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

Episode Date: March 4, 2026

On Feb. 21, the musical world lost a legend and pioneer of salsa: Willie Colón.The trombonist, songwriter, producer and arranger was a key part of the transition of Afro-Caribbean dance music from regional traditions to worldwide popularity. For an insider’s perspective on that history, this week we speak to trombonist and bandleader Angel “Papo” Vázquez, a Philadelphia-born musician who was not only inspired to play the trombone by Willie Colón, but also played on some historic recordings by Colón and other Fania Records notables.The best music tells great stories, and the same can be said about musicians. Vázquez brings along five tracks by Willie Colón that set him, and the rest of the world, on a path of deep appreciation for Colón’s contributions to salsa.This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya MohamedSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

From NPR music, this is Alt Latino. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Anna Maria Sayer. Let the cheese win begin. Okay, on February 21st, the music world lost one of the original architects of the earliest days of salsa, legendary salsa musician and pioneer Willie Colon. 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, instrumentalists, composers, producers, even the sound engineers and the people who designed the album covers, Felix, created an aesthetic that has influenced, 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 Willie Colon's earliest and most influential recordings. with a very special guide. Okay, people, let's go. Ready? Trombonist Papo Vasquez is joining us this week. Papo was not only inspired to play the trombone by Willie Colon,

but he also played on some of the albums that old-school salsa fans considered must-haves. Papo's main inspiration to become a musician was when he saw Willie Colon and Hector Laval 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 Willie Colon, and he brought in albums from 1968 to 1972.

I decided to choose stuff that I grew up listening to what influenced me to become a trombone player. To me, the core sound of Willie was that early band. Instead of me, like, choosing, like, the stuff that I recorded on, like, by 1976 or 77, I was part of that generation, you know. But to me, first edition of Willie Colon with Hector Labo was, like, was what made them, you know, what made them. you know, what made them.

Pampo, you brought in a lot of music. Let's hear the first. The first track that I chose was Guisando. This is earliest recordings of Willie Colon. 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.

Okay, watching you through Zoom, you have this huge smile on your face, man. Yeah, that, that is hard to listen to that. What is that, man? It's taking me back. It's taken me back when I was a little kid. When I first heard that, I'm like, wow. Now that I'm like, I'm 68 years old.

I hear that. And I go like, man, that music was hot. Still hot. Still hot. Yeah, man. And then I get a little emotional because it's taking me back to when I was, you know, when I was a young man in Philly. Because my father used to have a record shop.

I used to open the records and listen to them. And if I liked them, I would take them upstairs and hide them underneath my bed. I was stealing the records. You hear a record, that's one thing. But when you see what's on the record being done in person, you go like, that blew my mind. You know, when I saw it live, you saw it, you know, live. I'm like 11 years old, either I snuck into 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, Willie Cologne. You know, when Fania Records signed Willie Cologne, he was 15 years old. He had to get permission from his mom. That's crazy.

Wow. His grandmother bought him a trumpet, but he says that he lived in such a rough neighborhood that they stole this trumpet like twice. I guess he had one or two trumpets and they stole them. So he said he said he went and bought a trombone

so they won't steal it. It's just crazy. But that reflects the environment that he was coming from, you know, the street, you know, like, you know, you got to be like, you know, you got to be ready to fight and stuff, you know, whatever, you know. It was a, he was a young kid to come from a rough neighborhood. I mean, that's what I was going to say, Papa, 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,

Eta Guizando, guizando, guisando, you're robbing, you're stealing. That's what the song is about. A lot of his tools were about, I guess, his experience in the streets and stuff, you know? Which is funny because with time, right, with the passage of time in the genre salsa, it became, I think, associated with very different things. I don't think people as familiar that in the early days, salsa was Musica del Barrio. And Willie was part of that.

Yeah. Willie Colon's impact for the Latino community was especially important to the younger generations. It was different than the music of parents were listening to. Hipper and more relevant with young aspiring musicians like me. That seemed to be the take not just of Willie Colon, but a lot of the musicians that were playing. Because 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 because at the age of 20, I'm in New York recording with the guys that I, with my heroes. Let's go to another track. What else did you bring?

