[TR24][OF] Ray Barretto - Eye Of The Beholder - 1977/2012 (Afro-Cuban Jazz, Latin Jazz)

Ray Barretto, Percussion & Congas
Ray Gomez, Lead Guitar
Jeff Berlin, Bass
Wilton Felder, Bass
Steve Ferrone, Drums
Terry Bozzio, Drums
Ángel "Cachete" Maldonado, Drums
Barry Finnerty, Guitar
Marcus Fiorillo, Guitar
Eddie Martines, Keyboards
Gil Goldstein, Keyboards
Joe Sample, Keyboards
Clif Carter, Synthesizer
Rafael Cruz, Percussion
Jimmy Delgado, Timbales
Pete Christalieb, Tenor Saxophone
Todd Anderson, Tenor Saxophone
Bill Green, Baritone & Soprano Saxophones
Roger Rosenberg, Baritone & Soprano Saxophones
Garnett Brown, Trombone
Reinaldo Jorge, Trombone
Gene Arnold Goe, Trumpet
Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Trumpet
Recorded at Hollywood Sound Studios, Hollywood, CA, except "1 & 4" recorded at Atlantic Studios, New York.

Eye Of The Beholder is the 1977 classic by GRAMMY Award-winning percussionist Ray Barretto. It features Barretto’s signature fusion of Latin-jazz. It includes the standouts “Here We Go Again”, “Tumbao Africano” and “Senor Funk”. It would reach the Top 40 on the Billboard charts.
Aleading force in contemporary Latin music for more than four decades, percussionist/bandleader Ray Barretto has helped define and popularize salsa, the distinctive blend of traditional Latin dance music and American jazz. Along the way, Barretto’s musical interests progressed from dance music to pure jazz. To the conga player, best known for his propulsive style as a performer, it was just part of a natural evolution. "It was time to move on," he told an interviewer for San Francisco/Bay Area Salsa & Latin Jazz Online. "The Latin dance music changed, and I don’t think for the better. It became very fluffy and corny, with little substance. So it came a time where I realized I had to take the next step".
Many pure salsa and Latin jazz fans have a difficult time with Ray Barretto's Atlantic Records period in the late 1970s because he was making a deliberate run at the crossover jazz/dance music charts. Who better to strive for such a thing? Barretto established his bona fides in jazz two decades earlier – and returned to them time and again until the end of his life. He was also one of the prime innovators in New York's salsa explosion, and even played on pop records as a sideman. His credits are book-length. This set from 1977 has dated well. A very large cast date, it features Stix Hooper, Joe Sample, and Wilton Felder of the Crusaders, as well as a host of West Coast session players from the pop, jazz, and Latin worlds: saxophonist Pete Christlieb, trumpeter Louis "Perico" Ortiz, trombonist Garnett Brown, drummers Terry Bozzio and Angel "Cachete" Maldonado, guitarist Ray Gomez, and bassist Jeff Berlin are just a few of the players who appear. The vibe here is more jazz-funk than fusion or salsa. It features loads of keyboards to balance the percussion load, making it more accessible to non-Latin fans, though the grooves balance the smooth with the steamy. The best tracks are "Here We Go Again," Leti," and "Tumbao Africano," while "Señor Funk" and "Expresso" are fine songs as well.

foobar2000 1.3.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2017-11-09 13:49:08
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Analyzed: Ray Barretto / Eye Of The Beholder
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DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
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DR15      -1.23 dB   -19.14 dB      5:02 01-Here We Go Again
DR15      -0.31 dB   -16.60 dB      4:43 02-Senor Funk
DR13      -1.14 dB   -18.11 dB      4:25 03-Eye Of The Beholder
DR15      -0.50 dB   -18.12 dB      6:11 04-Salsa Con Fusion
DR15      -1.04 dB   -18.07 dB      4:48 05-Numero Uno
DR13      -1.01 dB   -16.14 dB      4:06 06-Expresso
DR15      -0.29 dB   -17.95 dB      6:59 07-Leti
DR14      -1.34 dB   -18.83 dB      4:31 08-Tumbao Africano
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Number of tracks:  8
Official DR value: DR14
Samplerate:        192000 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   24
Bitrate:           4766 kbps
Codec:             FLAC
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