El Gran Combo

Led by pianist and musical director Rafael Ithier, born Rafael Ithier Eddie Perez, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico ranks among the island’s premier dance ensembles. Even four decades after forming, the thirteen-piece salsa outfit sustains its appeal to dancers through sharply accented Latin rhythms and rich vocal blends. The Puerto Rican Senate formally bestowed upon the ensemble the title “Ambassadors of Our Music.” Among its many successes stand enduring favorites such as “El Menu” and “Timablero.” The 1978 release En Las Vegas surpassed one million copies sold, while the subsequent In Alaska: Breaking the Ice earned a Grammy nomination.

Ithier, a veteran of the popular Latin band Cortijo y Su Combo, established El Gran Combo in 1962 alongside eight former colleagues, among them percussionist, dancer, chorus singer, and salsa bandleader Roberto Roena. The debut album Acángana, captured two days before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, reached Puerto Rican stores only after circulating first in Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, and the United States. Throughout the early sixties the group built momentum with appearances before eager audiences in New York, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela, while maintaining a steady presence on Puerto Rico’s El Show de Las 12.

Over time the lineup shifted repeatedly, leaving only Ithier and alto saxophonist Eddie Perez as original members. Roena departed in 1969 to launch Roberta Roena y Su Apollo Sound, and vocalist Andy Montañez joined Dimensión Latina in 1977. Trumpet player Taty Maldonado died in 1991. Despite such departures the ensemble adapted, incorporating an additional trombonist and a third vocalist that same year. It has since highlighted strong lead voices, notably Charlie Aponte, who arrived in 1972, and Jerry Rivas, who succeeded Montañez. By 2002 the roster featured vocalists Charlie Aponte, Jerry Rivas, and Papo Rosario, trombonists Victor Rodriguez and Moises Nogueras, saxophonist Freddy Miranda, bassist Fred Rivera, and a rhythm section comprising Miguel Torres on congas, Domingo Santos on timbales, and Mitchell Laboy on bongos.

In 2004 the refreshed collective delivered Aquí Estamos y...¡De Verdad!, which drew widespread praise and registered on the Latin Airplay charts. Two years later Arroz con Habichuela and the holiday collection Asi Es Nuestro Navidad, fronted by Gilberto Santa Rosa, repeated that success. The Combo label reissued seven classic titles from the catalog in 2008. The 2010 project Salsa: Un Homenaje a el Gran Combo reached number three on Top Latin Albums and entered the Billboard 200, while 2011’s Sin Salsa No Hay Paraiso appeared on Sony and registered on year-end Latin Albums tallies. Marking fifty years together, 50 Aniversario, Vol. 1 introduced the group to its own EGC Records; three-quarters of the set consisted of re-recorded staples alongside reminiscences from Ithier and associates, landing inside the Top Ten at Top Latin Albums. International tours continued to draw capacity crowds across Latin America, Europe, and the United States. After vocalist Charlie Aponte stepped down, Anthony Garcia assumed the role on 2016’s Alunizando, which climbed to number four on the Top Latin Albums chart.