by John Storm Roberts
This classic recording is by one of the most creative heads in New York salsa. In 1975 The Good.., a New Directions release after Colon got fed up with the two-trombone sound, was the evidence that he could reach beyond his youthful sound into an idiom both wider and deeper. It was also the last album with Hector Lavoe, who had decided to stay a teen idol. The Big Break, Asalto Navideño, and this album in their different ways were pinnacles of early- to mid-'70s salsa.