Asalto Navideño is a Christmas album by American musicians Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe. It was released by Fania Records in 1970.
| Asalto Navideño | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Length | 32:18 | |||
| Label | Fania | |||
| Producer | Jerry Masucci | |||
| Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| AllMusic (reissue with vol. 2) | [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
Background and release edit
Colón hired Puerto Rican musician Yomo Toro to play cuatro on the album, which gave a boost to his career.[4] 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.[4] Both albums were later re-released together.[5]
The track "La Murga" was a particular hit,[6] and was later covered by Víctor Piñero with Los Melódicos.
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introducción" | 02:58 | |
| 2. | "Canto A Borínquen" | Flor Morales Ramos | 04:29 |
| 3. | "Popurrí Navideño / Estrella De Oriente (De Tierras Lejanas) / Noche De Paz / La Virgen María / La Tierra Mía" | Traditional | 03:36 |
| 4. | "Traigo La Salsa" | Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón | 03:55 |
| Total length: | 15:01 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aires De Navidad" | Roberto García | 03:43 |
| 2. | "La Murga" | Lavoe, Colón | 05:34 |
| 3. | "Esta Navidad" | Lavoe, Colón | 05:17 |
| 4. | "Vive Tu Vida Contento" | Morales Ramos | 02:43 |
| Total length: | 17:17 | ||
Personnel edit
- 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 edit
- ^ Asalto Navideño at AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ a b Asalto Navideño, Vols. 1-2 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.
- ^ 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
- ^ "'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