Track Listing

1. Nuevo Barretto
2. Mercy, Mercy, Baby
3. Acid
4. Deeper Shade of Soul
5. Soul Drummers
6. Sola Te Dejare
7. Teacher of Love
8. Espiritu Libre

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1235123 in Music
• Format: Import

Album Description
8 track CD released by V2 / Fania.

About the Artist
RAY BARRETTO

Making the transition from the ghettos of New York Latin barrios to the heights of the music world requires enormous character. Such is the case of Ray Barretto. Never straying from his roots, he was a great admirer of swing, jam, jazz, and the genres' most noted figures, such as Dizzy Gillespie. He made these genres his own, standing out as a great vocalist. His career took on a new dimension in 1967, when he replaced Mongo Santamaría in the Tito Puente Orchestra, with whom he recorded his first album, "Dance Mania." The album's success would set the stage for his future professional career. Between 1968 and 1975, Barretto recorded a total of nine albums on the Fania label, a label which he helped to create. He was a sensitive artist, open to all musical currents and manifestations, which allowed him to experiment with the many different rhythms he infused with his unique style. The musical legacy of Ray Barretto included a Best Latin Album Grammy in 1989 for "Ritmo en el corazón," which he recorded with Celia Cruz. In 1990, he took a seat of honor in the Salon de Fama for International Latin Music. He was also honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters award. These were the most prestigious of the many awards he won over the course of his career. With his death, his life may have ended, but his star shines on more brightly than ever in the musical heavens.

RAY BARRETTO

Del "ghetto" de los barrios latinos de la ciudad de Nueva York, a monopolizar un nombre famoso entre los grandes de la música requiere haber recorrido un largo camino. Este es el caso de Ray Barretto. Sin apartarse de sus raíces de origen, fue un gran admirador del "swing", "jam" y "jazz", y de sus más connotadas figuras como Dizzy Gillespie. Géneros que también hizo suyos destacándose como un excelente intérprete. Su carrera adquiere otra dimensión cuando en 1967, reemplaza a Mongo Santamaría en la orquesta del Maestro Tito Puente, con quien grabó su primer álbum "Dance Mania". El éxito que alcanzó esta producción, pautaría lo que sería su futura carrera profesional. Entre los años 1968 y 1975, Barretto grabó un total de nueve álbumes para el sello Fania del que fuera uno de sus miembros fundadores. Fue un artista sensible y abierto a todas las corrientes y manifestaciones musicales, lo que le permitió incursionar en los más variados ritmos a los que le imprimió su personalísimo sello. El legado musical de Ray Barretto incluye un premio Grammy en la categoría de "Música Latina Tropical" en 1989 por su producción, "Ritmo en el Corazón" que grabara con Celia Cruz. En 1990 pasó a ocupar un sitio de honor en el "Salón de la Fama de la Música Latina Internacional", y también, fue galardonado con el premio "Jazz Masters del National Endowment for the Arts". Ultimos reconocimientos de los tantos recibidos en su trayectoria profesional. Con su fallecimiento se apaga su vida, pero su estrella brilla en el firmamento musical con más intensidad que nunca.

Customer Reviews

A Latin music time capsule record if there ever was one.
Ray Barretto's "Acid" was his first Fania release and a career-changing record for Ray. While nowhere near as essential as albums like "The Message", "Together", "Barretto Power", "Indestructible" or "Rican/Struction" this CD was a huge success upon its release and worth getting. Of course, the Adalberto Santiago-fronted classic hit "Sola Te Dejare" but Latin-Funk and R&B-influenced tracks like "El Nuevo Barretto", "Teacher Of Love" , "The Soul Drummers" and "Espiritu Libre" are all throwbacks to an era in which traditional Afro-Latin music, Jazz and R&B influences melded in New York City to create a unique and previously-unheard-of urban sound. In short, "Acid" is a late-1960s time capsule album which thoroughly deserved its success.

You gotta have this one in your collection!
Hard hands Ray will beat them drums down brother. This album belongs up there with the Boo-ga-loo classics like Joe Batann, Johnnie Colon and many others. I'm still diggin on this jam....

Excellent
Classic! Jazzy cha cha that I can't stop dancing to! One of my all time favs.