Barretto was born on 29 April 1929, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, of Puerto Rican parents. Noted for his many years as a prominent Latin bandleader, his music career actually began as a ...

Percussionist Ray Barretto has been playing both jazz and Latin music for more than five decades. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, NPR's Felix Contreras profiles a musician whose career ...

Ray Barretto was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican ancestry. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of Latin music styles, as well as Latin jazz.