Willie Colón, Salsa Music Architect and Activist, Dies at 75

Salsa music legend Willie Colón has died at 75. He was known for his music and activism. He was a pioneer of the Nuyorican salsa movement.

#WillieColon, #SalsaMusic, #FaniaRecords, #Nuyorican, #MusicLegend

https://newsletter.tf/willie-colon-salsa-music-pioneer-dies-at-75/

Salsa music legend Willie Colón has died at 75. His music with Fania Records and artists like Hector Lavoe changed the genre forever. This is a big loss for music.

#WillieColon, #SalsaMusic, #FaniaRecords, #Nuyorican, #MusicLegend

https://newsletter.tf/willie-colon-salsa-music-pioneer-dies-at-75/

El mundo de la salsa despide a Willie Colón tras su fallecimiento en Nueva York | vía #UChileRadio

https://radio.uchile.cl/2026/02/21/el-mundo-de-la-salsa-despide-a-willie-colon-tras-su-fallecimiento-en-nueva-york/

#elmalodelbronx #faniarecords #héctorlavoe #obituario #rubénblades #salsa #williecolón

1000 Day Album Challenge (#25) Ray Barretto: Acid (1968) [25.01.24]

that's the soul drummers / have you heard them cooking? / well, they play so cool…

toward the end of the 1990s I had a bit of an interest in Latin Jazz, but I felt like I didn’t have an entryway. as I write this it occurs to me that the series of New Latinaires singles released by Ubiquity starting in the late 90s were likely my first purchases that would lead me down this path. the New Latinaires were a series or records by modern electronic music producers that fleshed out their own interest in Latin rhythms and sounds. which is not to say that I had not previously bought Latin-flavored music. this is the first time I went hard. by my count, I bought seven of the 12” singles, each featured at least two different artists, and all three compilation albums.

by the early 2000s, I had bought at least a few straight up Latin Jazz compilations. at least one stands out in my mind and will certainly be covered sometime in the next 975 days. Acid by conga player, Ray Barretto, was the first non-compilation I bought that would be considered Latin Jazz, Salsa, Afro-Cuban Jazz or the like. what a choice!

this is an amazing album. I LOVE at least half the songs here – El Nuevo Barretto, A Deeper Shade of Soul, The Soul Drummers and the title cut, of course. I am hooked each time as soon as I hear that opening bassline, a shout of “aha!” followed by a “wooo!”, with the lightest sound of percussion (or maybe just a toe tap behind it). I’m pretty sure I was hooked on the very first listen. unlike most drugs, I don’t have to unsuccessfully chase that first high because I get it every single time.

this was Ray Barretto’s first album for New York-based Fania Records which is the most famous U.S. label promoting Salsa and other forms of Latin music. their roster reads like a who’s who of Latin music. if you’re interested in diving deep find artists that recorded for Fania and the albums they released on the label.

#1000DayAlbumChallenge #RayBarretto #Acid #FaniaRecords #LatinMusic #Salsa