El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico: You have got to dip into this salsa

As a bonus to its highly recommended exhibit "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music," Experience Music Project presents the greatest salsa band of all time — El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico — at 8 tonight at EMP.

With its 40-year-plus legacy of more than 50 albums, including a Grammy-winning 40th anniversary concert disc, El Gran Combo is the real deal — salsa as it has been danced to in Puerto Rico, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Curaçao and beyond for more than four decades. With saxophones, trumpets and trombone answering the call of an infectious vocal trio — which in turn follows its own lead-and-chorus patterns — and a thicket of percussion thrusting the music forward, El Gran Combo creates an irresistible mix for dancing or listening.

Known popularly as "The University of Salsa," because so many great players have passed through its ranks, El Gran Combo originated in a 1962 split-off led by pianist Rafael Ithier from the Afro-Puerto Rican band Cortijo y su Combo, which introduced black genres into Puerto Rican pop music. The group's first album, "Acángana," went gold in 1964. Shortly thereafter, the band was playing at New York's legendary Palladium with Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Machito.

El Gran Combo's fame was solidified via regular appearances on an afternoon TV show in Puerto Rico. So ingrained in Puerto Rican culture is this band that its songs have given rise to many popular sayings, including "Este muerto no lo cargo yo (I don't carry around that corpse)," from the song "Don Goyo," which translates as, "I wash my hands of that problem."

Though the band continually brings new material into its repertoire, it still performs classics such as "No hay cama pa'tanta gente," "Un verano en Nueva York" and the humorous "El caballo pelotero." The group's coordinated dance routines are a visual delight. This is a no-miss event.

The EMP exhibit will be open tonight and is included in the price of the concert.

Paul de Barros: 206-464-3247 or pdebarros@seattletimes.com