El Malo – Willie Colón

By: Diego Aranda

The album El Malo by Willie Colón, released on July 1, 1967 by the Fania Records label, stands as one of the most influential debuts in the history of New York salsa. Recorded between 1965 and 1966 when Colón was barely a teenager, the record not only marked his emergence as a trombonist and bandleader, but also introduced the world to the voice of Héctor Lavoe, beginning one of the most transcendental partnerships in the genre.

This LP is characterized by a raw and urban sound that reflects life in the Latin barrio of New York, combining boogaloo, guaguancó, son montuno, bomba, and shing-a-ling, at a key moment in the emergence of salsa as a musical movement.

In terms of importance, El Malo was not only the starting point of Colón’s career, but also a foundational album in the consolidation of the salsa sound of the late 1960s. Its aesthetic — both musical and visual — helped build the “bad boy” image that the artist would later exploit, and which would become an essential part of his artistic narrative. In addition, this work laid the foundations for a musical proposal that would dominate the Latin scene during the following decade.

From the cover itself, one can perceive the intention to sell the image of Willie as the young representative of a new generation that grew up in New York neighborhoods. The photograph by Irv Elkyn, with the montage by Shelby Schreider, shows the young trombonist in a sordid environment, with a sober and defiant aesthetic, reinforcing the concept of “El Malo” as an artistic character, not as an excuse for downfall. An iconography that would accompany him in later productions.

The album opens with the instrumental Jazzy, which opened the door for Colón with Jerry Masucci and the Fania label. A number that begins fiercely from the start, with a heavy rhythm, powerful for dancers, with trombones that speak about the New York streets in the accent of Latin jazz.

Willie Baby is a boogaloo performed in English by Willie Colón. Tony Vázquez supports with the soneos. Some tracks from this project had previously been recorded under the Futura label. The trombones are the protagonists of the piece and the choruses move from English to Spanish within the dynamics of this musical style.

Borinquen is a song performed by Héctor Lavoe in a typical guaguancó arrangement. Festive and at the same time nostalgic, it evokes the paradise left behind that often calls through longing.

The shing-a-ling Willie Whooper seems to be related to a popular comic strip from those years whose central character begins each episode speaking and announcing with irony. That is why at the beginning two voices can be heard in this same dynamic, saying:

Character 1: – “Okay, fellas, here he comes.”
Character 2: – “He better leave me alone…”
Other Characters present: – “Woah!”

Side B begins with the bomba-guaguancó El Malo, the track that gives the album its name. A manifestation of why such an adjective is attributed to Willie. Street reference wherever you look. Bravado expressed from the feeling of someone who lives it.

Skinny Papa is the second boogaloo on the album. Willie would never record boogaloo again and, in fact, in the next production he would state through the song “Eso se baila así” that boogaloo was not his thing, with the chorus “Boogaloo no va conmigo.” The track is another street portrait in which a skinny guy is told that if the tough girl from the street dances boogaloo, he can too.

Another of the possible scenes on the streets of the Bronx is Chonqui, the story constructed by Willie Colón and pianist Dwight Brewster (who would only accompany the band on this record; later he would dedicate his work to African-American music). It shows how embarrassment over differences (represented in the character’s shoes) leads to fatal decisions. An effective interpretation by Héctor Lavoe and a remarkable narrative arrangement with sudden stops, silences, and restarts in the choruses that generate tension and drama in the story.

Quimbombo is a combination of styles between Mozambique and guaguancó, but the descarga elements at the beginning show great creativity. Typical choruses and Cuban-style calls by Héctor, and an impressive piano solo by Brewster that remained forever recorded as his contribution to this band.

The album’s editorial commentary is written by the King of Boogaloo, Pete Rodríguez. These notes particularly highlight the innovative character of the album, its connection with Latin urban life, and Colón’s artistic potential as an emerging figure within the movement that would later be known as salsa:

“This album presents a young leader with a different style within Latin music. Willie Colón, with his trombone and musical vision, offers a fresh sound that blends traditional rhythms with modern influences from the New York environment. Accompanied by talented musicians and new voices such as Héctor Lavoe, this work reflects the energy of a generation that is transforming Latin music into something new and exciting.”
—Pete Rodríguez

Musically, the work captured the cultural diversity of mid-1960s New York, fusing Latin rhythms with popular styles of the time such as boogaloo and shing-a-ling, thus defining a sound that would spark renewed interest in Latin music during the following decade.