Guest Book

Hey there sweet family, Karen & Lynn, we love you soooo much and wish you peace and strong hearts as your Mom's journey continues. Another sad note ... Marc Quinones would like you all to know we've lost one of the true giants in the Salsa and Jazz music world. Internationally renowned band leader, percussionist, NEA Jazz Master & Grammy Award winning artist Ray Barretto passed away, Friday, Feb 17, 2006 ay 5 a.m. at the Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J. Ray Barretto is survived by his wife Annette Rivera, his four children: Chris, Raun, Ray, & Kelly Barretto and four grandchildren: Jullian Barretto, Aja Peters, Arno Peters and Alex Peters. For nearly 40 years, conguero and band leader Ray Barretto was one of the leading forces in Latin jazz. His hard, compelling playing style has graced the recordings of saxophonists Gene Ammons, Lou Donaldson, Sonny Stitt, and guitarists Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell. Born April 29, 1929 in Brooklyn, Barretto is one of the most prolific and influential Latin percussionists in the history of modern jazz. With a musical heritage as deeply rooted in the bebop jam sessions held in Harlem during the late-'40s as in his Puerto Rican ancestry, Barretto has spent over four decades refining the integration of Afro- Caribbean rhythms with the improvisational elements of jazz. Coincidentally, it was the tune “Manteca” recorded by Gillespie with Chano Pozo on percussion that drove Barretto to music. And it was a version of that same tune that became Barretto’s first recording with Red Garland. Few artists have been as successful over the years at fusing these two genres as Barretto, an undisputed master of this style. A pioneer of the salsa movement, Barretto achieved international super stardom and released nearly two dozen albums with the Fania label from the late-'60s until salsa's popularity peaked in the mid-1980's. Ray's viewing will be at the Riverside Memorial Chapel on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 from 11 - 5 p.m. and 6 - 10 p.m. located at 180 West 76th Street (between Amsterdam & 76th St.), New York. Information on funeral arrangements will be available soon. ### Take care and know that you are loved, Lana