Genre
Salsa. The album exemplifies the mature Colón-Lavoe sound of the early 1970s: trombone-driven arrangements built on interlocking percussion, bongos, timbales, and congas, with material drawing on Afro-Cuban, Puerto Rican, and urban New York influences.
Release
Released in 1972 by Fania Records.
Production
Produced by Jerry Masucci and Willie Colón, with Johnny Pacheco serving as recording director and choir supervisor. Colón handled all arrangements and played trombone and nose flute. Recorded at Broadway Recordings, New York City, United States, between February and April 1972.
Reception
El Juicio is regarded as one of the finest albums of the Colón-Lavoe partnership. "Aguanilé" — a Santería-inspired composition by Colón and Lavoe — became one of the most celebrated salsa tracks of the era and has been described as a foundational classic of the genre. "Timbalero" is equally prized by aficionados.
Willie Colón
William Anthony Colón Román (April 28, 1950, Bronx, New York – February 21, 2026, Bronxville, New York) was an American salsa musician, trombonist, composer, arranger, and social activist of Puerto Rican heritage, widely regarded as one of the principal architects of urban salsa. He signed with Fania Records at fifteen and released his debut El Malo at seventeen, its raw, trombone-centred sound — inspired by Mon Rivera and Barry Rogers — defining an entirely new aesthetic for Latin music in New York. Between 1967 and 1975 he recorded fifteen albums with vocalist Héctor Lavoe; his subsequent partnership with Rubén Blades produced Siembra (1978), the best-selling album in Fania's history. He accumulated eleven Grammy nominations, a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2004), fifteen gold and five platinum records, and sold over 30 million albums worldwide. He was also a committed political and civil rights activist. He died in February 2026 at the age of 75.
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