El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico

Led by pianist and musical director Rafael Ithier (born Rafael Ithier Eddie Perez), El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico is one of Puerto Rico's greatest dance bands. Four decades after their inception, the 13-piece salsa group continues to inspire dancers with its horn-punctuated Latin rhythms and lush vocal harmonies. Officially named "Ambassadors of Our Music" by the Puerto Rican Senate, El Gran Combo's many hits include such classics as "El Menu" and "Timablero." Their 1978 album, En Las Vegas, sold more than one million copies, while its follow-up, In Alaska: Breaking the Ice, was nominated for a Grammy. A longtime member of popular Latin band Cortijo y Su Combo, Ithier formed El Gran Combo in 1962 with eight of his bandmates, including percussionist, dancer, chorus singer, and salsa bandleader Roberto Roena. The Puerto Rican release of the group's debut album, Acángana, recorded two days before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, was delayed until it had already been released in Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, and the United States. El Gran Combo continued to expand its following in the early '60s, performing to enthusiastic crowds in New York, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela. In Puerto Rico, they appeared regularly on the popular television show El Show de Las 12.

From 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico