Asalto Navideño

Asalto Navideño
Studio album by
Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe
Released1970
Length32:18
LabelFania
ProducerJerry Masucci
Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe chronology
Cosa Nuestra
(1969) 		Asalto Navideño
(1970) 		La Gran Fuga
(1971)

Asalto Navideño is a Christmas album by American musicians Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe. It was released by Fania Records in 1970.

Background and release

Colón hired Puerto Rican musician Yomo Toro to play cuatro on the album, which gave a boost to his career.[1] John Bush of AllMusic noted that Toro's presence on the album gave it a jíbaro feel, which "any Puerto Rican native or person with heritage would recognize and appreciate during the Christmas season".[2]

Colón and Lavoe released a second Christmas album in 1973, entitled Asalto Navideño Vol. II. The album again featured Toro playing the cuatro, and he also appeared on the cover dressed as Santa Claus.[1] Both albums were later re-released together.[3]

The track "La Murga" was a particular hit,[4] and was later covered by Víctor Piñero [es] with Los Melódicos.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
AllMusic (reissue with vol. 2)[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
MusicHound World[7]

The album was named one of the 50 greatest salsa albums of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine in October 2024.[8]

Track listing

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Introducción" 2:58
2."Canto A Borínquen"Flor Morales Ramos4:29
3."Popurrí Navideño / Estrella De Oriente (De Tierras Lejanas) / Noche De Paz / La Virgen María / La Tierra Mía"Traditional3:36
4."Traigo La Salsa"Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón3:55
Total length:15:01
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Aires De Navidad"Roberto García3:43
2."La Murga"Lavoe, Colón5:34
3."Esta Navidad"Lavoe, Colón5:17
4."Vive Tu Vida Contento"Morales Ramos2:43
Total length:17:17

Personnel

  • Willie Colón – leader, trombone, chorus vocals
  • Héctor Lavoe – lead vocals
  • William "Sweet" Campbell – trombone
  • Milton Cardona – congas, percussion
  • José Mangual Jr. – bongos, percussion
  • Johnny Pacheco – percussion, chorus vocals
  • Prof. Joe Torres – piano
  • Louie "Timbalito" Romero – timbales
  • Santi "Choflomo" González – bass
  • Yomo Toro – cuatro
  • Roberto García – cuatro
  • Miguel "El Túnel" Matos – "band boy", minor percussion
  • Justo Betancourt – chorus vocals

Technical

  • Jerry Masucci – production
  • Johnny Pacheco – recording
  • Irv Greenbaum – engineering

Artistic

  • Elliot Sachs – cover location
  • Izzy Sanabria – design
  • Len Bauman – photography

References

  1. ^ a b Ben Ratliff (2012-07-02), "Yomo Toro, Virtuoso of Latin Music, Dies at 78", nytimes.com, New York Times, retrieved 2024-05-08
  2. ^ a b Asalto Navideño, Vols. 1-2 at AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  3. ^ "'Asalto navideño', con Lavoe y Colón: Reedición", eluniverso.com (in Spanish), El Universo, 2010-12-22, retrieved 2024-05-09
  4. ^ Diego Andrés Aranda Estrada, "50 Años de Asalto Navideño", latinastereo.com, retrieved 2024-05-08
  5. ^ Asalto Navideño at AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  6. ^ Colin Larkin (1998). "Colón, Willie". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. II (3rd ed.). Muze. p. 1180–1. ISBN 0-333-74134-X.
  7. ^ Adam McGovern, ed. (2000). "Willie Colón". MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 169–171. ISBN 1-57859-039-6.
  8. ^ Ernesto Lechner (2024-10-30), "The 50 Greatest Salsa Albums of All Time", Rolling Stone, retrieved 2024-10-31