Ray Barretto a.k.a. Hard Hands (April 29, 1929
– February 17, 2006) born in New York City, was a Puerto Rican jazz musician,
widely credited as the godfather of Latin jazz. He was also the first Hispanic
to record a latin song which became a "hit" in the American Billboard Charts.
Barretto's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico in the early
1920s, looking for a better life. He was raised in Spanish Harlem and at a very
young age was influenced by his mother's love of music and by the jazz music of
musicians such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie.
In 1946, when Barretto was 17 years old, he joined the Army. While stationed in
Germany, Barretto met Belgium vibist Fats Sadi, who was working there. However,
it was when he heard Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" with Cuban percussionist, Chano
Pozo, that he realized his true calling in life.
In 1949, when Barretto returned home from the service, he started to visit clubs
and participated in jam sessions, where he perfected his conga playing. On one
occasion Charlie Parker heard Barretto play and invited him to play in his band.
Later, he was asked to play for Jose Curbelo and Tito Puente, for whom he played
for four years. 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 1960, Barretto was a house musician for the Prestige, Blue Note, and
Riverside labels. New York had become the center of Latin music in the United
States and a style called "Charanga" was the Latin music craze of the time.
In 1961, Barretto recorded his first hit, "El Watusi", the first Latin song to
enter the Billboard charts. In 1967, he joined the Fania record label where he
recorded "Acid", an experiment joining rhythm and blues with Latin music.
Barretto played the conga in recording sessions for the Rolling Stones and the
Bee Gees. In 1975 he was nominated for a Grammy Award for the song "Barretto".
From 1976 to 1978, Barretto recorded three records for Atlantic Records,
including "La Cuna", and was nominated for a Grammy for "Barretto
Live...Tomorrow". In 1979, he produced a salsa record for Fania, titled "Ricanstruction",
which was named 1980 "Best Album" by Latin N.Y. Magazine, with Barretto crowned
as Conga Player of the Year.
In 1990, Barretto finally won a Grammy for the album "Ritmo en el Corazon"
(Rhythm in the Heart), which featured the vocals of Celia Cruz. In 1999,
Barretto was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.
Barretto lived in New York and was an active musical producer, as well as the
leader of a touring band which has embarked in tours of the United States,
Europe, Israel and Latin America. Barreto passed away 17 February 2006 at the
Hackensack University Hospital of multiple health complications.
Ray Barretto a.k.a. Hard Hands (April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) born in New
York City, was a Puerto Rican jazz musician, widely credited as the godfather of
Latin jazz. He was also the first Hispanic to record a latin song which became a
"hit" in the American Billboard Charts.
Barretto's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico in the early 1920s,
looking for a better life. He was raised in Spanish Harlem and at a very young
age was influenced by his mother's love of music and by the jazz music of
musicians such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie.
In 1946, when Barretto was 17 years old, he joined the Army. While stationed in
Germany, Barretto met Belgium vibist Fats Sadi, who was working there. However,
it was when he heard Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" with Cuban percussionist, Chano
Pozo, that he realized his true calling in life.
In 1949, when Barretto returned home from the service, he started to visit clubs
and participated in jam sessions, where he perfected his conga playing. On one
occasion Charlie Parker heard Barretto play and invited him to play in his band.
Later, he was asked to play for Jose Curbelo and Tito Puente, for whom he played
for four years. 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 1960, Barretto was a house musician for the Prestige, Blue Note, and
Riverside labels. New York had become the center of Latin music in the United
States and a style called "Charanga" was the Latin music craze of the time.
In 1961, Barretto recorded his first hit, "El Watusi", the first Latin song to
enter the Billboard charts. In 1967, he joined the Fania record label where he
recorded "Acid", an experiment joining rhythm and blues with Latin music.
Barretto played the conga in recording sessions for the
Rolling Stones and the
Bee Gees. In 1975 he was nominated for a Grammy Award for the song "Barretto".
From 1976 to 1978, Barretto recorded three records for Atlantic Records,
including "La Cuna", and was nominated for a Grammy for "Barretto
Live...Tomorrow". In 1979, he produced a salsa record for Fania, titled "Ricanstruction",
which was named 1980 "Best Album" by Latin N.Y. Magazine, with Barretto crowned
as Conga Player of the Year.
In 1990, Barretto finally won a Grammy for the album "Ritmo en el Corazon"
(Rhythm in the Heart), which featured the vocals of Celia Cruz. In 1999,
Barretto was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.
Barretto lived in New York and was an active musical producer, as well as the
leader of a touring band which has embarked in tours of the United States,
Europe, Israel and Latin America. Barretto passed away 17 February 2006 at the
Hackensack University Hospital of multiple health complications. The source of this article is
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this
article is licensed under the
GFDL
