April 29th is Ray Barretto's birthday, so to celebrate him today we will be taking a closer look at his 1979 album Rican Struction. The album came after a difficult period in Barretto's artistic career and personal life. In 1972 Barretto released his first Latin Jazz album titled The Other Road, however it received very poor reception. The next year, 1973, 5 of the musicians from Barretto's band left to form Tipica 73 and two years later ray would suffer a terrible accident that left him unable to play for several years. In many ways Rican Struction was a comeback. The album had a strong percussive root while being experimental and very cutting edge. Barretto would record tunes such as 'Al Ver Sus Campos' in honor of don Pedro Albizu Campos, the classic bolero 'Piensa En Mi' and 'Adelante Siempre Voy' which signified Barretto's will to move forward in the face of adversity. Listen and learn about all this and more.

Album:

Rican Struction - Ray Barretto 1979