The next thing I chose Cheche-Cole. That was recorded in 1969. Ooh. There's something really striking to me about how comparing to a lot of what you hear today, like the production, it's so simple, but it's so cutting.

Like, those horns, when they come in, you cannot dance. And then, Maria, you just brought to mine something that I was thinking about when I was taking a shower, I said, you know, I think I know what was the secret to Willie Colost 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 on the bass, and the percussion. We were all recording live.

So it was like, if somebody will mess up, you have to record the song again. Anybody, who messed up, Phoenix? Everybody would be like. Of course it was Felix. It's always Felix. Don't call Felix again, please. So talk a little bit about the role of the trombone and the music at that time,

because when we talk about the history of the music, We talk about Conjunctos, 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 Pameri La Perfecta in 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, Emmanuel Kendos Libre, like all of the. these famous trombone players. You guys are almost as popular as the singer sometimes. Yes, Eddie Palmer and Mo Rivera, and I think Joe Cotto, I think, Joe Cotto. Their front lines

were trombone players, and Barry Rogers, Jose Rodriguez, those guys, they influence Willie. So what happened? Willie Colon comes on the scene with this really organic sound, as you described. I mean, what shifted? What was the change? Was it immediate? Well, Eddie Palmary was already out there, and they were like the killer bands. Now, when it comes out, they were like the kids. All of a sudden, all these kids become more popular than everybody else. Wow. You know, because this band was like, to me, was like, from here, everything else, you know, was created.

And it almost sounds like when I listened to those early recordings, his tone, it stands out 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 Pinter or somebody, the trombones are part of an ensemble. It's like out front, like right in your face. And I'll tell you something, man, you know, that's a tough job there, you know, two trombones in the front.

And I guess I would credit Willie's sound and his tone is because I think he was self-taught. If he's being assigned at the age of 15, he's a little genius, a little kid, They just picked up the trombone. I think he said it. He figured that out himself. It's amazing.

You know, you've got to like, wow. All right. I want to hear some more music. What's your next track? The next track is one of my favorites. It's called Piranha. And it's from the recording called El Huisio. This is from 1972, La Piraña.

So much To see to Not for the Distanceia With my Loca Esperance To be

Outsher Now that is No, no They're Pirae And

There's So much to talk about But I got to Point out The beginning of the song Is a reference

to the trombone part, the horn part is beginning to caravan, which was composed by Juan Tizol, who was from Puerto Rico, and who played with Duke Ellington for many, many years. But it's, I had recently done a performance with an orchestra here in D.C. I was playing Conga, and I did, we played, they had me come out and play Caravan. It was for a celebration of Duke Ellington. And I did some research on that song. And the rhythm, 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, what he saw wrote, or Duke of Edelton. What we found funny about that composition

was that when I was young, I didn't know what caravan was. Then, like, years later, I were like, Oh man, that's caravan. It's one of those instances where the, like 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-Caribbean style.

Or how Willie was conscious of, you know, of his culture. Right. I guess Willie was conscious that Juan Tiso Ove Puerto Rico and he's going to, 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 Willie Colon are present that he's doing it in this Afro-Curban styling and yet pulling from Duke Ellington. I mean, that could only happen in New York in a way, no?

Exactly. So he's being influenced by all kinds of different cultures and musics, you know? You're in New York City. Where there's the center of the universe. I think it's time for a 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 Calle Luna, Cale Sol. Talk a little bit about your time with him. Like, what was he like to work with? What was that time, that period of time like? You know, he was always quiet. Willie was always very nice.

I even remember one time he mentioned him. me one time. I wish to get together, practice and stuff. He was always very, he was very nice to him. And very dedicated to the music and just seemed to be full of ideas. Yeah, you know, he's by the time that I came on the scene

to work with him, he was already, he was producing stuff, doing, you know, he was into his producing stage of his career at the beginning of that. I do want to take a detour from your playlist to play. It's something that you recorded on, the album Siembra, it was a

which for writers, critics, fans, it's like a high watermark of salsa in terms of the lyrics in terms of the musicality and the presentation of what was going on in New York at the time. Before we play the track, you know, what was it like? Do you remember doing that session? And do you remember, like, this is the environment. Like, did you guys realize you guys were creating something that was going to stand the test of time? Well, in my case, you got to understand that I was the little kid in the room. So I'm just like trying to be as quiet as I can and just try to make sure that I don't mess up my part, like I told you before.

