El Gran Combo originated as an offshoot of the popular Puerto Rican band El Combo de Rafael Cortijo. Invited to start a new group with Joseito Mateo, a singer from the Dominican Republic, Ithier and six fellow musicians dropped out of Cortijo's band to start their new enterprise. The move shocked the Latin music world. "You were not supposed to leave Puerto Rico's favorite group like that," Ithier told Montreal's Gazette, "but the discipline was not very good anymore…. I did not want to be with a band that was not ready to work."
The new band was not lacking in discipline. Its members—including Rafael Alvarez Guedes (who chose the band's name), Eddie Pérez, Héctor Santos, Roberto Rohena, Rogelio Vélez, Martín Quiñones, and Miguel Cruz —prized teamwork and organization as much as they did musical talent. In 1962 the group recorded its first album, Meneame los Mangos (Shake My Mangos). The album was not a hit and the band was not an overnight sensation, but El Gran Combo were willing to work for their success.
It was three or four years before El Gran Combo reached that success, which arrived not long after the group recruited a promising young singer named Junior Montañhez (later known as Andy Montañez). With Montañez joining singer Pellin Rodriguez on vocals, the band turned out hit after hit—catchy dance tunes with such names as "El Menu," "Telefono," and "Goyito Sabater." The songwriting talent behind these and other hits was Perin Vazquez, whose lyrics told tales of everyday passions and universal longings. Working closely with Vazquez, Ithier created lively arrangements for piano, bass, trumpets, saxophone, congas, timbales, and bongos.
The group had released the album Acangana in 1963, just two days before the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Although distribution of the album was postponed because of the tragedy, the recording eventually reached gold-record status. In 1970 the band created EGC, an independent record label under which they released a number of albums, beginning with that year's recording, El Momo de Oro.
El Gran Combo gradually rose to become the first name in salsa within Puerto Rico, winning the island's prestigious Agueybana de Oro prize for the Best Band of 1969. Slowly, word about the band began to spread beyond the island's borders, and from 1971 to 1986 the band's international popularity was at its peak. During this time, El Gran Combo attracted a series of gifted young salsa performers—including singers Charlie Aponte, Johnny Ventura, Celia Cruz, and Jerry Rivas, and musicians Miguel Marrero, Milton Correa, Edwin Cortes, and Martin Quinones. In fact, so many exceptional salsa performers "graduated" from El Gran Combo that the band became affectionately known as the University of Salsa.
For many fans, El Gran Combo is synonymous with salsa—a musical genre that fuses Cuban and Puerto Rican sounds. Headed by three lead singers, El Gran Combo has always drawn dynamic energy from vocals. True to the salsa style, the group balances a vibrant horn section and a rhythmic percussion beat, tempered by the less-prominent bass and piano. One secret to El Gran Combo's long-lived success has been the group's ability to keep its music evolving and to remain open to new, fresh sounds. In 1971 the band added a trombone to its repertoire, played by Epifanio (Fanny) Ceballo. The recording De Punta a Punta, which won best album at Miami's Gold Record Festival, marked the debut of Ceballo, who remained with the band until his death in 1991.
More changes came for El Gran Combo in the mid-1970s, when Pellin Rodriguez left the band and was eventually replaced by the popular vocalist Charlie Aponte. By 1977 the vocalist Montañez also departed, joining the Venezuelan group La Dimensión Latina. Montañez's departure shocked and saddened fans, but his replacement, Jerry Rivas, soon won over audiences.
In 1984 El Gran Combo toured Alaska, where they produced Breaking the Ice—El Gran Combo en Alaska, which received a Grammy Award nomination. The band toured internationally throughout the 1980s and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1987 with a historic concert at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
Although many music critics thought El Gran Combo was past its peak by the 1990s, the band held on to its core group of devoted fans. "When they had singer Andy Montañez, they used to be the music machine of the Caribbean," Rudolph Mangual, publisher of the Los Angeles dance-music magazine Latin Beat, told the Los Angeles Times in 1996. "Obviously, they're way past their prime, but they're so good that they still matter…. [T]heir collective presence has a unique magnetism."
Although the band is an ensemble, one key figure stands out in El Gran Combo: Ithier, who has either outlasted or outlived the band's other cofounders. Many fans regard him as the group's heart and soul, yet Ithier has always emphasized the band's lack of hierarchy. "[El Gran Combo] has persevered because of its system," Ithier told Billboard magazine. "We share everything: our successes, our failures, our earnings. Everything is evenly distributed. And this is an incentive for the band. Everything we make, we divide."
Arroz Con Habichuela
El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Esto es Salsa, Son y Rumba
Esto no es ensaladita Light
Arroz con habichuela y vianda es lo que hay
Esto no es lo que tu piensas
No te vayas a tirar
Si no aprendiste a conciencia
Esto tiene su truquito
Esto no es llegué y pegué
Esto lleva sus añitos (Rafael!)
