Life and career Scott was born in P ...

(Prestige, 1959) * '' Afro-Jaws'' (Riverside, 1960) * ''

Misty In cryptography, MISTY1 (or MISTY-1) is a block cipher designed in 1995 by Mitsuru Matsui and others for Mitsubishi Electric. MISTY1 is one of the selected algorithms in the European NESSIE project, and has been among the cryptographic tech ...

'' with Shirley Scott (Moodsville, 1963) – rec. 1960 * '' Lock, the Fox'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, 1966) With

Lou Donaldson Louis Andrew Donaldson Jr. (November 1, 1926 – November 9, 2024) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He was best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was he ...

* '' Swing and Soul'' (Blue Note, 1957) * '' Blues Walk'' (Blue Note, 1958) * '' Light-Foot'' (Blue Note, 1959) * '' The Time Is Right'' (Blue Note, 1959) * ''

Midnight Sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...

'' (Blue Note, 1960) * ''

Cole Slaw Coleslaw or cole slaw (from the Dutch term , meaning 'cabbage salad'), also widely known within North America simply as slaw, is a side dish consisting primarily of finely shredded raw cabbage with a salad dressing or condiment, commonly either ...

'' (Blue Note, 1964) With Jimmy Forrest * '' Most Much!'' (Prestige, 1961) * '' Soul Street'' (New Jazz, 1962) With

Eddie Harris Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-k ...

* '' Mean Greens'' (Atlantic, 1966) * ''

The Electrifying Eddie Harris ''The Electrifying Eddie Harris'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1967 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic, 1967) With

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in the United States. Although Lateef's main i ...

* '' Yusef Lateef's Detroit'' (Atlantic, 1969) * '' In a Temple Garden'' (CTI, 1979) With

Johnny Lytle John “Johnny” Dillard Lytle (October 13, 1932 in Springfield, Ohio – December 15, 1995 in Springfield) was an American jazz drummer and vibraphonist. Life and career Lytle grew up in Springfield, Ohio in a family of musicians, the son o ...

* '' Moon Child'' ( Jazzland, 1962) * '' The Soulful Rebel'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...

, 1971) With

* '' Flute, Brass, Vibes and Percussion'' (Verve, 1959) * ''

The Common Ground ''The Common Ground'' is an album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann recorded in 1960 for the Atlantic Records, Atlantic label.The Family of Mann'' (Atlantic, 1961) * ''

Herbie Mann Returns to the Village Gate ''Herbie Mann Returns to the Village Gate'' is a live album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann recorded in 1961 for the Atlantic Records, Atlantic label but not released until 1963.Our Mann Flute'' (Atlantic, 1966) * '' The Herbie Mann String Album'' (Atlantic, 1967) * '' Glory of Love'' (A&M/CTI, 1967) * ''

Discothèque A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and a ...

'' (Atlantic, 1975) * ''

Waterbed A waterbed, water mattress, or flotation mattress is a bed or mattress filled with water. Waterbeds intended for medical therapies appear in various reports through the 19th century. The modern version, invented in San Francisco and patented in ...

'' (Atlantic, 1975) With

Johnny "Hammond" Smith John Robert "Johnny Hammond" Smith (December 16, 1933 – June 4, 1997) was an American soul jazz and hard bop organist. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he was a renowned player of the Hammond B-3 organ so earning "Hammond" as a nickname, wh ...

* ''

Talk That Talk ''Talk That Talk'' is the sixth studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on November 18, 2011 by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. ''Talk That Talk'' was recorded during the Loud Tour between February and November 2011. It w ...

'' (New Jazz, 1960) * '' Open House!'' (Riverside, 1963) With

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...

* '' Stitt Meets Brother Jack'' with

(Prestige, 1962) * ''

The Matadors Meet the Bull ''The Matadors Meet the Bull'' is an album by saxophonist Sonny Stitt recorded in 1965 and released on the Roulette label.Edwards, D. & Callahan, MRoulette Album Discography, Part 1accessed January 7, 2013 The album was Stitt's first for the labe ...

'' (

Roulette Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...

