The title of this show says it all. These three gentlemen, Tony Bennett, Chick Corea and the late Ray Barretto, have certainly earned their stripes. Incredible performances and fascinating, intimate conversation with three legendary winners of the prestigious National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Masters award from 2006 – Tony Bennett, one of the world’s preeminent male vocalists, and a giant figure in both jazz and pop; Chick Corea, the composer, arranger, keyboardist, pianist and bandleader, who is best known as one of the great innovators and who literally changed the shape of modern jazz by helping create the jazz fusion movement of the 1970s; and the late Ray Barretto, the most widely recorded conguero in jazz.

Tony Bennett - Tony Bennett is the kind of artist that moves the hearts and souls of every audience lucky enough to hear him.  The “singer’s singer,” he has received high praise from his colleagues through the years, including Frank Sinatra, who stated unequivocally, “Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business.”  With more than 50 million records sold world-wide and platinum and gold albums to his credit, Tony has won 12 GRAMMY Awards as well as the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award and is a 2005 Kennedy Center Honoree.  An international treasure, Tony was honored by the United Nations with its “Citizen of the World” Award, which aptly describes the scope of the singer’s accomplishments.  Check out www.tonybennett.net for more information.

Chick Corea - Considering the volume of his output over the past 40 years, Chick Corea is one of the most prolific contemporary composers of the 20th century.  Throughout his illustrious and wide-ranging career, Chick has always maintained a high standard of excellence.  Blessed with a restlessly creative spirit, he continues to generate new material for a number of different vehicles, including his Elektric Band and his flamenco Touchstone band.  His new piano concerto will premiere in Austria in July 2006 as part of the gala Mozart Year Vienna festivities being held in the birthplace of the immortal composer.  Check out www.chickcorea.com for more information.

Ray Barretto - The late Ray Barretto was the most widely recorded conguero in jazz.  His song “El Watusi” was the first Latin number to penetrate Billboard's Top 20 chart, and in 1963 the song went gold.  In 1975 and 1976, Ray earned back-to-back GRAMMY Award nominations for his albums Barretto and Barretto Live...Tomorrow.  In 1990 he won a GRAMMY Award for the song “Ritmo en el Corazon” with Celia Cruz.  Ray was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1999.  He was also voted Jazz Percussionist of 2004 by the Jazz Journalists Association and won the Down Beat critics poll for percussion in 2005.  Check out www.musicofpuertorico.com/en/ray_barretto.html for more information.