Pa tocarse como es
Esto no es la A y la B
Esto llega hasta la Z
Esto no es mamá, papá y nené
Esta es la lección completa
Esto no viene en los libros
No se enseña en la academia
Esto es poquito a poquito
Luego el esfuerzo se premia
Cuatro décadas Gran Combo en la cocina
Cocinando Salsa para la gente latina
No, no es ensaladita Light de dieta
Pregúntale a Juan José que trajo la receta
Es la cadencia del Son de Cuba elegante
Y el Swing de Nueva York siempre pa adelante
Sabor, sabor, sabor de la vieja escuela
Salsa caribeña, rumba, plena
No se aprende ni en la academia más fina
En la calle, calle, calle, rumbón de esquina
Traigo melao, que rico que sabroso el tumbao
Lo que hay, esto es lo que hay
The lyrics to El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico's song "Arroz Con Habichuela" celebrate salsa and its deep roots in Latin American culture. The song declares that this is not a soft ballad, nor is it rock; it is salsa, son, and rumba, with a little bit of everything thrown in. The song's refrain, "Esto no es lo que tu piensas, no te vayas a tirar," reminds the listener that the clave, the rhythmic pattern that underpins salsa music, is not something to take lightly. If you haven't learned it well, it can trip you up.
The song also emphasizes the importance of practice and effort in mastering the form. Its lyrics don't come from books or academies; they come from the street, where people have been dancing and singing salsa for generations. El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico has been cooking up salsa for over four decades, and "Arroz Con Habichuela" is a testament to their commitment to keeping the old school sound alive. The song mixes elements from the son of Cuba and the swing of New York, creating a unique and timeless style that continues to captivate listeners around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Esto no es balada, esto no es rock
This is not a ballad, nor is it rock music.
Esto es Salsa, Son y Rumba
This is Salsa, Son, and Rumba music.
Esto no es ensaladita Light
This is not a light salad.
Arroz con habichuela y vianda es lo que hay
We have rice with beans and vegetables.
Esto no es lo que tu piensas
This is not what you think.
No te vayas a tirar
Don't give up.
Si no aprendiste a conciencia
If you didn't learn it thoroughly.
La clave te va a tumbar
You'll miss the beat.
Esto tiene su truquito
This has its secret.
Esto no es llegué y pegué
This didn't just happen by chance.
Esto lleva sus añitos (Rafael!)
This has been going on for years.
Pa tocarse como es
To play it properly.
Esto no es la A y la B
This isn't just basic knowledge.
Esto llega hasta la Z
This goes beyond the basics.
Esto no es mamá, papá y nené
This is not a simple lesson.
Esta es la lección completa
This is the complete lesson.
Esto no viene en los libros
This is not found in books.
No se enseña en la academia
This is not taught in school.
Esto es poquito a poquito
This is learned little by little.
Luego el esfuerzo se premia
Then the effort is rewarded.
Cuatro décadas Gran Combo en la cocina
Four decades of El Gran Combo cooking in the kitchen.
Cocinando Salsa para la gente latina
Cooking Salsa music for the Latin people.
No, no es ensaladita Light de dieta
No, it's not a light diet salad.
Pregúntale a Juan José que trajo la receta
Ask Juan José who brought the recipe.
Es la cadencia del Son de Cuba elegante
It's the elegant Son rhythm of Cuba.
Y el Swing de Nueva York siempre pa adelante
And the swinging music of New York always moving forward.
Sabor, sabor, sabor de la vieja escuela
Flavor, flavor, flavor of the old school.
Salsa caribeña, rumba, plena
Caribbean Salsa, Rumba, and Plena music.
No se aprende ni en la academia más fina
You can't learn this in the finest schools.
En la calle, calle, calle, rumbón de esquina
In the street, street, street, party on the corner.
Traigo melao, que rico que sabroso el tumbao
I bring sweet syrup, how delicious the rhythm is.
Lo que hay, esto es lo que hay
What we have is what we have.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Juan Hernandez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luisfelipefajardo7524
Ésto no es reguetón...
Ésto es salsa, son y rumba
Esto no es la A y la B
Ésto es la lección completa
Esto llega hasta la Z
Esto no es llegué y pegué
Esto lleva sus añitos pa tocarse como es luego el esfuerzo se premia.
Para los que creen que hacer salsa es fácil, se necesitan maestros como los grandes de la salsa
Like
@selenevargas3789
Me encanta la Sonora Ponceña y el Gran Combo, entre otros.
Saludos desde Cali.
@luisfelipefajardo7524
Ésto no es reguetón...
Ésto es salsa, son y rumba
Esto no es la A y la B
Ésto es la lección completa
Esto llega hasta la Z
Esto no es llegué y pegué
Esto lleva sus añitos pa tocarse como es luego el esfuerzo se premia.
Para los que creen que hacer salsa es fácil, se necesitan maestros como los grandes de la salsa
Like
@johnesneiderforerorico2928
😊
@christiansamu
🇵🇷🇨🇴🇨🇺Pero que sabor es la salsa por Dioosss 💪🏻🧔🏻👊🏻🔥🎶 MEDELLIN COLOMBIA 🇨🇴
@juandavidchica5785
Arriba Medallo!
@alexxxxx-mv1pt
Q viva la salsa de verdad soy Colombiano,,,Caleño hijueputa
@evidal1781
de lo mas complejo que ha hecho el gran combo....semejantes coros y esa claveee. Saludos desde Canada
@normafig924
This Band is forever ICONIC from our beloved Island Puerto Rico. The music they produced will live on for many future generations to come. Up to this day, for me, they is no other like the sounds and class of El Gran Combo. Forever loved and glorified.
@salsero3982
Puerto Rico.... la Mecca y Capital de la Salsa. No hay música como la de nosotros.....confirmao 🇵🇷... patrimonio de Borinquen para que lo goze todo el mundo
@chalogarcia1271
Ojo.este tema es escrito por un cubano. Juan José Hernandez.