Those recordings were being done live, you know. So if you were to mess up a part, you were not going to be called back on the next recording, you know. But I was always the youngest guy and they were like, okay, sit down, kid. Here's your part. I pray to God that you don't mess up the music. I was doing some research because you mentioned you had a birthday the other day. Happy birthday, by the way. Oh, thank you so much.

But you and I are born the same year in 1958, so when you're recording this record, you're 20 years old, bro. I was 20 years old. And actually, years later, four or five years ago, Willie contacted me about giving some kind of interview about that recording. And I told him, listen, to me, I was. was extremely grateful that I was given the opportunity to be around some of my, you know, my heroes and mentors, you know. I was always the guy that was always asking a lot of questions.

Yo, no, no, I pregupte them, ma. Stop asking so many questions. I was always asking everybody something. You go sit down and play a trombone, you know. Because I dropped out of high school to come to New York. That's how much. And that's how good, I guess, my music program was. It prepared me to play with these guys already.

I was already, I would, you know, of course, years later I got my GED, and I went to do some college and stuff. But I always say that New York City, they finished raising me. Let's hear a little bit of the track, Pedro Navaja, because it starts with this long percussion-driven narration, but I've always really enjoyed the part where the horns come in, man. With the tumbao that they're the wafos,

all camin'ra the man always in the bolsillos of his gavann for that not know in which of them he's a puneal use a sombrero of ancha

of meydio-lao and zapatilla for if there's problems to be a-volaw Lenthes oscuro Oskoos, for that no They're looking And a dente

of an d'Oro That when Rie, It's be brighting Like a three quadras of that

A woman Goh recorriending the cera entire for Kinta Vess And in a sack

Entra and he's a Trague to forget That the day is floco and no

there's The one of the one thing that's ... Pedro Navajas the manos always

in the gavang and the diont and the dente of brilli' The one thing I noticed about this this track is that there's a certain level of

a certain level of sophistication in the arrangements by now. Yes, exactly. Like, even at the beginning, the orchestration of the horns of trombones, it's a stark difference to what was the first recordings that we've been playing. Right. And if you listen closely, you'll notice that instead of two trombones, it's three trombones. So now the texture of the harmonies, it's a little richer, you know. And this record also reflects the moment when.

and that salsa and Afro-Caribbean music was looking within the community. Like, okay, these things are happening. These things need to be better. It was like social commentary stuff. The Sienbara is known because of Ruben Blay's lyrics and the way Willie Cologne orchestrated all the music around his songwriting. Right. Well, you know, you could tell the difference between this and the other band with Hector Lavo.

And I think Hector Lavo also had a lot to do with, the compositions that they were recording to, you know. It's a different sound. It's a different sound. We could do this for hours, obviously, because you've got great stories, and the music is amazing. Let's finish off with the last track that you brought in.

The last track, well, you know, it says it all. You know, It's all, you know, To do its final. It's a very important song to end on, FAPO, It's a very appropriate song to end on, Papa. Before we let you go, do you have any last thoughts, any last words that you want to say about how Willie Colon's music influenced you in your career? I live extremely grateful for walking into that church, St. Edwards, in 1972, 71. I don't remember exactly when I saw that octet, because they were actette.

That opened up the whole world to me, you know. Extremely grateful to Likolon for influencing me to become a trombone player. Papa Vasquez, thank you so much, man, for coming on and sharing this music and your memories. We really appreciate it, brother. Côte-a-Cortezone. You got it, brother. Bye, Anna Maria. Bye, Papa.

You have been listening to Alt Latino for NPR Music. Our audio producer is Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Seraa Muhammad. Executive director of NPR Music is Senali Meta. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Ana Maria Sayre. Thank you for listening.