Señor 007 / Senor 007

If you happened to attend a hip house party in New York City in the mid-'60s, you might've heard Ray Barretto right in between the newest singles from Quincy Jones and Marvin Gaye. Because he later grew into an artist of immense cultural importance, it’s easy to forget there was a time when Barretto was best known for a specific brand of swinging-miniskirt dance tunes. The titles of the songs on Senor 007 are thematically linked by James Bond movies, but musically, they're descended from Barretto’s 1962 proto-boogaloo single “El Watusi.” Despite the use of a dated movie trend, Barretto was no hack. “Search for Vulcan,” “007 (Double O Seven)," and “Goldfinger” have hardcore Afro-Cuban rhythms adapted to the context of mid-'60s American jazz and R&B. That was the great thing about Barretto; he could turn American dancers onto traditional Caribbean music without them even noticing. Witness the way he slips a furious percussion breakdown into the novelty dance tune “Jamaica Jump Up.” In 1966, all that mattered was the beat, which continues to speak for itself, especially on the snappy “Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”