Ray Barretto
The Message
The Message
Ray Barretto
On a warm night during the spring of 2005, I attended a function with Ray Barretto in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx in New York City. The event brought together such luminaries as Orlando Marín, Manny Oquendo, Benny Bonilla, Andy González, and Ray for a symposium on the evolution of Latino music. Afterwards, while we were deciding where to go for a late dinner, I asked Ray to accompany me to my car. I had with me a three-CD collection of his music, which was done for a project that the late Jerry Masucci had been considering. The collection included songs culled from Ray’s Fania recordings, from Acid to Que Viva La Música. The project focused on these specific recordings because they involved mostly the same personnel. It was the period that Ray, together with many of his fans, considered to be the most creative of his career. We ended up sitting in the car for approximately three hours, listening to all the songs in the collection, with Ray offering a story for every tune.
The Message was considered by Ray to be the culmination of a long relationship with the musicians in this particular band. Ray thought that this rhythm section, comprised of Luis Cruz (piano), Andy González (bass), Orestes Vilató (timbales), John “Dandy” Rodríguez (bongo), and himself to be the best one that he ever led. Add the three trumpets of Roberto Rodríguez, Papy Román and René López, plus the voice of Adalberto Santiago, and you get the very essence of this music: pure swing. This lineup would subsequently record one more album (Que Viva La Música), but Ray thought that The Message was its most important session.
I had the opportunity to discuss this release with John “Dandy” Rodríguez during a recent conversation; he recalled that this was a very creative period for the band. The Message came out in 1972, when the Latin music scene was reaching a peak. The level of musicianship was higher than ever, something that Johnny attributes to Ray’s knack for finding the right tunes to feature the band as a whole, as well as each individual musician. During this period, Andy González was truly locking in the rhythm with his percussive approach to the bass - it was almost as if a second conguero had been added to the band.
Hunger would bring an end to the aforementioned listening session. As a result of the conversation that took place during the meal that followed, plans began to take shape for a reunion of this exceptional ensemble. Ray was re-energized. Up until then, he was consumed by jazz. Now, he was on a mission to see if he could once again achieve the sound that was so dear to him. The first test would come during the 2005 JVC Jazz Festival in New York. This event took place at Carnegie Hall, and also featured Eddie Palmieri. Ray opened the show with his jazz ensemble and then switched to his salsa band. He opened the salsa set with "La Hipocresía Y La Falsedad," and when the pianist launched into the introduction of the tune, the crowd reacted with a rousing round of applause.
As fate would have it, Ray would not live to participate in the reunion of that particular lineup, which took place in the Fall of 2006. As Ray de la Paz told the audience, though, Ray's spirit was present in every song that was performed during that memorable evening.
Personnel:
René López - Trumpet
Roberto Rodríguez – Trumpet
“Papy” Román – Trumpet
Orestes Vilató – Timbal
John “Dandy” Rodríguez – Bongo
Luis Cruz – Piano
Andy González – Bass
Ray Barretto – Congas
Lead Singer – Adalberto Santiago
Producer – Ray Barretto
Executive Producer – Jerry Masucci
Recorded at – La Tierra Sound Studios, NYC
Engineer – Irv Greenbaum
Original Album Design – Izzy Sanabria
Original Cover Photo – José Flores
Written By George Rivera
The Message
Ray Barretto
En una cálida noche durante la primavera de 2005, presencié junto a Ray Barretto un evento en la sección Hunts Point del sur de Bronx en Nueva York. El evento juntó a luminarias como Orlando Marín, Manny Oquendo, Benny Bonilla, Andy González y Ray en un simposio sobre la evolución de la música latina. Después, mientras decidíamos dónde íbamos a ir a cenar, le pedí a Ray que me acompañara a mi auto. Tenía conmigo una colección de tres CDs de su música que había compilado para un proyecto que el fallecido Jerry Masucci estaba considerando. Esta colección incluía canciones de las grabaciones que Ray realizó para Fania, desde Acid hasta Que Viva La Música. El proyecto se enfocaba en estas grabaciones porque incluían básicamente el mismo plantel de músicos. La época que Ray, y muchos de sus admiradores, consideran como la más creativa de toda su carrera. Terminamos sentados en el auto durante unas tres horas, escuchando todas las canciones, mientras Ray me contaba una historia sobre la realización de cada una de ellas.
Ray creía que The Message era la culminación de una larga relación con los músicos de esta banda. Pensaba también que la sección de ritmo, compuesta por Luis Cruz (piano), Andy González (bajo), Orestes Vilató (timbales), John “Dandy” Rodríguez (bongó) y él mismo en las congas, era la mejor que había tenido. Si le agregas las tres trompetas de Roberto Rodríguez, Papy Román y René López, además de la voz de Adalberto Santiago, te encuentras con la esencia misma de esta música: puro swing. La banda grabaría un disco más (Que Viva La Música), pero Ray consideraba que The Message había sido su sesión más lograda.
