Looking Back Richard Baratta

• 1 I Feel Good 04:57
• 2 Purple Haze 04:35
• 3 Blowin' in the Wind 05:00
• 4 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds 05:45
• 5 Feeling Good 06:23
• 6 California Dreamin' 04:51
• 7 Whole Lotta Love 05:51
• 8 Hey Jude 06:25
• 9 Respect 05:50
• 10 You Can't Always Get What You Want 05:05
• Total Runtime 54:42

Info for Looking Back

Richard Baratta has worn many hats over the decades; master drummer, Grammy nominee, film producer, musician, but his latest headwear takes us down a nostalgic road of classic rock and soul recordings from the mid to late 1960's. Here on his most recent recording Baratta, together with his working band, explores such tunes as “Blowin' in the Wind,” “Purple Haze,” “I Feel Good,” “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Respect,” and other rock mega-hits. With a real all-star ensemble on hand, the arrangements by pianist Bill O'Connell, are thoroughly swinging affairs with a fresh, unique approach and a funky Latin Jazz feel. As with his Music in Film series, Richard Baratta proves himself to be a gifted innovator at transforming familiar, and often surprising, material into vibrant jazz performances that bring new concepts to these truly iconic tunes and underline their timeless appeal.

"The formula may seem straightforward, but the arrangements are intricate, as Baratta himself explains. The drummer speaks of his admiration for the original flute solo, which he found revolutionary at the time: “It was a sound I absolutely loved,” he recalls. “I listened to Coltrane and Miles, but I never stopped listening to rock.” Hey Jude, appearing later in the album, further reflects this deep affinity for rock, while showcasing the sextet’s musical sensitivity. Once again, O’Connell infuses the arrangement with a subtle Latin touch. As you may know, I’m not usually a fan of cover albums, yet this one is a hidden gem—imaginative, deeply personal, and full of surprises. Baratta and his ensemble offer a fresh vision of well-loved songs, making for a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. Whether you’re spinning the album or catching the band live, this is an essential musical journey—one that promises even more to come!" (Thierry De Clemensat, PARIS-MOVE)

Vincent Herring, alto saxophone
Paul Bollenback, guitar
Bill O'Connell, keyboards, arranger
Michael Goetz, double bass
Richard Baratta, drums, leader
Paul Rossman, congas, percussion

Richard Baratta
was born into a musically oriented family in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1950. He began his musical journey at the age 12, playing saxophone, flute and drums, and eventually, exclusively drums. He played mostly jazz all through his teens. After earning a BA in History from Wagner College in 1973, and after studying with Jack DeJohnette, Bob Moses and Steve Haas he moved to NYC in 1975 to pursue his musical career. From 1975 to 1984 Baratta played gigs and recorded in and out of NYC. Some of his bandmates and associations were with John Stubblefield, Joe Ford, Frank Strozier, Hal Galper, Mike Richmond, Saheb Sarbib, Dennis Irwin, Vernon Reid, Billy Bang, Jack Wilkens, Ryo Kawasaki, Jessica Hagedorn and the Gangster Choir, Guilherme Franco, Pe De Boi, Cyro Baptista, and a very memorable one day hit with Hank Mobley and then Johnny Hartman.

In 1984, Baratta decided to dramatically alter paths, and pursued a career in movie production. "Money was tight, the gigs were hard to come by, and I was getting married and wanted to raise a family. It was just time for a very difficult decision that had to be made. I looked back many times and terribly missed the joy in playing and the camaraderie with the musicians. It was a total about face, but I have no regrets, except missing the live performance."

Since working on his his first film, Desperately Seeking Susan in 1984, Baratta has worked on over 50 movies, first as a Location Manager, then Unit Production Manager, and for the past 15 years as a Co-Producer and Executive Producer. A small sampling of his filmography includes, Academy Award nominated Joker Joaquin Phoenix winning the Best Actor Award, Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award nominated The Irishman, Dr.Strange, The Wolf of Wall Street, five Spiderman movies,Too Big To Fail, Smurfs, Taking Pelham 123, Across the Universe, Donnie Brasco, Working Girl, and Big. For a full listing of Baratta's film credits, visit imdb.com/name/nm0053102/ ​

The past 35 years of movie making never prevented Baratta from regularly listening to and attending music almost all the clubs in NYC and festivals elsewhere. As best he could, he tried to maintain relationships with his past bandmates and stay up on the jazz scene. However, with the exception of the occasional one nite gig every few years, Baratta essentially remained on the sidelines when it came to performing. Then a very fortuitous event occurred.

An opportunity presented itself in the fall of 2016 that changed everything. He decided to return to his roots and main love and began performing music again, while continuing to produce films. From December 2016 to the present he has played with Eric Alexander, Vincent Herring, Walter Blanding, Marcus Printup, Bruce Harris, Gerald Cannon, Bill O’Connell, Emmett Cohen, Jeb Patton, Steve Ash, Chris Pattishal, Mike LeDonne, Ray Gallon, Dave Kikoski Danny Nimmer, Jerry Weldon, Rogerio Bocatto, Paul Bollenback, Dave Stryker, Mike Goetz, Essiet Essiet, Yoshi Waki, and many others. From Baratta’s lips, “I’m telling you, I’m in heaven. I just want to keep it going. A light bulb has gone off in my head and the music seems clearer, fresher and more illuminating than ever.”

Baratta currently resides in Tenafly, N.J. Hopefully you’ll be seeing and hearing from him more often in the near future.

Booklet for Looking Back