Willie Rosario Albums (13)
'The Salsa Machine'
Release Date 6/8/2004
Tracks 8
Label Universal Latino
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Back to the Future'
Release Date 8/10/1999
Tracks 12
Label Sony International
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What The Critics Say
Superb return for Willie Rosario after a four-year recording hiatus. He brings in a few alumni from the past (arranger/bass player Bobby Valentin, singers Tony Vega and Gilberto Santa Rosa, conga player Jimmie Morales, and arranger Humberto Ramírez) and a few extra hands (Papo Lucca on piano and Roberto Roena on bongos). With that personnel, Rosario crafts his best album in years, still distinguishing the timbalero's compact, restrained rhythm sense, supported by his fiery four-trumpet and baritone saxophone lineup. The standouts are "La Bomba" (sung by Rosario's regular vocalist Ricardo "Rico" Walker), Santa Rosa's version of "El Apartamento" (which is closer to the singer's own solo approach than his days with Rosario), and a newer version of "Arrepentíios Pecadores" by Tony Vega. A superior addition of the bandleader's remarkable four-decade career. ~ José A. Estévez, Jr., All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This is a reissue of timbalero/bandleader Willie Rosario's first album, recorded in 1963. The 21-year-old Bobby Valentín was the arranger, and Frankie Figueroa was the vocalist. The early stage of this orchestra relied on the already established stylings of Tito Puente and Tito Rodríguez (where most of the band's repertoire was derived from), but the notoriously compact quality of the rhythm section is noticeable. A first effort by one of salsa's longest-running organizations. ~ José A. Estévez, Jr., All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Willie Rosario showcases the great Junior Toledo on Otra Vez, one of the band's finest albums. With great aplomb, the underrated sonero performer delivers the saucy material that the orchestra presents. The hits are "Oriente" (composed by Miguelito Valdés) and "Antonio." Toledo was also an able songwriter and contributed some songs to the production ("Solitario," "Casualidades," "Domingo de Verano," and "Cuando Llegara"). ~ José A. Estévez, Jr., All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This Willie Rosario package ably compiles the timbalero/bandleader's superior years with the Inca label (the band began to catch fire with the Fania subsidiary, although it was an independent label prior to its purchase by the mainstream salsa label). It includes "El Bravo Soy Yo" (Rosario's first promoted single), "Yo Se de Mi," "Oriente," "Nicolás," and the smash hit "De Barrio Obrero a La Quince" (composed by Trini Clemente). A must-have for Rosario's fans. ~ José A. Estévez, Jr., All Music Guide
'The Portrait of a Salsa Man'
Release Date 10/18/1991
Tracks 8
Label T.H. Rodven
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'The Roaring Fifties'
Release Date 7/15/1991
Tracks 9
Label Sonotone Latino
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What The Critics Say
Percussionist Rosario moved back to Puerto Rico in the '70s, but he came up in NYC. He once said his influences were the likes of Tito Rodriguez and Herbie Mann, not the Cubans. He also said, "I like clean music, music that has definition." Put those two elements together and you have a dynamite big-band sound: crisp, elegant, and driving. Call it timelessly classic, but this band plays as freshly as if they'd only just invented the sound. ~ John Storm Roberts, All Music Guide
'Nuevos Horizontes'
Release Date 7/2/1991
Tracks 8
Label Sonotone Latino
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Though recorded in 1991, El Rey del Ritmo (The King of Rhythm) is a rootsy salsa recording and a return to the harder, jazzier horn charts of Willie Rosario's best work. With the core of his longstanding band -- Javier Fernández on piano and Jimmy Morales on congas -- and baritone saxophonist Chago Martinez, the musical component is there. The abandonment of electric guitars and other textural elements is a real plus here, as are the lead vocals of Guillo Rivera and Junior Toledo. The charts, written by Eddie Flores, Bobby Valentin, Ray Santos, and Jorge Millet, reflect the tougher edge. The New York salsa craze was long over by 1991 and allowed for Rosario to concentrate on what he did best: the creation of emotionally honest, musically complex, and rhythmically innovative music handed down from the legacy of Tito Puente. This band smokes. Just give a listen to Curet Alonso's "llueve," and the way the chorus kicks up around Toledo. Another standout is Henry Arana's "Mujer Ingrata," with its sprawling punchy trumpets and the rhythmic counterpoint played by Martinez. But it is the call-and-response interplay between Rivera, Toledo, and the chorus that is so infectious. Toledo's simply stellar performance on Bobby Capo's moving ballad "Quien Lo Diria" steals the show, though. This is a fine recording, one worth listening to over and over again. It is an excellent example of Rosario's great gift for communicating the varieties of the classic salsa experience. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
