Rafael Cortijo

It all began on May 26, 1962, when musicians defecting the troubled Combo of timbalero-bandleader Rafael Cortijo decided to form a new band, a new "combo", which they would name El Gran Combo. But the story of one of the most illustrious…

This week I read an excellent newspaper article about the involvement of legendary bandleader Rafael Cortijo with Calypso music. In this blog I'll provide a historical framework to it. Cortijo, the Calypso, and the Antillean Connection…

This past October was the anniversary of the permanent departure of Puerto Rican and Latin music legend Rafael Cortijo, joining a constellation of past Latino music stars. It’s hard to mention Cortijo without mentioning Rivera. It’s…