New York, NY - February 17, 2006 - Family spokesperson George Rivera
announced this morning that Ray Barretto died at the Hackensack University
Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J. at 5 a.m.
For nearly 40 years, conguero and bandleader Ray Barretto has been one of
the leading forces in Latin jazz. His hard, compelling playing style has
graced the recordings of saxophonists Gene Ammons, Lou Donaldson, Sonny
Stitt, and guitarists Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell.
Born April 29, 1929, in Brooklyn, Barretto is one of the most prolific and
influential Latin percussionists in the history of modern jazz. With a
musical heritage as deeply rooted in the bebop jam sessions held in Harlem
during the late-'40s as in his Puerto Rican ancestry, Barretto has spent
over four decades refining the integration of Afro-Caribbean rhythms with
the improvisational elements of jazz. Coincidentally, it was the tune
"Manteca" recorded by Gillespie with Chano Pozo on percussion that drove
Barretto to music. And it was a version of that same tune that became
Barretto's first recording with Red Garland.
Few artists have been as successful over the years at fusing these two
genres as Barretto, an undisputed master of this style. A pioneer of the
salsa movement, Barretto achieved international superstardom and released
nearly two dozen albums with the Fania label from the late-'60s until
salsa's popularity peaked in the mid-1980's.
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Bob Davis
earthjuice_at_prodigy.net
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Received on 2006-02-17 19:17:45