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.
Guajiron
Willie Colón Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
guajirón cubano.
¡Eh! que rico y sabrosón. Ven
Ven y baila son cubano. Ven
Rico y bueno camara'. Ven
te lo traigo anda vamos.
Ven a bailarlo mi hermano. Ven
Lo vacilan los pollitos. Ven
El guajiro y son cubano.
Coro:
El Guajirón.
Guajirón.
The lyrics to Willie Colón's song Guajirón are a celebration of Cuban guajira music and culture. The song begins by declaring the Guajirón as the "guajira son" and the "guajirón cubano." The use of Spanish slang in these lines conveys a sense of informality and familiarity, suggesting that the singer and the listener are both part of the same cultural community. The opening lines also establish the musical genre of the song, which is the son, a popular Cuban style that emerged in the early 20th century.
The rest of the lyrics encourage the listener to dance to the son, describing it as "rico y sabrosón" ("rich and tasty"). The repetition of the phrase "ven" ("come") creates a sense of urgency and excitement, as if the singer is inviting the listener to join the dance immediately. The second verse emphasizes the universal appeal of the son, suggesting that even animals like chickens enjoy it. The chorus repeats the title of the song, "El Guajirón," which serves as a celebratory chant and reinforces the idea that the song is a tribute to Cuban guajira culture.
Overall, the lyrics to Guajirón celebrate the joy and energy of Cuban music and culture, inviting the listener to participate and dance along.
Line by Line Meaning
Guajirón guajira son
This song is about a guajiro dancing to guajira son, a style of music from Cuba.
Guajirón cubano
The guajiro in this song is Cuban.
¡Eh! que rico y sabrosón. Ven
This song is full of delicious and savory sounds. The listener is invited to come and dance to the music.
Ven y baila son cubano. Ven
Come and dance to the sound of Cuban music.
Rico y bueno camara'. Ven
The music is rich and satisfying. Come and enjoy it with others.
te lo traigo anda vamos
I bring this music to you, let's go and enjoy it together.
¡Eh! sabroso y sabrosón. Ven
The music is tasty and full of flavor. Come and dance to it.
Ven a bailarlo mi hermano. Ven
Come and dance to the music, my brother.
Lo vacilan los pollitos. Ven
Even the chickens are dancing to this music. Come and join them!
El guajiro y son cubano.
This song is about a Cuban guajiro who loves to dance to son cubano music.
Coro: El Guajirón. Guajirón.
The chorus simply repeats the title of the song, 'El Guajirón'.
Contributed by Ava J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Angelesteban Fonseca
El tema Guajiron permite apreciar la genialidad pianística de "el genio perdido" Markolino Dymon.
Wilson felipe Flor trujillo
Sencillamente... markolino está jugandoooooo.....
Jesus Villarreal
Markolino un pianista fuera de este Mundo. Muy adelantado a su época.un genio del piano 🇵🇷🎶🎹
Ronald Balthazar civil
De origen cubano
Jesus Villarreal
Si señor🇵🇷🎹🎶
Saoco Loco
@Ronald Balthazar civil Nacido en N.Y. de madre Afroamericana y su padre supuestamente era cubano,dice su biografía.
Jorge Fuentes
Caballete
luis antonio salguero
Para conocedores..markolino y sus toques d piano fuera de serie..lavoe y willie.UNICOS
Marco Pinto
De locura para el mundo salcero este tema con markolino
Que nota adentro
Que inpacto al oído al buen conocedor de la buena salsa
Con alegría desde Barranquilla Colombia
Cynthia Kilian
Impresionante lo que hace el piano, hasta parece que estuviera tocando en otra tonalidad distinta a la del canto, una genialidad armónica. Ya no se componen estas obras en la música popular.