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."
Verano en Nueva York
El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Solo tienes que vivir, u verano en Nueva York
Te levantan de rodillas, tus amigos caprichosos
Te llevan para las villas, o a la montaña del osos
Luego a la gira de un barco, o a la playa de un cien brillos
La fiesta en el mamoncillo, o con la pompa en un charco
Solo tienes que vivir, u verano en Nueva York
El cuatro la independencia, el desfile boriqueño
Todo esto parece un sueño, si lo gozas con prudencia
Fiesta folclórica tienes, alla en el parque central
Si de ante mano no mueres, ves la fiesta de san juan
Juti Barreto me dijo
Un verano en Nueva york, hay allí se goza mejor
Un verano en Nueva york, te vas a la fiesta de san juan
Un verano en Nueva york, Un verano en Nueva york
Un verano en Nueva york, a la montaña del oso
Un verano en Nueva york, oye, te llevan a guarachar
Un verano en Nueva york, los amigos caprichosos
Un verano en Nueva york, que nunca quieren parar
Un verano en Nueva york, un verano en Nueva york
Un verano en Nueva york
The lyrics of El Gran Combo's song Un Verano en Nueva York describe the joy and excitement of spending a summer in New York City. The opening lines suggest that to have a good time with charm and elegance, all one has to do is experience a summer in the city. The lyrics then describe various activities and places one might go, such as visiting villas, going to the mountains or the beach, attending parties in parks, or watching parades.
The second verse highlights the Puerto Rican Independence Day parade and the San Juan festival, both very significant cultural events in the Puerto Rican community. The song suggests that if you enjoy these events with caution, they might seem like a dream come true. The lyrics also suggest that these events are not for the faint-hearted, but rather for those who are looking for a good time and are willing to take risks.
Overall, the lyrics of Un Verano en Nueva York convey a sense of excitement and adventure that one might experience during a New York summer. The song celebrates the diversity and cultural richness of the city, particularly the Puerto Rican community, and suggests that if one is looking for entertainment and enjoyment, spending a summer in New York is the way to go.
Line by Line Meaning
Si te quieres divertir, con encanto y con primor
If you want to have fun, with charm and elegance
Solo tienes que vivir, un verano en Nueva York
You just have to experience a summer in New York
Te levantan de rodillas, tus amigos caprichosos
Your whimsical friends lift you up onto their shoulders
Te llevan para las villas, o a la montaña del osos
They take you to the villas or to the mountains of bears
Luego a la gira de un barco, o a la playa de un cien brillos
Then on a boat tour or to the beach with a hundred sparkles
La fiesta en el mamoncillo, o con la pompa en un charco
The party in the mamoncillo or with bubbles in a puddle
El cuatro la independencia, el desfile boriqueño
The Fourth of July Independence Day, the Puerto Rican parade
Todo esto parece un sueño, si lo gozas con prudencia
All of this seems like a dream if you enjoy it with caution
Fiesta folclórica tienes, alla en el parque central
You have a folk festival there in Central Park
Si de antemano no mueres, ves la fiesta de san juan
If you don't die beforehand, you see the feast of Saint John
Un verano en Nueva york, hay allí se goza mejor
A summer in New York, there's where one enjoys better
Un verano en Nueva york, te vas a la fiesta de san juan
A summer in New York, you go to the feast of Saint John
Un verano en Nueva york, a la montaña del oso
A summer in New York, to the mountains of bears
Un verano en Nueva york, oye, te llevan a guarachar
A summer in New York, hey, they take you to dance guaracha
Un verano en Nueva york, que nunca quieren parar
A summer in New York, where they never want to stop
Un verano en Nueva york, un verano en Nueva york
A summer in New York, a summer in New York
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JUSTI BARRETO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@samirmendozaperez7092
Desde pequeño cada vez que escuchaba esta cancion alla en Lima peru sentia esa esencia que tenemos los latinos, 5 6 años pero el cuerpo se movia solo, cuantas noches de farra en el barrio, muchas veces imaginaba lo que seria oirla, bailarla en el mismo New York pero pensaba que era imposible, hoy tengo 32 años y por cosas del destino soy un latino mas en la gran manzana, en Brooklyn, la vida nos tiene grandes sorpresas y hoy me toco estar en una ciudad dela cual tantas veces escuche, vi en peliculas, mañana me voy a janguear y lo primero que quiero hacer es bailar esta cancion señores... viva la Raza Latina viva cada latino que salio se juega el dia a dia lejos de su familia en este pais, dios nos bendiga y cada momento de pena y llanto que nos toca pasar aqui valga la pena.
@eduardogudino177
8l
@socratesalvarez3183
K
Km l y aa
@santiagoacosta8271
Dios te bendiga!
Que bendición poder vivir un verano en nueva York 🙌🏼
@samuelgatel4862
❤❤❤❤ saludos desde cuba la éstoy escuchando desde qué nací y no me canso de escucharla y gozar con ella
@jimf3080
Y las rentas de maravillas en NY y con flexibilidades para los soñadores americanos JAJA
@toyotastarletkp9421
Recientemente llegué a New York y espero el verano con ansias para escuchar ese tema con más gusto
@simank2970
Jamás olvidará hace unos anos estaba en mi carro (coche) en Yaracuy Venezuela , siempre me gustó esta canción y mientras esperaba en un esquina a una gente puse esta música a un buen. Volumen! En eso pasa un indigente de esos que viven en la calle! Bastante sucio y desaliñado! El senor se dedicó a bailar con gran alegría y habilidad la canción, jamás olvidaré como hasta las lágrimas se le salieron miéntras bailaba! Lógico le subí volumen y hasta que no termino la música no paro! Al final me agradeció dándose golpes en el corazón! Sabes Dios todo lo que revivió en esos minutos aquel ser! Salsa!
@Elvergoncorazon001
Temazo, saludos desde Barranquilla- COLOMBIA 🇨🇴
@rosalinmiranda2029
Estoy muy agradecido x tus saludos muchas bendiciones en tu país hermoso