About a year before he passed away in 2006 at age 76, I interviewed master conguero Ray Barretto in connection to the release of his last album, the excellent Latin jazz session Time Was - Time Is. In conversation, Barretto was affable and perceptive. We talked about his glorious career and his important role in the New York salsa explosion of the '70s.

Suddenly, there was a hint of sadness in the maestro's voice. I'm not sure if I will get to make another album again, he said with a sigh. I guess I've had my 15 minutes of fame.

I was shocked. 15 minutes of fame? I reminded Barretto of his prolific discography, which includes vibrant albums of charanga and salsa, pachanga and boogaloo, acid-soul and jazz, even a lounge tribute to James Bond movie music. Few musicians, regardless of genre, have had such a wide canvass of different rhythms and styles to work with.

I don't mean to sound like I'm crying the blues, Barretto explained. I would be a fool to say that I haven't achieved something-- I do believe that I've represented both salsa and Latin jazz with integrity. But time goes by so quickly... you look around and think: 'Where did it all go?' It seems like it lasted 15 minutes.

At that moment, I realized that there was an element about Barretto's albums that may have contributed to this feeling of fleeting nostalgia: they are all so soulful and fun and life affirming that, indeed, they go by way too quickly.

Consider the album you now hold in your hands: "Together" belongs to the early Fania period of the late '60s and early '70s, just before Barretto reached his creative peak with seminal salsa albums such as The Message and Indestructible. The record boasts the classic Barretto lineup before half of the conguero's orchestra defected to form the Típica 73: there's Orestes Vilató on timbales, a very young Andy González on bass and the formidable vocal talents of Adalberto Santiago.

We were like kids with new toys back then, just having fun, Barretto told me when I asked him about the wide eyed naiveté of his early albums. As time goes on, your experience comes into play and you strive for something more sophisticated. But in those days, the intellect was not part of the equation.

"Together" finds Barretto exploring various sides of his musical personality, which makes for some fascinating contrasts. The opening title track, a slightly psychedelic slice of Afro-Latin soul, segues seamlessly into the traditional, Cuban fueled swing of “Adivíname y Olvídate”. There's also the sobering moral sermon of “Hipocresía y Falsedad” (co-written by the maestro himself), the pleasantly melodic Tito Puente number “Vive y Vacila” and the record's most transcendental moment: a sinuous, simmering, near mystical version of “Tin Tin Deo”, the Chano Pozo composition that has been covered by everyone from Machito to Eddie Palmieri.

Barretto reflected on the sonic recipe that made albums such as "Together" so artistically successful.

I had a feeling for the street and was careful to hire good arrangers, he said. I also made sure that the interpretation of the tunes matched the beauty of the songs themselves. Every element came together. If you go back and check them out, you'll see that those albums stood the test of time.

Credits:

Ray Barretto – Conga
Roberto Rodríguez – Trumpet
“Papy” Román – Trumpet
Orestes Vilató – Timbales
Tony Fuentes – Bongo
Louis Cruz – Piano
Andy González - Bass

Lead Vocal – Adalberto Santiago, Ray Barretto (“Together”)

Producer – Jerry Masucci
Original Album Photography – Marty Topp
Original Album Design – Izzy Sanabria





Written by Ernesto Lechner
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