Tuve la oportunidad de discutir esta sesión con John “Dandy” Rodríguez durante una reciente conversación. Johnny recordó que ésta fue una etapa muy creativa para el grupo. The Message salió en 1972, cuando la escena musical latina había alcanzado su cenit. El nivel musical era más alto que nunca, algo que Johnny atribuyó al talento de Ray para encontrar las canciones apropiadas que permitirían hacer lucir no sólo a la banda en sí, sino también a cada uno de sus músicos. Durante esta etapa, Andy González se destacaba con su manera tan percusiva de tocar el bajo. Era como si un segundo conguero se hubiera agregado a la orquesta.
Fue el hambre que precipitó el final de la sesión escuchando discos de la que hablé anteriormente. Como resultado de la conversación que se llevó a cabo durante la cena, se empezaron a formular los planes para una reunión de este conjunto excepcional. Ray se veía rebosante de energía. Hasta entonces, el jazz lo había consumido. Ahora, se había embarcado en una misión para ver si podía resucitar un sonido al que le tenía mucho cariño. El primer ensayo llegaría durante el festival de jazz JVC de New York en 2005. Este evento se llevó a cabo en el Carnegie Hall e incluía también a Eddie Palmieri. Ray comenzó el espectáculo con su conjunto de jazz, y después presento a su orquesta de salsa. Comenzó esta parte de la velada con el tema "La Hipocresía Y La Falsedad", y cuando el pianista tocó la introducción, fue recibido con estruendosos aplausos.
El destino no permitió que Ray participara en la reunión planeada de este conjunto en particular, que finalmente se llevó a cabo durante el otoño de 2006. Pero como el cantante Ray de la Paz le dijo al público entonces, el espíritu de Ray estuvo presente en cada uno de los temas que los músicos interpretaron esa noche.
Créditos:
René López – Trompeta
Roberto Rodríguez – Trompeta
“Papy” Román – Trompeta
Orestes Vilató – Timbales
John “Dandy” Rodríguez – Bongó
Luis Cruz – Piano
Andy González – Bajo
Ray Barretto – Congas
Cantante Principal – Adalberto Santiago
Productor – Ray Barretto
Productor Ejecutivo – Jerry Masucci
Grabado en – La Tierra Sound Studios, NYC
Ingeniero – Irv Greenbaum
Diseño de Portada Original – Izzy Sanabria
Foto de Portada Original – José Flores
Escrito por George Rivera
Hammock House: Santiago Sessions
$5.99
Fania is pleased to announce the release of HAMMOCK HOUSE: SANTIAGO SESSIONS on August 25, the newest installment in their highly-regarded “Hammock House” remix series, produced and mixed by internationally renowned LA-based producer and DJ, Jose Marquez. The iconic entertainment brand, which has evolved from a legendary NYC-based music label to an innovative and digitally-driven global music, entertainment and lifestyle company, is known worldwide for their work with influential DJs, and one of the best examples is their highly-regarded ‘Hammock House’ series.
Stemming from an idea that originated at the Manana Festival in Santiago de Cuba two years ago, Marquez fuses his love for dynamic Afro-Cuban and Caribbean flavors on SANTIAGO SESSIONS with classic Fania tracks from icons such as Hector Lavoe, Ray Barretto, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. Standout tracks include “Aguanile,” the iconic song from Fania legends Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe which first appeared on the album El Juicio in 1972, for which Marquez enlisted noted musicians Bobby Wilmore and Lazaro Galarraga, who specialize in Afro-Cuban percussion, to perform on congas and bata drums. Another showstopper on the release is “Herencia Africana,” which was composed by Javier Vazquez and recorded by the legendary Celia Cruz and Sonora Matancera on the album Feliz Encuentro, released in 1982. In the song, Cruz talks about her African Heritage/influence, so Marquez brought in US-based musicians originally from Mali to perform and emphasize the African elements of the song, using a djembe instead of congas and a Balafon which is a traditional African version of a marimba/xylophone.
Fania launched the groundbreaking ‘Hammock House’ series in 2011 with the release of its first acclaimed compilation from the celebrated producer/DJ Joe Claussell entitled ‘Hammock House Africa Caribe.’ With each thematic installment, Fania has teamed up with innovative DJ/producers such as Louie Vega, Toy Selectah and The Whiskey Barons, providing them with access to Fania's treasure vaults and the original multitrack master tapes from recordings by classic artists to create fresh takes on Fania’s musical legacy to introduce to new generations of fans.
Music Credits:
1. Celia Cruz - Un Bembe Pa Yemaya (Jose Marquez Remix)
Congas: Bobby Wilmore, Lazaro Galarraga
Bata Drums: Bobby Wilmore, Lazaro Galarraga
2. Ray Barretto - Indestructible (Jose Marquez Remix)
Piano: Claudio Passavanti
Bass: Claudio Passavanti
Congas: Ismel Wignall
Saxophone: Elias Perez
$4.99
Hammock House Myrtle & Wyckoff
$4.99
$9.99
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