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 styles, as well as Latin jazz. His first hit, "El Watusi", was recorded by his Charanga Moderna in 1962, becoming the most successful pachanga song in the United States. In the late 1960s, Barretto became one of the leading exponents of boogaloo and what would later be known as salsa. Nonetheless, many of Barretto's recordings would remain rooted in more traditional genres such as son cubano. A master of the descarga (improvised jam session), Barretto was a long-time member of the Fania All-Stars. From a young age he was influenced by his mother's love of music and by the jazz of Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

In 1946, when Barretto was 17 years old, he joined the Army. While stationed in Germany, he met Belgian vibraphonist Fats Sadi. However, it was when he heard Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" with Gil Fuller and Chano Pozo that he realized his calling. On one occasion Charlie Parker heard Barretto play and invited him to play in his band. Later, he was asked to play for José Curbelo and Tito Puente, for whom he played for four years. It was in 1958, while playing for Puente, that Barretto received his first recording credit. New York had become the center of Latin music in the United States and a musical genre called pachanga 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. In 1975, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for the album Barretto. From 1976 to 1978, Barretto recorded three albums for Atlantic Records, and was nominated for a Grammy for Tomorrow: Barretto Live. In 1979, he recorded La Cuna for CTI Records and produced a salsa 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'.

In 1999, Barretto was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

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 United States, Africa, Europe, Israel and Latin America.

As sideman

With Gene Ammons

  • Blue Gene (Prestige, 1958)
  • Boss Tenor (Prestige, 1960)
  • Up Tight! (Prestige, 1961)
  • Boss Soul! (Prestige, 1961)
  • Twisting the Jug with Joe Newman and Jack McDuff (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

  • Bluesy Burrell with Coleman Hawkins (Moodsville, 1962)
  • Midnight Blue (Blue Note, 1963)
  • Crash! with Brother Jack McDuff (Prestige, 1963)
  • Soul Call (Prestige, 1964)
  • God Bless the Child (CTI, 1971)

With Celia Cruz and Adalberto Santiago

  • Tremendo Trío! (Fania 623, 1983)

With Celia Cruz

  • Ritmo En El Corazón (Fania 651, 1988)

With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

  • Bacalao with Shirley Scott (Prestige, 1959)
  • Afro-Jaws (Riverside, 1960)
  • Misty with Shirley Scott (Moodsville, 1963) – rec. 1960
  • Lock, the Fox (RCA Victor, 1966)

With Lou Donaldson

  • 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 (Blue Note, 1960)
  • Cole Slaw (Argo, 1964)

With Jimmy Forrest

  • Most Much! (Prestige, 1961)
  • Soul Street (New Jazz, 1962)

With Eddie Harris

  • Mean Greens (Atlantic, 1966)
  • The Electrifying Eddie Harris (Atlantic, 1967)

With Yusef Lateef

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

With Johnny Lytle

  • Moon Child (Jazzland, 1962)
  • The Soulful Rebel (Milestone, 1971)

With Herbie Mann

  • Flute, Brass, Vibes and Percussion (Verve, 1959)
  • The Common Ground (Atlantic, 1960)
  • The Family of Mann (Atlantic, 1961)
  • Herbie Mann Returns to the Village Gate (Atlantic, 1963) – rec. 1961
  • Our Mann Flute (Atlantic, 1966)
  • The Herbie Mann String Album (Atlantic, 1967)
  • Glory of Love (A&M/CTI, 1967)
  • Discothèque (Atlantic, 1975)
  • Waterbed (Atlantic, 1975)

With Johnny "Hammond" Smith

  • Talk That Talk (New Jazz, 1960)
  • Open House! (Riverside, 1963)

With Sonny Stitt

  • Stitt Meets Brother Jack with Jack McDuff (Prestige, 1962)
  • The Matadors Meet the Bull (Roulette, 1965)

With Cal Tjader

  • Along Comes Cal (Verve, 1967)
  • Hip Vibrations (Verve, 1967)

With others

  • Average White Band, Cut the Cake (Atlantic, 1975)
  • Average White Band, Warmer Communications (Atlantic, 1978)
  • Bee Gees, Main Course (RSO, 1975)
  • George Benson, The Other Side of Abbey Road (A&M/CTI, 1970)
  • Ray Bryant, Dancing the Big Twist (Columbia, 1961)
  • Arnett Cobb, Party Time (Prestige, 1959)
  • Billy Cobham, Spectrum (Atlantic, 1973)
  • Judy Collins, True Stories and Other Dreams (Elektra, 1973)
  • Crosby, Stills & Nash, CSN (Atlantic, 1977)
  • Deodato, Prelude (CTI Records, 1972)
  • Bill Doggett, Doggett Beat for Dancing Feet (King, 1957)
  • Art Farmer, Listen to Art Farmer and the Orchestra (Mercury, 1963) – rec. 1962
  • Cheo Feliciano, With a Little Help for My Friend (Vaya, 1973)
  • Cheo Feliciano, Felicidades (Vaya, 1973)
  • Red Garland Trio, Manteca (Prestige, 1958)
  • Red Garland Trio, Rojo (Prestige, 1961)
  • Dizzy Gillespie, Carnegie Hall Concert (Verve, 1961) – live
  • Al Grey, The Al Grey - Billy Mitchell Sextet with Billy Mitchell (Argo, 1962) – live rec. 1961
  • Slide Hampton, Jazz with a Twist (Atlantic, 1962)
  • Jake Holmes, How Much Time (Columbia, 1972)
  • Willis Jackson, Thunderbird (Prestige, 1962)
  • Clifford Jordan, Soul Fountain (Vortex, 1970)
  • Ben E. King, Spanish Harlem (Atco, 1961)
  • Junior Mance, I Believe to My Soul (Atlantic, 1968)
  • Jack McDuff, Somethin' Slick! (Prestige, 1963)
  • Wes Montgomery, SO Much Guitar! (Riverside, 1961)
  • Mark Murphy, Rah! (Riverside, 1961)
  • Oliver Nelson, Impressions of Phaedra (United Artists, 1962)
  • Tony Orlando and Dawn, He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) (Elektra, 1975)
  • Dave Pike, Limbo Carnival (New Jazz, 1962)
  • Michel Sardaby, Michel Sardaby in New York (Sound Hills, 2002)
  • Jeremy Steig and Eddie Gómez, Rain Forest (CMP, 1980)
  • The Tymes, Tymes Up (RCA Victor, 1976)
  • Julius Watkins, French Horns for My Lady (Philips, 1962)
  • Weather Report, Mysterious Traveller (Columbia, 1974)
  • Frank Wess, Southern Comfort (Prestige, 1962)
  • Charles Williams, Stickball (Mainstream, 1972)
  • Edgar Winter, Edgar Winter's White Trash (Epic, 1971)

See also

  • Salsa
  • Charanga (Cuba)
  • Afro-Cuban jazz
  • List of Puerto Ricans

References

  • Ray Barretto Discography at Discogs
  • Ray Barretto at IMDb
  • Photographs and sound