| Asalto Navideño | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe | ||||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Length | 32:18 | |||
| Label | Fania | |||
| Producer | Jerry Masucci | |||
| Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe chronology | ||||
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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. 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".
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. Both albums were later re-released together.
The track "La Murga" was a particular hit, and was later covered by Víctor Piñero [es] with Los Melódicos.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| AllMusic (reissue with vol. 2) | |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| MusicHound World |  |
The album was named one of the 50 greatest salsa albums of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine in October 2024.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introducción" | 2:58 | |
| 2. | "Canto A Borínquen" | Flor Morales Ramos | 4:29 |
| 3. | "Popurrí Navideño / Estrella De Oriente (De Tierras Lejanas) / Noche De Paz / La Virgen María / La Tierra Mía" | Traditional | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Traigo La Salsa" | Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón | 3:55 |
| Total length: | 15:01 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aires De Navidad" | Roberto García | 3:43 |
| 2. | "La Murga" | Lavoe, Colón | 5:34 |
| 3. | "Esta Navidad" | Lavoe, Colón | 5:17 |
| 4. | "Vive Tu Vida Contento" | Morales Ramos | 2:43 |
| 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
- ^ Ben Ratliff (2012-07-02), "Yomo Toro, Virtuoso of Latin Music, Dies at 78", nytimes.com, New York Times, retrieved 2024-05-08
- ^ Asalto Navideño, Vols. 1-2 at AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- "'Asalto navideño', con Lavoe y Colón: Reedición", eluniverso.com (in Spanish), El Universo, 2010-12-22, retrieved 2024-05-09
- Diego Andrés Aranda Estrada, "50 Años de Asalto Navideño", latinastereo.com, retrieved 2024-05-08
- Asalto Navideño at AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- Colin Larkin (1998). "Colón, Willie". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. II (3rd ed.). Muze. p. 1180–1. ISBN 0-333-74134-X.
- Adam McGovern, ed. (2000). "Willie Colón". MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 169–171. ISBN 1-57859-039-6.
- Ernesto Lechner (2024-10-30), "The 50 Greatest Salsa Albums of All Time", Rolling Stone, retrieved 2024-10-31
| Willie Colón | |
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| Studio albums |
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| Collaboration albums |
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| Songs | |
| Héctor Lavoe | |
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| Collaboration albums |
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| Songs |
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