The Other Road – Ray Barretto, 1973

🎺🌊🌐🇺🇸 In 1973, Ray Barretto made a Latin jazz turn that took his public by surprise. He abandoned the boogaloo that had made him such a success (Acid, Mercy Mercy Baby, etc.) for this « other road », still released by Fania Records. To mark the occasion, The Other Road calls in a few « foreigners » like Art Webb and, of course, Billy Cobham. The result is explosive, but obviously less danceable than the recordings of the late 60s. Barretto stuck to jazz for the time being, and soon embraced the burgeoning salsa movement with his next albums. Two years later, his eponymous album « aux congas rouge » will go down as one of the genre’s essential landmarks.