Greetings! Hello again, hope all is well in your corner of the globe. We are back in full force now with the blog, and returning to our regular posts now that the holiday season is over. As mentioned previously, I was down south in the wondrous capitol of Colombia, Santa Fe de Bogota. Though I didn’t find the time there to update the blog while visiting with family, I was able to dig up some fine Colombian and Latin records in the ferrias (outdoor markets) outlying the swelling hub of the maniacal downtown hustle. I met a few of the vinyl and music merchants during my lustful vinyl escapades, and it was in one of the ferrias that I met Leon, an amicable vinyl dealer with loads of latino boogalos, cumbias, porros, salsas, and even some rare 60s era Andean garage and psych records (and a unique taste for 80s death and black metal). Though a few were out of my wallets stretch, I did come through with an affordable grip of all these genres and more (including an oddball Colombian-label release of Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band’s Electric Coffey LP).
So, I thought it would be incumbent upon me to share some of my flea market found goodies. And today’s post, in particular, is a personal favorite and I was quite ecstatic when I came across this LP in a dusty, busted-up Coca-Cola crate located under a 30 pound load of mid-century medical Encyclopedias (in good shape, considering). Stepping out of the funk and soul outfit, I’d like to introduce some fine NY-styled latin boogaloo by one of the masters of the game, Mr. Ray Barretto, recorded and released on the giant of Latin labels, Fania Records.
Although Fania was a NY-based label, it represented the explosive musical soundscapes of Latino music and culture in the 1960s, post big-band jazz ensembles and orquestras. Started by famed musician Johnny Pacheco and attorney Jerry Musucci, Fania released a host of latino records by some of the biggest names in Salsa, Latin-jazz, and Boogaloo. Ray Barretto, today’s musician of discussion, is considered by many as the ‘Godfather of Latin Jazz’. Born and raised in Spanish Harlem, Ray’s parents moved from Puerto Rico in the 1920s, where he learned and mastered jazz percussion and incorporated aspects of afro-latin rhythms, now considered to be his signature stylings on latin records of his day. A Deeper Shade of Soul, featured on Ray’s landmark 1968 Acid LP, represents the revolutionary sounding of NY-styled latin boogaloo, with fresh fusions of traditional Cuban mambo rhythm and American boogaloo and R&B, amongst a host of other pan-American influences. Without further ado, hope you enjoy today’s selection, and I’ll have to apologize because I don’t have the ability to post up more pictures due to the fact that my camera was stolen during my trip. SO, until I get the means to get another one, which should be soon, I’ll have to use some photos I found online of the record. And I highly recommend PBS’s fantastic Latin music mini-series, Latin Music USA, for more in-depth info on Fania and the NY latin sound (as well as all facets of Latin-American music), which can be found here. And lastly, a big shout out to Larry G. over at The Funky 16 Corners blog, thanks for the nod! And on that note, check out his post on Mr. Barretto’s The Soul Drummers, a fantastic funked-up slice o’ latin boogaloo also found on this gem of an LP, you can check it out here.
LISTEN: Ray Barretto- A Deeper Shade of Soul
