A DEEPER SHADE OF SOUL - R.I.P.

Years ago, I heard a song called "Deeper Shade of Soul" by a group called Urban Dance Squad. The song used a sample---pretty liberally-----of a song that I couldn't place, and the writer's credit gave no help. Years later, I found a cassette of their "Mental Floss For The Globe" album....and found that all traces of the sample had been removed,
replaced by [pretty badly] duplicated parts.

About a year ago, I finally found the creator of this wonderful song---also called "Deeper Shade of Soul"---by the man who most likely sued the ass off of Urban Dance Squad, a gentleman named Ray Barretto. Some background on him from the All-Music Guide:

For nearly 40 years, conguero and bandleader Ray Barretto has been one of the leading forces in Latin jazz. His hard, compelling playing style has graced the recordings of saxophonists Gene Ammons, Lou Donaldson, and Sonny Stitt, and guitarists Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell.

Born April 29, 1929, in Brooklyn, Barretto is credited for being the first U.S.-born percussionist to integrate the African-based conga drum into jazz. This fact has designated him as on of the early "crossover" artists in jazz -- skillfully balancing his Latin leanings and his love for bebop througout a long and successful career.

I finally found the album this song was on about a month ago---a 1965 album called Acid. I'm probably showing my naivete here, as people much cooler than me are probably way more familiar with him and his illustrious Grammy-winning career. I suppose that is the lovely thing about music-----there is always something great out there to discover and learn about if you are looking. And jazz is my weak spot...so there's a whole genre out there still to learn about.

Ray Barretto passed away last Friday.......and that's as good a reason as any to share this great song with you today. And this album is still available in one form or another through the usual suspects------buy it. You won't be sorry.

--Treblephone

Ray Barretto - A Deeper Shade of Soul