RIP Willie Colon

[bus2]

Sad to learn that salsa legend Willie Colon has passed away. He is one of the greats who achieved high art and popular success.

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/21/nx-s1-57 ... n-obituary

Colon's work with Hector Lavoe is amazing.

One of my favorite tunes with Willie and Hector, Todo Tiene Su Final. Biting trombones, and when the bongo bell comes in during the coro, the groove goes up to 11.

[atopper333]

Willie was brought to my attention by pbone3b while looking into the history of my King 4BF which caused a good dive into his wonderful music. Such a strong and talented player. His sound is truly amazing.

From his albums to his collaborations, his music to activism, he will be missed. What an extraordinary talent we have been blessed with and may he rest in peace.

[AndrewMeronek]

Wow, I am not familiar. Colon sounds amazing!

[Soulbrass]

I was in NYC attending college in the early 80s…my roommate was Puerto Rican and introduced me to a ton of amazing music…including Willie Colon. His collaborations with Rueben Blades are desert-islands discs for me.

He’ll be missed…

[juantrombone09]

As a Latin American trombonist, I can tell you that the impact of losing such an important musician for salsa is definitely felt... Willie Colón has been an inspiration for 90% of trombonists in Latin America, maybe even more. And clearly, his music has been present in countless people's daily lives and special moments, which is why there is immense affection among his fans, due to the pleasant memories his music evokes.

Many of us (myself included) have studied his discography. Eventually, some of us started playing the trombone, which in a way strengthens our bond with his music, which has been a great inspiration for those of us who have played the trombone while listening to him.

Honestly, it is very sad to hear of his passing, but in a way, it is comforting to know that he was always with the trombone until the end.

Rest in peace, Willie. We will always love you.

[robcat2075]

I hadn't known of him but... check out this ginormous collection of trombone players that showed up for his funeral!

(has audio but you have to turn it on)
100 brass play out the coffin of Willie Colon

Scenes from the St. Patrick’s Cathedral funeral of salsa legend Willie Colon this morning. More than 100 colleagues gathered to play the opening bars of his song La Murga de Panama.

[Bach5G]

Best albums?

[Soulbrass]

Commercial success...probably Siembra w/ Ruben Bladés from the 70s. From a trombone perspective, a sleeper album among their collaborations is the soundtrack to a forgettable move, The Last Fight.

His (and Bladés) activism is worth a deep-dive just for the history lesson.

...at the end of the day, open the wikipedia pages for Colón and Fania Records and follow links to many artist that you'll probably like, too. Definitely a fun rabbit hole ; )

Happy listening!

[bus2]

I'm a huge fan of any of the albums with Hector Lavoe, starting with the first one, El Malo. The story is that the band's lead singer was killed in a knife fight, and they brought in Lavoe at the last minute to sing on some of the tracks. Some of the tracks were in a boogaloo style, but the album really hits with the heavy salsa tunes.

The trombone playing delivers raw sound and rhythmic excitement in the earlier albums.

By the time of Siembra with Blades, the trombone playing is much more refined. Sam Burtis plays on that album. What a credential and experience!

[henrysa]

Sad to learn that salsa legend Willie Colon has passed away. He is one of the greats who achieved high art and popular success.

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/21/nx-s1-57 ... n-obituary

Colon's work with Hector Lavoe is amazing.

One of my favorite tunes with Willie and Hector, Todo Tiene Su Final. Biting trombones, and when the bongo bell comes in during the coro, the groove goes up to 11.

Oh my, you just can't sit still for this music. I bet those trombone players got the girls(or guys)...and who needs trumpets?

[bus2]

ps. I just read that Willie was 16 years old when he recorded El Malo. What the hell was I doing when I was 16?!!

Another phenom was Christian Lindberg winning an orchestral position at 18, after starting trombone at 16. He wised up and realized that an orchestral career wasn't what he wanted to do by age 20.

What if our educational system encouraged people in the direction of creativity over tradition? (No disrespect to the many amazing orchestral players. It's just that Willie hits you in the gut with his playing.)

[bus2]

[/quote]
Oh my, you just can't sit still for this music. I bet those trombone players got the girls(or guys)...and who needs trumpets?
[/quote]

Girls and guys, and probably lots of drugs in the scene. A different era with many pitfalls.

As I listen to his discography, I can't keep from commenting. What a force!

On Que Lio Willie packs so much emotion into two repeated quarter notes that rivals what many players hope to do in a career. For singing, this track is one reason Hector Lavoe is the GOAT of salsa singers. Check out the movie El Cantante if you'd like a Hollywood version of the international success of salsa stars at their highest. Tragic and amazing.

Que Lio: