CCMusic.com

Few musical groups have lasted half a century while keeping their rhythmic identity unchanged, overcoming the thrusts of the record industry, and resisting the avatars of culture consumption, such as El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico has done.

Founded on May 26, 1962 in Puerto Rico, El Gran Combo is the musical institution with the longest history in the salsa genre. Directed by maestro Rafael Ithier-Nadal, the renowned Mulatos del Sabor have a history that has taken them to five continents and which has positioned them as the salsa formula worldwide. Their unique musical substance has particularly interacted with rhythms such as bomba, guaracha, boogaloo, jala-jala, and tango, uniting Latin America with the Caribbean and its Afro-Caribbean culture.

It is precisely that force which allows El Gran Combo to establish great hits in the charts, such as Acángana (1963), Ojos chinos-Jala jala (1964), El caballo pelotero (1964), Las hojas blancas, Brujería, Arroz con habichuelas (2006), and Sin salsa no hay paraíso (2010), just to mention a few. Its songs transit among varying melodies with hints of humor and social reflection, while others are engraved in the sweet dilemma of love, together surpassing 40 albums that have dictated a powerful trajectory.

Which is the recipe for success? The discipline of creating everyday lyrics with simple, cadential, and intelligible arrangements; as well as a good rhythm section and a lot of key; always thoughtful of the public’s taste and without distancing from the roots of popular Puerto Rican music.

Maestro Rafael Ithier has consecrated the following words: “We survive because we represent the music of a nation that is rich in its cultural heritage. That is why salsa is and will always be Afro-Caribbean music, because it is derived from Africa. Everything began there, our roots are there. We inherited this because it comes from there. We cannot take away the merit that a German or Swiss orchestra may have, but they cannot produce more than us because they do not have our cultural wealth.”

Today, El Gran Combo continues its prevalence with a distinctive melody and flavor that highlights the best of the rhythm of Latin heritage. In recent years it has collected great Latin music awards—such as the Grammys and Premios Lo Nuestro—and has performed to a full house in high-profile venues such as Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Upon reaching this historic moment where we are going through a global pandemic, the Mulatos del Sabor dedicated to preparing a new album titled En Cuarentena. This album, scheduled to launch at the beginning of April 2021, includes the songs El Combo del mundo, Hay que quererte, Tilín tilón, No me vuelvo a enamorar, Salchicha con jamonilla, A primera vista, Solo por tu amor, Ella lo que quiere es Combo, and El ron de la tierra. This work is released under RIMAS, the label to which world artist Bad Bunny and other great interpreters belong.

El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico is ready to continue at the forefront, en route to its 60th anniversary next year, representing its salsa in musical history worldwide.