Starting to play the trumpet at the age of 12, Colón switched to the trombone two years later. Making his recording debut in 1967, for Al Santiago's Futura label, Colón became a victim of misfortune when the label folded. Colón was much more successful when he signed with Johnny Pacheco's Fania label. When his vocalist failed to make Colón's first session for the label, Pacheco suggested Hector Lavoe as a replacement. The collaboration proved fruitful when two singles from Colón's first two albums (El Malo, Guisando) — "Jazzy" and "I Wish I Had a Watermelon" — became hits. Lavoe remained a vital member of Colón's band until the mid-'70s when an increased drug addiction caused him to miss or show up late for several gigs. Although their partnership formally ended in 1975, Colón and Lavoe continued to work together. Lavoe's last album, Strikes Back, released in 1987, was produced by Colón.
In 1975, Colón balanced his schedule as director of the Latin Jazz All Stars with studies in music theory, composition, and orchestration. His increased knowledge paid off quickly. In 1978, Colón was named Musician, Producer, and Trombone Player of the Year in a readers poll conducted by Latin New York. Three years later, he received an award as Musician of the Year and his album Fantasmas was named Album of the Year. Colón continued to garner acclaim when his album Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos received a Grammy award in 1982.
Although they met backstage before a concert in Panama in 1969, Colón and Blades didn't begin collaborating until five years later. While working on the album The Good-The Bad-The Ugly, Colón asked Blades to sing on the Blades-penned tune "El Cazanguero," which reflected on Blades' experiences as a law student working in a Panamanian prison. The session was so satisfying that Blades became a full-time member of Colón's band following the departure of Lavoe. Their 1978 album Siembra became the top-selling album in Fania's catalog. Despite their success, Blades severely quarreled with label president Jerry Mascucci over money. Although Colón recorded two solo albums — El Baquine de Angelitos Negros in 1977 and Solo in 1979 — and Blades recorded a solo album, Maestra Vida, in 1980, their solo work failed to match the commercial success of their joint efforts.
In 1981, the two musicians resumed their partnership with Blades playing coro on Colón's solo album Fantasmas. The following year, they collaborated on the Grammy-winning album Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos, which yielded the hits singles "Tiburon," "Ligia Elena," and "Te Estan Buscando." Their partnership again proved short-lived as Colón and Blades split up after working on the film The Last Fight. The split was far from amiable and the two musicians continued to feud until reuniting for a concert at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan in March 1992. Despite collaborating on the album Tras la Tormenta in 1995, Colón and Blades recorded their parts separately. Following a reunion concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1997, Colón and Blades performed a series of concerts together.
In the late '80s, Colón formed a new band, Legal Aliens, with younger musicians. Signing with Sony, Colón and the band recorded Color Americano in 1990 and Honra y Cultura in 1991. Two years later, Colón recorded Hecho en Puerto Rico with an all-star band featuring ex-members of the Fania All-Stars, Papo Lucca and Bobby Valentin. Since leaving Sony over a lack of promotional support, Colón continued to remain active.
Eso Se Baila Asi
Willie Colón Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
me dijo: Héctor ven acá,
que yo quiero que tú aprendas
el boogaloo a bailar.
Yo te lo voy a enseñar
como Graciela le enseñó a José.
Ay sube, sube, las manitos
no tengas miedo la bajas después.
Coro:
Eso se baila así... eso se baila así.
The lyrics to Willie Colon's song Eso Se Baila Asi describe a girl who wants to teach the singer, Héctor, how to dance the boogaloo. This girl is referred to as "una jeva que yo tengo," which translates to "a girl that I have." She is eager to teach Héctor, and she calls him over to begin his lesson. Interestingly, the song references Graciela and José, likely alluding to Graciela Pérez Gutiérrez, a Cuban-born vocalist, and José Fajardo, a Cuban bandleader who played the flute.
The chorus of the song, "Eso se baila así" translates to "That's how you dance it" and reinforces the idea that the dance is being taught with confidence and authority. The girl teaching Héctor encourages him to raise his hands higher and to not be afraid, promising that he can lower them later. The language used throughout the song has a playful yet confident tone, conveying the idea that the boogaloo is a fun and easy dance to learn.
Line by Line Meaning
Que una jeva que yo tengo, me dijo: Héctor ven acá, que yo quiero que tú aprendas el boogaloo a bailar.
A girl I know asked me to come over to teach me how to dance boogaloo.
Yo te lo voy a enseñar como Graciela le enseñó a José.
I will teach you like Graciela taught José.
Ay sube, sube, las manitos un poquito más arriba no tengas miedo la bajas después.
Raise your hands a little higher, don't be afraid, you can bring them down later.
Coro: Eso se baila así... eso se baila así.
Chorus: That's how you dance it... that's how you dance it.
Contributed by Nathaniel R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marianast4545
Tengo 17 años, las canciones de Héctor Lavoe me hacen sentir una sensación que no gano con ningún tipo de música. Me encanta Héctor, podría decir que es mi cantante favorito a mi corta edad❤️
@Borisboricua1964
Mariana que gusto me da oír eso de una niña como tú, en estos días de tanto reggeton y otras manifestaciones tan de mala calidad desde todo punto de vista que no estoy seguro de decirles música. Te felicito...y a tus padres también.
@marianast4545
@@Borisboricua1964 gracias 😸
@miggeer8007
Sabes apreciar La calidad
@ferdinand6272
@@Borisboricua1964 xd yo puedo decir que escucho a Lavoe, Frankie, Jackson, Mercury, Gun N Roses, Bad Bunny, Ozuna, Nirvana, Rihanna, Bieber, Dion, Spears, Anuel, y muchos mas, y eso tiene que definir mi personalidad? Me gusta la de antes, la de ahora, y quizas la del futuro, y le doy gracias a Dios que mis padres m hayan criado escuchando esa musica.
@andrescubides301
Con tu corta edad increíble pero Mari te felicito
@jorgeguzman5624
La mejor música del mundo. Podrán pasar los años pero la SALSA buena como esta nunca dejara de sonar. Hector, grande por siempre. Abrazos desde COLOMBIA!!!!!!
@HalloSavage
Total. La mejor salsa es la de los 70s y 80s.
@rubenocasio9188
🇨🇴🇵🇷🇨🇴🇵🇷🇨🇴🇵🇷🇨🇴🇵🇷👌
@latinpocho
lo bailaba cuando tenia 15 años ahora tengo 61 y me lo gozo mas.