Willie Colon, Bronx-born of Puerto Rican grandparents, has fused his musical talent, his passion for humanity, and his community and political activism into an extraordinary, multifaceted career.
His achievements in all his activities are widely recognized. As musician, composer, arranger, singer, and trombonist, as well as producer and director, Colon still holds the all time record for sales, he has created 40 productions that have sold more than thirty million records worldwide.
I spent the Holidays listening to the new Willie Colón album,EL MALO Vol II: Prisioneros del Mambo, so you know all is well. This is one of those albums that is a pleasure to own. Colon writes a great essay for the album explaining why fans had to wait 10 years for a new album. Go check out his website and for the time being enjoy some classic Willie Colón.
Recibí Prisioneros del Mambo para la Navidad. Te felicito !!! Variado, entretenido, bailable. Un oasis en la salsa de ahora del “mismo sonsonete”. Mi favorito es Cuando Me Muera por la moña de trombones y el soneo “Mercado, Blades, Marc Anthony, Santa Rosa”. Genial y divertido !!! El medley de Lavoe me conmovió. Gracias por esa producción. Un título bueno para una próxima producción: Life Sentence / Sentencia de Por Vida. Muchas bendiciones, Willie.
What a long, wild ride it has been for William Anthony Colón Román. Born 58 years ago in the Bronx, he cut his first record as a teenager and showed a lot of promise from his first live performances and recording sessions. Having recorded albums of historic significance with vocalists like Hector lavoe, Rubén Blades, and Celia Cruz over the ensuing years and becoming somewhat of a legend in his own time, Colón went “solo” and began to sing on his own. More recently, he has gone into politics, public office, and humanitarian and cultural work.
Though he has made plenty of live appearances since his last album in 1997, many fans were wondering if he had officially retired from recording albums forever. Much to our good fortune, Colón has decided to get busy again in the studio, coming full circle with El Malo II, avoiding slick commercial pop salsa, making this his best effort in decades, full of diverse cinematic sounds, spicy beats, heartfelt lyrics that tell stories, and a good dollop of humor as well. There are the bombas and plenas that have always been a part of his repertoire, plenty of righteous trombones that carry the traditions of Mon Rivera and La Perfecta, and of course the hard Nuyorican salsa “with heart” that Colon and his crew helped create all those years ago.
But just like during the 70s, Colón is not afraid to experiment, because he always has one ear to the street: there are synthesizers, reggaeton beats, and rap vocals, so beware if you are a purist (I am not). Over the years Colón’s voice has matured, and he sings here with feeling and verve. Thankfully he has surrounded himself with top-notch musicians and arrangers, so the entire project carries weight and hits with impact. No
doubt having complete control and putting out the album himself aided Colón in making sure his vision for El Malo II stayed intact and didn’t turn out all corporate sounding, so congratulations are in order. His best cuts meld biting social commentary with comic wit: “Cuando Me Muera,” “La Mala Situación,” “El Brujo,” and “Bongó.” My only request: don’t let this be your last, Willie!
Jaime Torres Torres
Salseando Blog El Nuevo Día Puerto Rico
In the coming days we will know the best records released during 2008. I anticipate many surprises. From what I already tend to believe the distinction of Record of the Year, in accordance with the criteria of this editor, Willie Colón is a contender with ” Prisoners del mambo ” and José Lugo with ” Guasábara “.
These selections, as well as the remaining ones, will be judged in accordance with the following criteria: concept, depth lyrics, arrangements, musical execution, contribution to the genre, vocal “performance” and sound engineering. Meanwhile, your selections (at least those of your five favorite discs in accordance with the mentioned criteria) are welcome, but
with the following proviso: We are not limited to Salsa nor Latin jazz, remember and that it is indispensable to have listened to every recording.
Sorpresas en los discos del año
En los próximos días conocerán cuáles son los mejores discos distribuidos durante el 2008. Anticipo sorpresas a granel. Desde ya les adelanto que la distinción de Disco del Año, conforme al criterio de este redactor, la disputan Willie Colón con “Prisioneros del mambo” y José Lugo con “Guasábara”.
La selección, así como las restantes, será formulada conforme a los siguientes criterios: concepto, profundidad en sus letras, arreglos, ejecución musical, contribución al género, “performance” vocal e ingeniería de sonido. Mientras, tus selecciones (al menos las de tus cinco discos favoritos de acuerdo a los criterios enumerados) son bienvenidas, pero con la siguiente salvedad: no debemos limitarmos a la salsa ni al jazz latino, recordando que es indispensable haber escuchado cada grabación.
The great achievement of “El Malo 2″ is its uncanny fusion of old-school excellence and contemporary innovation. From its opening track, featuring a bellowing DJ Polito Vega, who also introduced the players on Colón’s classic “Asalto Navideño,” to the climactic “Suite Magia Blanca,” this album harks back to the cinematic brilliance of 1978’s immortal “Siembra.”
