Ricky González has reached the next stage of an
already successful musical career and he likes it like that.
The multi-talented producer/arranger/performer has worked
with some of the biggest names in Latin American music in
the past decade and recently enjoyed a new kind of fulfillment
when he produced Tito Nieves’ blockbuster hit “I
Like it Like That”.
It wasn’t so much that the single from the album
of the same name went ‘gold’ on the Latino charts.
More importantly, major mainstream corporations like Burger
King and the American Broadcasting Company adopted the stylish
beat and catchy lyrics to use in their national promotional
campaigns. The crossover from Latino sensation to acceptance
in the broader, potentially more lucrative, American marketplace
had been accomplished.
As a performer, Ricky González has excited audiences
all over the world with his unique style. He can currently
be seen on tour with Latin superstar Marc Anthony, covering
keyboard and vocal duties. As pianist, arranger and musical
director with Latin-jazz great Ray Barretto from 1983-’90,
Gonzalez has been a feature at the most prestigious jazz
festivals in the world. These include Holland’s North
Sea Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland
and many festivals throughout Europe, South American, Canada,
the Caribbean and the United States.
Apart from his duties with Marc Anthony, González
has worked with George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Spyro Gyra,
Juan Luis Guerra, Angela Carrasco, Gilberto Santa Rosa,
Willie Colon, Celia Cruz, Machito, Descarga Boricua, Dave
Valentin and many others. One of the highlights of his career
was a Village Gate appearance where he and Paquito D’Rivera
improvised a duet that left the audience on its feet. He
has also performed with the Fania All-Stars for the JVC
Jazz Festivals.
As an arranger his clients have included Frank Sinatra,
George Benson, Ray Barreto, Jimmy Heath, Celia Cruz, the
Fania All-Stars and countless Latin and jazz bands. He arranged
on the 1990 Grammy Award-Winning Celia Cruz/Ray Barretto
album Ritmo En El Corazón. Another album arranged
by González, Barretto’s Irresistible, was nominated
for a Grammy that same year.
Born in the Dominican Republic, the young pianist has been
a musician all his life – playing drums by age three
and switching to piano at age fourteen. By fifteen, he was
performing professionally as pianist and joined Ray Barretto
at seventeen. By then, he had studied composition at the
Juilliard School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine
Arts degree from the City College of New York. There, he
studied with jazz great Ron Carter and with Pulitzer Prize-winning
composer David Del Tredici. Since college, he has taught
at the East Harlem School of Music and held a position at
ASCAP, before finally committing full-time to performing
and writing. In 1989, González was featured in the
Third Annual Latin Pianos in Concert, which spotlighted
the talents of Eddie Palmieri, Michel Camilo and other noted
pianists. By all accounts, González was one of the
highlights of the show.
One of the most in-demand session pianists and arrangers
in “Salsa”, Latin-jazz and R&B, González
devotes most of his time to producing. His track record
and strings of “hits” proves his commercial
instinct, and his dedication to artists and their goals
is evident in the “final mix”. His creative
scope spans a wide range – from Latin to Hip-Hop,
from jazz and classical to funk and beyond.
As both a performer and producer, he has won the admiration
of his audiences and the respect of his peers.
All Music Report:
Ricky Gonzalez
