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“Rican/Struction” is the most representative album of Ray Barretto’s career, not only for its innovative character but also for its immense personal significance.

In 1978, Ray Barretto was struggling to cope with the poor reception of his recent album, “Can You Feel It?” (1978), which he had recorded a year earlier with Atlantic Records. Despite its quality, the album went largely unnoticed by the public, causing Barretto great frustration and disappointment.

For a few years, Barretto had been tired of playing the same old repertoire. To give his career a fresh start, his manager, Jerry Masucci, sold his contract to Atlantic, intending for him to record a more commercial jazz fusion and funk album. However, the plan didn’t work out as they had hoped. During this time, the percussionist spent his days feeling pensive and worried, convinced that signing with Atlantic had been a mistake because the label gave his last two albums very little promotion.

One morning, while driving and lost in thought, Barretto slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting a car that suddenly appeared. The abrupt maneuver caused another vehicle to rear-end him. The collision resulted in several injuries, the most serious being severe damage to the tendons connecting his thumb to the rest of his right arm. Doctors “gave up on him,” claiming he would never be able to play again.

The news plunged the musician into a deep depression. Doctors recommended surgery, but Barretto refused, fearing his hand would never be the same. He sought second opinions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but every specialist gave him the same diagnosis and the same solution: surgery.

They say Barretto would visit clubs with a palpable sadness and bitterness because he couldn’t play. Many people in the industry said his career was over until one night, an old friend and fellow musician told him about the benefits of acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine that had helped several people with similar problems.

Barretto underwent a long and painful treatment for almost two years, gradually restoring movement to his right hand. Once he was nearly recovered, he decided it was time to return to music.

He broke his contract with Atlantic, sought out Adalberto Santiago (who had left his band in 1972 to form La Típica 73), and re-signed with Fania Records. With them, he produced the album “Rican/Struction” (1979), his most representative work, not only for how progressive it was but also for the immense personal value it held.

The production was a resounding success, and a year later, it earned him the titles of “Musician of the Year” from Latin New York magazine. In this way, the master Ray Barretto demonstrated his great strength and tenacity to the world.

Did you know…?

• The song “Al Ver Sus Campos” from the album Rican/Struction is a tribute to the Puerto Rican patriot Pedro Albizu Campos. Composed by Johnny Ortiz and arranged by Oscar Hernández, the song, sung by Adalberto Santiago, captures the feeling of Albizu’s resistance as he fought to liberate his homeland from foreign invading forces.

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• According to Adalberto Santiago, “the Rican/Struction album is a musical gem because, in New York, no musician buys records, and this one was bought by the entire salsa community.”

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Vocalists for Ray Barretto and La Típica 73

• Adalberto Santiago was in Ray Barretto’s band from 1966 to 1972. When he left to join La Típica 73, he was replaced by Tito Allen, who recorded the album Indestructible with Barretto in 1973.

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• When Adalberto Santiago left La Típica 73 to form Los Kimbos, his replacement in the group was once again Tito Allen. With them, Tito recorded the album Rumba Caliente (1976). Then, in 1977, La Típica 73’s vocalist was the late Camilo Azuquita for the album The Two Sides of Típica 73.

By:

Los Mejores Salseros del Mundo

Dj. Augusto Felerttib

Also Read: Raymundo “Ray” Barretto Pagan was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 29, 1929