Alt.Latino: From church basement to salsa immortality: Remembering Willie Colón

[MUSIC]

From MPR Music, this is Alt Latino.

I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Ana Maria Seher. Let the cheese swear, we get it. [MUSIC]

“Okay, Ana, February 21st, the music world lost one of the original architects”

or the earliest days of salsa. Legendary salsa, musician, and pioneer, Willy Colone. In the late 1960s, and through the 70s, the Trombonist bandleader composer, producer, played a pivotal role in transforming Afro-Caribbean dance music into what became known around the world as salsa.

And Felix music released on what was at the time the small independent upstart label, Fania Records, was the source of that music revolution. Vocalists, instrumentalist composers, producers, even the sound engineers, and the people who designed the album covers Felix. Created a aesthetic that his influence, we can't even name how many musicians today.

So what we're going to do is look back at those early days of Fania and Willy Colone's earliest and most influential recordings with a very special guide. Okay, people, let's go, ready? [MUSIC]

“Trombonist papal vascas is joining us this week.”

Papal was not only inspired to play the Trombone by Willy Colone, but he also played on some of the albums that old-school salsa fans considered must-tows. Papal's main inspiration to become a musician was when he saw Willy Colone and Hector Labore in the basement of his local church in the 1970s. And we gave him the unenviable task of picking five songs to reflect his memories of Willy Colone,

and he brought in albums from 1968 to 1972. I decided to choose stuff that I grew up listening to, where influence means to become a Trombon player. To me, to core sound of Willy was that early band. Instead of me, I'd choose the stuff that I recorded on like by 1976 or '77.

I was part of that generation, but to me, first additional Willy Colone with Hector Labore was

what made them, you know, what made them.

“Papal, you brought in a lot of music, let's hear the first.”

The first track that I chose was Gisando. This is the earliest recordings of Willy Colone. Let's hear a little bit of the music and then hear a little bit more about your bio and where you come from. All right, let's hear the track.

[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Okay, watching through Zoom, you have this huge smile on your face, man. Yeah, that is hard listening to that. What is that, man?

It's taking me back, it's taking me back when I was a little kid.

When I first heard that, it was like, wow.

Now that I'm like, I'm 68 years old. Like, here's that, I'm like, man, that music was hot. It's still hot. Still hot. Yeah, man.

And then I get an emotional because it's taking me back to when I was, you know, when I was a young man, silly, because my father's have a record shot. I stopped for the records and listened to them. And if I liked them, I would take them upstairs and hide

underneath my bed. I was still in the records. Here a record, that's one thing. But when you see what's on the record, being done in person, you're like, that blew my mind.

When I saw it live, you saw it your life. I'm like 11 years old, either. It's not getting to the church dance, or I was there with my family, and they were in the basement, you know? And I'm like, looking onto the stage and all of a sudden,

will it come home? We don't get to Yevang lost under where, baby.

You know, when it's finally our record's assigned, will it come home?

He was 15 years old.

He had to get permission from his mom.

That's crazy. Mom, his grandmother bought him a trumpet, but he says that he lived in such a rough neighborhood that they stole this trumpet and twice. He had, I guess he had one, one or two trumpets in this total.

So he said he would have bought a trombone, so they would steal it. It's just crazy. But that reflects the environment that he was coming from. You know, street, you know, you got to be like,

you got to be ready to fight and stuff, you know, whatever, you know? It was a young kid who got from a rough neighborhood.

“I mean, that's what I was going to say, papo,”

is that track you just played, it's light, rhythmically,

it's danceable, but it's kind of heavy, thematically. The early days were heavy, thematically. Exactly. If you listen to the lyrics, the composition is titled, "Ethagi-thando-gisando-gisando-gisando." You're robbing, you're stealing.

That's what the song is about. A lot of those tools were about, I guess, his experience in the streets is tough, you know? Which is funny, because with time, right, with the passage of time in the genre salsa,

it became, I think, associated with, with very different things. I don't think people as familiar that in the early days salsa was Musica de Barrio, and Willie was part of that.

Yeah, Willie closed impact for the Latino community,

“was especially important to the younger generations.”

It was different than the music our parents were listening to. Hiper and more relevant with young aspiring musicians like me. That seemed to be the, the, the, the technologist of Willie Colombo, a lot of the musicians that were playing,

'cause you guys grew up with a certain tradition, but they were creating something brand new, man.

Exactly. I've always been extremely grateful to Willie,

'cause at the age of 20, I'm in the yard recording with the guys that I, my, were my heroes. Let's go to another track. What else did you bring? The next thing I chose, check check wallet.

