February
17, 2006
Ray Barretto's Last Descarga
by
Local Correspondent for SalsaPower in Lima, Perú
Translated by Jacira Castro
His heart couldn't hold out any more, it just stopped cold. Right away
I began to think about that historic concert by the Fania All
Stars in the Cheetah in New York (August, 1971). Barretto
was there, almost in a trance, as if searching for his African ancestral
connection. That is what kept him going for most of the decade of the
seventies.
But
there was so much more. Barretto, who was so easy going
and who had such a huge talent, could mesmerize every audience that
ever sat before him. Lima had the opportunity to receive him on three
separate occasions. The first, at the beginning of the 90's, was a Latin
Jazz concert. The second, in 1995, was for two performances with the
Latin Legends, headed up by Larry Harlow; and the third
(2004) together with Tito Allen and Lucho Cueto
for the Festival del Callao.
That last
time in Callao, Barretto was tremendous. One of the
classic songs we heard that night was, "Cocinando",
a veritable Barrettiana symphony. The Yahuar Huasca stadium must have
been hard put to pull itself back together after that pounding. The
people in Lima were left vibrating, and with good reason.
I
continue to think back and Adalberto Santiago comes
to mind, the vocalist who most impacted me in Barretto's
career. I first listened to Barretto's music back when
I was still wet behind my ears, and groggy from watching the sunrise
after the all night parties on 11 y Medio Street in a northern district
of Lima. We would listen to"Quítate la máscara"
and "Oye la noticia" (Barretto Power, 1972) or "La
flor de los lindos campos", "Arrepiéntete"
and "Seguiré sin soñar" (El Mensaje,
1972) and the group would get absolutely delirious. So much of his music
marked that time in our lives!
It was
strong, aggressive salsa that would warm up and get the most indifferent
mortal out and moving on the dance floor. And how could we forget, "Guararé",
sung by Rubén Blades and Tito Gómez
or "Indestructible" with Tito Allen.
What style! What pure force! We could never forget Ray Saba
and the production of "Todo se va poder" (1984).
That is
what Barretto's soneros were like. Each one had a distinct
stamp to put on it when singing, but they all had a rhythmic base that
went beyond the ordinary. That was the genious of Barretto.
Enough
for today. Night has fallen, and in these first few hours without Barretto
among us, it hits us hard. In Lima - tonight - they are preparing a
long wake, like those all-nighters of my youth. This time it will be
with the local band, Sonido Latino, with Hugo
Abele, and with an artillary of songs that the King of the
Congas took with him to glory.
Bon Voyage,
Maestro.
Photos
courtesy of: Municipalidad del Callao
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Esta página fue actualizada el
31-Dec-2007
