Willie Colon was an explosive energy source who took salsa into the stratosphere

"He was to salsa what Elvis Presley was to rock'n'roll the fearless teenager whose loose, fast, rough interpretation of the music he heard on the streets helped create a genre that grew into the dominant Latin dance music. Born in the South Bronx and raised largely by his Puerto Rican grandmother, Colon initially learned trumpet, then switched to trombone, using that instrument to shape the sound of salsa, just as JJ Johnson had done for jazz and Don Drummond for ska."

"While to Nuyoricans Puerto Ricans living in New York Colon was a legend, to many Anglo New Yorkers he barely registered, perhaps noted by a few for playing with David Byrne during the singer's adventures in Latin American music. He was nominated for 10 Grammys but never troubled the US Top 40, yet across much of Latin America he was arguably the most celebrated brass player of the past six decades, winning the Latin Grammys' musical excellence award in 2004."

Willie Colon was a pioneering Nuyorican trombonist and bandleader who helped define salsa through a bold, fast, and rhythmically complex sound. He was born in the South Bronx, raised largely by his Puerto Rican grandmother, and switched from trumpet to trombone to shape salsa's brass voice. Signed to Fania Records, he teamed with vocalist Hector Lavoe and produced a revolutionary sound that fused Cuban son, Puerto Rican crooners, jazz, funk and rock. He earned ten Grammy nominations and won the Latin Grammys' musical excellence award in 2004. He also acted in Mexican soap operas and engaged in New York politics, alternating between activism and reactionary positions.

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