Search - Ray Barretto :: Together

Great early 70's Barretto

Melissa | Puerto Rico | 09/16/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Together was released in the early 1970's, in a period when many salsa artists felt they had to do tunes in English to get the rest of their work released. The title track is an example of the miserable results that usually followed. Ray sings, "I know a beautiful truth and it's helped me be free, I know I'm black and I'm white and I'm red, the blood of mankind flows in me, And so in every face I see, I see a part of you and me TOGETHER...". Fortunately, Adalberto Santiago takes over the vocal duties on the rest of the tracks. The result is fantastic, cooking salsa. "Hipocresia y Falsedad", "No Olvido a Caracas", "De Donde Vengo", "Vive and Vacila" and "Invitacion al Son" are straight-ahead salsa masterpieces. "Tin Tin Deo", a Chano Pozo classic made famous by Dizzy Gillespie closes out the CD in an Afro/ Latin Jazz/funk percussion showcase. This group really played well together: Adalberto Santiago, Roberto Rodriguez (tpt), "Papy" Roman (tpt), Orestes Vilato (timbales), Tony Fuentes (bongos), Luis Cruz (piano), Andy Gonzalez (bass). They broke up in this form shortly after this recording and, although Barretto formed a solid group with replacement players, many prefer this line-up. Andy Gonzalez ended up playing with his brother Jerry in the Fort Apache Band."

1971 was a great year for Barretto and company.

Justo Roteta | Los Angeles, California United States | 07/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On this 1971 release, Ray Barretto's band gives us some of the most hard-hitting and funkiest Salsa ever recorded. The straight-ahead guarachas "Adiviname Y Olvidate", "Vive Y Vacila" and "De Donde Vengo" are Barretto masterpieces which are handled superbly by the legendary and golden-voiced sonero Adalberto Santiago while theupbeat son montunos "Invitacion Al Son" and "Hipocresia Y Falsedad" are very much tipico-flavored and very tough but classy. Buy this CD while it's still available!"