World-famous salsa musician Willie Colon came to Cali at the end of July and talked salsa with a local reporter, marveling at the vivacity of Colombian salsa and its fans.
In the last couple of months Colon has traveled all over the country, visiting not only the capital and Medellin for the Flower Festival but also smaller spots on the map, and after Colombia he will be headed for a tour of Europe.
In Cali, Colon jammed at the Jala Jala club with trombonist Rey Alejandre, also known as the “Mexican Whip,” and pianist Ennio Gatti. Later, he met with El Tiempo writer Umberto Valverde to discuss his career so far and his thoughts on the past and future of salsa music.
Regarding the salsa ‘crisis’ Colon commented “what is missing is the hunger. In the beginning, this music was for the masses, the club businesses didn’t want to know anything about it but after a while they began to control it all. One would write the music and another would play it in the clubs and then change it according to the preference of the dancer. We competed with ourselves, each musician was different and the the spark of salsa music was started within this context.”
As for the future of salsa, he said “salsa will survive globalization. One of the only problems that affects salsa is the crisis we are experiencing with regard to recording albums. Nevertheless, the recordings today are usually live in concert and this is good, because you don’t create salsa on a track, the musician and the listeners have to be together.”
“For this reason, I am so grateful to be in Cali and all throughout the country; Colombians know their salsa. I have met people here who know a lot about the music, and in many occasions, they know more than the musicians themselves. At my concerts, young people come and they know the lyrics, they feel them, and they sing them. While they are with us, we have a future.”