The Revisiting series features albums from the past that played a significant role in Latin Jazz history. The purpose of this series is to introduce new Latin Jazz listeners to important albums and look back at these albums in historical perspective. Each entry will jump to a different point in Latin Jazz history – this week we jump into the early 1970s.

Transition periods test artists and bring either their best or worst qualities to the surface. Artists are defined by what they’ve done in the past; all their future creations will be compared to their earlier work. At the same time, their future work also defines their artistic perspective. Whether the public thinks that the current work is “better” or “worse” than their earlier work, it remains a current statement of their artistic talents. Some musicians look for a quick fix that plays upon past successes, creating copycat products that lack depth and integrity. Other artists find a more creative solution to their situation by creating something new and exciting.

In late 1972, percussionist and bandleader Ray Barretto found himself in a major transition between bands. He created a string of commercially and artistically successful salsa albums on the Fania label starting in 1968. Then his singer, Adalberto Santiago, left the band in 1972 to form Tipica ’73 – and he recruited four more members of Barretto’s band. Barretto needed time to find replacements and rebuild his signature sound, but he wanted to continue recording. Instead of forcing a stagnant product, Barretto convinced Jerry Massuci, head of Fania, to let him record a Latin Jazz album. The album was recorded in the middle of the night, with an assortment of new Barretto collaborators such as drummer Billy Cobham and flautist Art Webb. As a bandleader, this signaled Barretto first foray into the Latin Jazz world.

The Other Road reflected Barretto’s ability to play upon the strength of the music’s shared heritage while blending a contemporary aesthetic. “Lucretta the Cat” imposes a funk feel onto a salsa groove, creating an interesting stylistic exchange. Bold brass lines separate trumpet, flute, and piano solos until solo percussion maintains a foundation for Cobham’s improvisation. The rhythm section establishes a bolero for Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round About Midnight,” which features a sensitive melodic interpretation between trumpet and flute. Cobham overlays a swing feel during the solo cycle, allowing soloists to subtly move their lines between straight and swing phrasing. Barretto finds a balance behind Cha Cha Cha and funk on “The Other Road,” driven by Cobham’s strong backbeat and bassist Guillermo Edghil’s fingerstyle funk. Webb’s improvisation motivates the band into an intensive groove and Eddie Martinez balances his Fender Rhodes with funky montunos and an ethereal solo. The rhythm section freely creates an open soundscape during the introduction to “Oracion (The Prayer).” Barretto’s congas transition the band into a fierce 6/8 for the melody and Webb’s solo, soon moving into a double time salsa section, and than an extended free statement. Throughout the album, Barretto’s group covers a wide spectrum of genres, finding an intriguing crossroads between Cuban rhythmic styles, jazz improvisation, funk, and rock.

The Other Road boldly stated Barretto’s abilities as a Latin Jazz artist, yet it ultimately slipped between the cracks of his salsa career. Upon its release, he had a broad fan base that knew him for his hard-hitting dance music. They bought the album expecting more salsa and found themselves disenchanted with the jazz-fusion emphasis. Many people returned it to record stores, and it became Barretto’s most unpopular Fania album. The album’s fusion leanings found an underground audience, and it became a classic among funk fanatics. Later that year, Barretto’s freshly rebuilt salsa band debuted Indestructible, a solid dance album that regained his fans’ trust. Most people forgot about Barretto’s passing fancy with jazz during the early seventies and remembered his work during that period as pure salsa dura.

Barretto took a potentially damaging transition and turned it into an opportunity to display another side of his musicality. Although he built his career upon dance music, Barretto was not a stranger to jazz. His early days as a musician were spent working with bebop artists – a line of work that he soon transferred into studio work with traditional jazz artists. He returned to jazz in the late seventies, releasing Tomorrow: Barretto Live and La Cuna, two more Latin Jazz fusion albums that missed their mark with a jazz audience. He quickly returned to salsa and the Fania label, and then he formed New World Spirit in the 1990s and spent the end of his career recording and performing high quality Latin Jazz. Shortly before his death, Barretto was recognized as a NEA Jazz Master, recognizing his major contributions to the jazz world. On its own The Other Road could be seen as filler in Barretto’s hugely successful 1970s career; but in reality, it provided an opportunity to hear Barretto’s jazz roots that would eventually become his primary focus.

Revisit more classic recordings:
40 Years of Cuban Jam Session, Paquito D’Rivera
Paunetto’s Point, Bobby Vince Paunetto
Tanga, Mario Bauza and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra
Concepts In Unity, Grupo Folklorico y Experimental
Palmas, Eddie Palmieri
Cal Tjader’s Latin Concert

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