Ray Barretto · Barretto Power It was 1970 when Fania Records released Barretto Power, one of a series of seminal albums by master percussionist and bandleader Ray Barretto. 1970, the beginning of an explosive decade in our planet. A decade of crisis and change, especially in New York. A decade of socioeconomic and cultural challenges for a new Latino generation in the Big Apple. Tropical music, the explosion of the so called salsa movement as a unifying phenomenon was gathering momentum, a diverse community searching for identity was embracing their roots in times of challenge. Ray Barretto, a New Yorker from Puerto Rican ancestry [Nuyorican] was redefining again his sound, always open to experimentation and new combinations.