Already one of the most feared young talents on the
salsa
scene,
Willie Colon
and his partner in crime
Hector Lavoe
showcased not only confidence but a surprising flexibility and independence on 1970s
La Gran Fuga (The Big Break)
. Case in point was the first song,
"Ghana'e,"
based on an African
children's
song and given a vocal reading (by both
Lavoe
and the band chorus) that invoked a sense of joy and wonder quite at odds with the cutthroat world of New York
. Throughout the album,
Colon
's septet was tight as usual (they had freed themselves completely from their
Latin soul
and
novelty
past) but they performed songs at many different paces and left plenty of space in their sound -- yet still never sacrificed the power of
Willie Campbell
's dual-trombone lineup. The son montuno
"Pa' Colombia"
or the powerful
"Barrunto"
were the clearest hits to those who were already
fans, but the rest of the material stretched
's resume, including the melancholy
"No Cambiare,"
an affectionate look at the power of grandmothers (and mothers) in
"Abuelita,"
and salutes to Puerto Rico, Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico as well as the Estados Unidos. ~ John Bush