, 1965) With

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, often described as the most successful non-Latino Latin music (genre), Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, especially small group mod ...

* ''Along Comes Cal'' (Verve, 1967) * ''Hip Vibrations'' (Verve, 1967) With others *

Average White Band The Average White Band (also known as AWB) was a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They were best known for their million-selling instrumental track " Pick Up the Pieces", and their alb ...

, '' Cut the Cake'' (Atlantic, 1975) * Average White Band, '' Warmer Communications'' (Atlantic, 1978) *

, ''

Main Course A main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée () course. Usage In the United States and Canada (except Quebec), the main course is traditionally called an "entrée". En ...

'' (RSO, 1975) *

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

, '' The Other Side of Abbey Road'' (A&M, 1970) *

Ray Bryant Raphael Homer "Ray" Bryant (December 24, 1931 – June 2, 2011) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1931. His mother was an ordained minister who had tau ...

, '' Dancing the Big Twist'' ( Columbia, 1961) *

Arnett Cobb Arnett Cleophus Cobb (August 10, 1918 – March 24, 1989)
accessed July 2010. was an American tenor saxophonist, somet ...

, '' Party Time'' (Prestige, 1959) *

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the '' Mode ...

, ''

Spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...

'' (

, 1973) *

Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning nearly seven decades. An Academy Awards, Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award-winning rec ...

, ''

True Stories and Other Dreams ''True Stories and Other Dreams'' is the ninth studio album by American singer and songwriter Judy Collins, released by Elektra Records in 1973. It peaked at No. 27 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Albums charts. The album included Valerie Carter's "C ...

'' (Elektra Records, 1973) *

Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) was a folk rock supergroup comprising the American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and the English-American singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by the Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Youn ...

, '' CSN'' (Atlantic, 1977) * Deodato, '' Prelude'' (CTI, 1972) *

Bill Doggett William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk ...

, '' Doggett Beat for Dancing Feet'' (King, 1957) *

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...

, '' Listen to Art Farmer and the Orchestra'' ( Mercury, 1963) – rec. 1962 *

Cheo Feliciano Cheo Feliciano (3 July 1935 – 17 April 2014) was a Puerto Rican singer and composer of salsa and bolero music. Feliciano was the owner of a recording company called "Coche Records". He was the first tropical singer to perform at the "Amira ...

, ''With a Little Help for My Friend'' (Vaya, 1973) * Cheo Feliciano, ''Felicidades'' (Vaya, 1973) * The

Red Garland William McKinley "Red" Garland Jr. (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984) was an American modern jazz pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s with Miles Davis, Garland helped popularize the block chord style of playing in jazz ...

Trio, ''Manteca'' (Prestige, 1958) *

, '' Carnegie Hall Concert'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

, 1961) – live *

Al Grey Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''. Car ...

, '' The Al Grey - Billy Mitchell Sextet'' with

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...

(

Argo In Greek mythology, the ''Argo'' ( ; ) was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. The ship was built with divine aid, and some ancient sources describe her as the first ship to sail the seas. The ''Argo'' carried the Argonauts on their quest fo ...

, 1962) – live rec. 1961 *

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombone, jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tub ...

, '' Jazz with a Twist'' (Atlantic, 1962) *

Jake Holmes Jake Holmes (born December 28, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and jingle writer who began a recording career in the 1960s. Holmes is the author of the song " Dazed and Confused", later reworked by Led Zeppelin. Holmes also composed the ...

, ''How Much Time'' (Columbia, 1972) * Willis Jackson, '' Thunderbird'' (Prestige, 1962) *

Clifford Jordan Clifford Laconia Jordan (September 2, 1931 – March 27, 1993) was an American jazz tenor saxophone player and composer. Originally from Chicago, Jordan later moved to New York City, where he recorded extensively in addition to touring across ...

, '' Soul Fountain'' (

Vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex (: vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...

, 1970) * Ben E. King, ''

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the east ...

'' (Atco, 1961) *

Junior Mance Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. (October 10, 1928 – January 17, 2021), known as Junior Mance, was an American jazz pianist and composer. Biography Early life (1928–1947) Mance was born in Evanston, Illinois. When he was five years old, Mance st ...

, '' I Believe to My Soul'' (Atlantic, 1968) *

, '' Somethin' Slick!'' (Prestige, 1963) * Mark Murphy, '' Rah!'' (Riverside, 1961) *

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for his unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and for his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a ...

, '' SO Much Guitar!'' (Riverside, 1961) *

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album '' The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signi ...

, '' Impressions of Phaedra'' (United Artists, 1962) *

Tony Orlando and Dawn Tony Orlando and Dawn (also known simply as Dawn) is an American pop music group that was popular in the 1970s, composed of singer Tony Orlando and the backing vocal group Dawn (Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson). Their signature hits inclu ...

, ''He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)'' (Elektra, 1975) *

Dave Pike David Samuel Pike (March 23, 1938 – October 3, 2015) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He appeared on many albums by Nick Brignola, Paul Bley and Kenny Clarke, Bill Evans, and Herbie Mann. He also recorded extensively as l ...

, ''

Limbo Carnival ''Limbo Carnival'' is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Dave Pike which was recorded in 1962 for the Prestige Records, New Jazz label.Michel Sardaby, ''Michel Sardaby in New York'' (Sound Hills, 2002) *

Jeremy Steig Jeremy Steig (September 23, 1942 – April 13, 2016)Peter Keepnews, "Jeremy ...

and

Eddie Gómez Edgar Gómez (born October 4, 1944) is a Puerto Rican jazz double bassist, known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio from 1966 to 1977. Biography Gómez moved with his family from Puerto Rico at a young age to New York, where he was raised. ...

, ''

Rain Forest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

'' (CMP, 1980) *

Julius Watkins Julius Watkins (October 10, 1921 – April 4, 1977) was an American jazz musician who played French horn. Described by AllMusic as "virtually the father of the jazz French horn", Watkins won the ''Down Beat'' critics poll in 1960 and 1961 for Mis ...

, '' French Horns for My Lady'' (

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

, 1962) *

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer Alphonse Mouzon a ...

, ''

Mysterious Traveller ''Mysterious Traveller'' is the fourth studio album by the jazz and jazz fusion ensemble Weather Report, released in 1974. This was their final recording with founding bassist Miroslav Vitouš, who left due to creative differences. Vitouš wa ...

'' (Columbia, 1974) *

Frank Wess Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. He was renowned for his extensive solo work; however, he was also remembered for his time playing with Count Basie, Count Basie's band duri ...

, ''

Southern Comfort Southern Comfort (often abbreviated SoCo) is an American naturally fruit-flavored whiskey liqueur with fruit and spice accents. The brand was created by bartender Martin Wilkes Heron in New Orleans in 1874, using whiskey as the base spirit. Whi ...

'' (Prestige, 1962) * Charles Williams, ''

Stickball Stickball is a street game similar to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ...

'' (

Mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso * ...

, 1972) *

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American multi-instrumentalist, working as a vocalist along with playing keyboards, saxophone, and percussion. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group and their pop ...

, '' Edgar Winter's White Trash'' (Epic, 1971)

References

External links

Ray Barretto
Discography at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

Ray Barretto
at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Photographs and sound
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barretto, Ray 1929 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male drummers American jazz drummers American salsa musicians American musicians of Puerto Rican descent American male jazz musicians Atlantic Records artists Avant-garde jazz musicians Conga players CTI Records artists Cuban charanga musicians Grammy Award winners Fania Records artists Jazz fusion musicians Jazz percussionists Jazz musicians from New York City Puerto Rican jazz musicians Puerto Rican Army personnel The Blackout All-Stars members Tico Records artists United States Army soldiers People from East Harlem People from Norwood, New Jersey Zoho Music artists People from Morrisania, Bronx Fania All-Stars members Musicians from Bergen County, New Jersey Drummers from New Jersey NEA Jazz Masters

Life and career

Early years

Beginnings as a sideman

Charanga Moderna and rise to fame

Boogaloo and early salsa

Success with Fania

New World Spirit

Death

Discography

As leader

As sideman

See also

References

External links