That was recorded in 1969. [Music] [Music] Oh, there's something really striking in me about how comparing to a lot of what you hear today,

like the production, it's so simple, but it's so cutty. Like, those horns when they come in, you cannot dance. And then Maria, you just brought to mind what something that I was thinking about, what I was taking a shower said, you know,

“I think I know what was the secret to Willie Colombo's thing.”

It was organic. It was organic, and plus those days back then, you know, when we used to record back in the 70s, everybody was in the studio, the horns, the piano, the bass, and the percussion. We were all recording live. So it's like, somebody will mess up.

And you have to record the song again. Anybody who messed up Phoenix, everybody like. Of course it is Phoenix. [Laughs] So it's Phoenix.

[Laughs] Don't call Phyllis again. [Laughs] So talk a little bit about the role of the trombone in the music at that time, because when we talk about the history of the music,

we talk about con Junto's, the 40s or 50s, mostly trumpet, you know, the coming out of Cuba and Puerto Rico, mostly trumpet, the brass, but at some point, the trombone became like the main thing, like the front line. I don't know if that was, you know, Eddie Palmeri, La Perfecta,

and 61, 1961, you know, what? It just became such a standard part. Even going beyond, like what you did, what Willie did, what, you know, manual candles, libri, like all of these famous trombone players, you guys were almost as popular as the singer sometimes.

Yes, Eddie Palmeri, more Rivera, and I think Joe Colto, I think Joe Colto.

Their front lines were trombone, you know, and Barry Rogers,

Jose Rodriguez, those guys, they influenced Willie. So what happened? Willie Colon comes on the scene with this really organic sound, as you described it. I mean, what shifted? What was the change? Was it a media? Well, Eddie Palmeri was already out there, and they were like, the killer bands.

Now Willie Colzard, they were like, the kids, so it's like, oh, these kids become more popular than anybody else. Wow, you know, because this band was like, to me, it was like, from here, everything else, you know, was created. And it almost sounds like, when I listened to the early,

those early recordings, his tone, it stands out. And in a way that it's a lead vocal, in a way, because it wasn't part of a large ensemble. If you listen to big bands, like, if you listen to Machito or plant, there's somebody that trombones a part of an ensemble.

It's like out front, like right in your face. I tell you something, man, you know, that's, that's a tough job there, you know, two trombones in the front. And I guess I will create a Willie's sound in his tone,

“because I think he was self-taught. If he's being said at the age of 15,”

he's a little genius, a little kid, they just picked up the trombones. He's, I think he said he's the figure that I himself.

It's amazing, you know, you got to like, wow.

All right, I want to hear some more music. Let's do the next track. The next track is one of my favorites, it's called "Piranya." And it's from the recording called, and we see you. This is from 1972, La Pidanya.

The last track is one of my favorites, the last track is one of my favorites. The last track is one of my favorites. The last track is one of my favorites. The last track is one of my favorites. The last track is one of my favorites.

The last track is one of my favorites. The last track is one of my favorites. The last track is one of my favorites. The last track is one of my favorites. The last track is one of my favorites.

The last track is one of my favorites. The last track is one of my favorites. And who played with the Duke Helington for many, many years. But I had recently done a performance with an orchestra here in DC. I was playing Konga and I had to come out and play a caravan.

It was for a celebration Duke Helington. And I did some research on that song.

“And the original rhythm, I think it was like in 1932.”

It was really early. And it sounds like a reference to Bomba but not exactly Bomba. Even back then. So the caravan rhythm comes from the island. I got to go back and check it out.

Check out what my throat or what the throat or Duke Helington.

But I've always found funny about that composition.

Was that when I was young, I didn't know what caravan was. Then like years later, I was like, oh man, that's caravan. It's one of those instances where a jazz composition or somebody, a tune that was made popular in jazz, moved over into the Latin world. Because so many people have done that tune in Afro-Curriban style.

Or how will it really was conscious of, you know, of his culture, right? I guess, really was conscious that Juan Tiso was so Puerto Rican. And he's going to give him a little tribute there, you know what I mean? That's him being conscious of all of his cultures, right? Like all parts of Willy Colon are present.

That he's doing it in this Afro-Curriban styling and yet pulling from Duke Helington. I mean, that could only happen in New York in a way, no? Exactly. So he's been influenced by all kinds of different cultures and music, you know?

“The In New York City, where it is the center of the universe.”

I think it's time for Break Felix.

I think we need to take a break.

All right, let's do it.

“And we're back. Let's hear some more music, man. What else you got?”

The next composition I chose was Gaia Luna Gaia Sol.

. Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again.

Oh, I'd love to see you again. Gaia Luna Gaia Sol. Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again.

I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again.

Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again. Oh, I'd love to see you again.

Oh, I'd love to see you again.