Colón spends a lot of time storytelling on the album. Two songs written with Venezuelan songwriter Amílcar Boscán, Narcomula” and “Amor de Internet,” describe an ill-fated drug smuggler and a serial cyber-dater. The lovesick “Corazón Partido,” written for a Mexican telenovela, shares a reggaetónish beat with “Amor de Internet,” and Colón shows that he is not afraid to rap.
Colón, who has collaborated with two of salsa’s most renowned singers - the late Héctor Lavoe and the ubiquitous Rubén Blades - has been his own lead vocalist for more than 20 years, the subject of much debate. But with his performance on the heartfelt “Héctor Lavoe Medley,” which reprises “La Banda,” “Periodico de Ayer” and “El Todopoderoso,” Colón shows he has the skills to carry off a tribute to salsa’s greatest singer.
Still the main reason to buy any Colón album is his sheer genius as a trombonist and bandleader. The album’s centerpiece, “Suite Magia Blanca,” goes through several rhythmic changes, from salsa-soul to the classic Afro-Cuban dance forms, climaxing with intense trombone duets with Luis Bonilla and a monster piano solo by Ricky González.
The Bronx-born Colón pays tribute to Puerto Rico, his ancestral home, with the plena-driven “El Brujo,” the bomba-fied “Mucha Leña” and the Afrocentric “Bongó.” His command of Boricua sarcasm is at its peak on “Cuando Me Muera,” a guaracha in which Colón imagines his rivals coming to his funeral to make sure he’s dead. The fallout over Colón’s disenchantment with the film “El Cantante” is palpable.
Colón keeps up with current events, in the tradition of the Puerto Rican pregonero, or street crier. “La Mala Situación” is at once heartbreaking and hilarious in the way it describes the woes of the current economic crisis. “I had to sell my car and ride a bike/Don’t even have money for toilet paper,” he
sings, at once parodying and comforting the everyday working stiff.
That’s why Willie Colón’s new album, “El Malo 2: Prisioneros del Mambo” (Lone Wolf), is such a welcome antidote to salsa’s sinking feeling. Colón has self-produced and is self-distributing this album from his Web site (williecolon.com), and with the help of arranging wizards Marty Sheller and Isidro Infante, it is
state-of-the-art salsa.
The great achievement of “El Malo 2″ is its uncanny fusion of old-school excellence and contemporary innovation. From its opening track, featuring a bellowing DJ Polito Vega, who also introduced the players on Colón’s classic “Asalto Navideño,” to the climactic “Suite Magia Blanca,” this album harks back to the cinematic brilliance of 1978’s immortal “Siembra.”
Colón spends a lot of time storytelling on the album. Two songs written with Venezuelan songwriter Amílcar Boscán, Narcomula” and “Amor de Internet,” describe an ill-fated drug smuggler and a serial cyber-dater. The lovesick “Corazón Partido,” written for a Mexican telenovela, shares a reggaetónish beat with “Amor de Internet,” and Colón shows that he is not afraid to rap.
Colón, who has collaborated with two of salsa’s most renowned singers - the late Héctor Lavoe and the ubiquitous Rubén Blades - has been his own lead vocalist for more than 20 years, the subject of much debate. But with his performance on the heartfelt “Héctor Lavoe Medley,” which reprises “La Banda,” “Periodico de Ayer” and “El Todopoderoso,” Colón shows he has the skills to carry off a tribute to salsa’s greatest singer.
Still the main reason to buy any Colón album is his sheer genius as a trombonist and bandleader.
The album’s centerpiece, “Suite Magia Blanca,” goes through several rhythmic changes, from salsa-soul to the classic Afro-Cuban dance forms, climaxing with intense trombone duets with Luis Bonilla and a monster piano solo by Ricky González.
The Bronx-born Colón pays tribute to Puerto Rico, his ancestral home, with the plena-driven “El Brujo,” the bomba-fied “Mucha Leña” and the Afrocentric “Bongó.” His command of Boricua sarcasm is at its peak on “Cuando Me Muera,” a guaracha in which Colón imagines his rivals coming to his funeral to make sure he’s dead. The fallout over Colón’s disenchantment with the film “El Cantante” is palpable.
Colón keeps up with current events, in the tradition of the Puerto Rican pregonero, or street crier. “La Mala Situación” is at once heartbreaking and hilarious in the way it describes the woes of the current economic crisis. “I had to sell my car and ride a bike/Don’t even have money for toilet paper,” he
sings, at once parodying and comforting the everyday working stiff.
“El Malo 2″ replaces the raw youthful intensity of Colón’s beginnings with masterful arrangements and virtuoso instrumental performance. Profound and insightful, it shows that the brash young man of salsa has grown into a wise, humorous and compassionate one.
That’s why Willie Colón’s new album, “El Malo 2: Prisioneros del Mambo” (Lone Wolf), is such a welcome antidote to salsa’s sinking feeling. Colón has self-produced and is self-distributing this album from his Web site (williecolon.com), and with the help of arranging wizards Marty Sheller and Isidro Infante, it is
state-of-the-art salsa.
