El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico will headline a free block party Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. at Summer Street Plaza in Downtown Crossing. The program will also feature DJ ArmandoTheTruth and Johnny Giraldo of Salsa y Control, according to Embrace Boston.
The event, Embrace Massó ¡Con Salsa!: Ritmo y Sonido Block Party, will mark the public opening of Embrace Boston’s first permanent headquarters. Organizers are presenting the gathering as a celebration connected to José Massó and his contribution to Boston’s Latin music community, according to Embrace Boston.
Downtown Crossing’s public-space context
A separate City of Boston program offers nearby context for the event’s setting: according to the City of Boston, Winter Street in Downtown Crossing has been used for public art, food trucks, seating, plantings and cultural programming as part of an effort to make pedestrian zones hubs of community-building. That program is distinct from Saturday’s gathering at Summer Street Plaza but reflects the neighborhood’s broader use of public space for civic and cultural activity.
Massó’s name and Boston radio legacy
Massó launched his bilingual Latin music program ¡Con Salsa! on WBUR 90.9 FM in 1975 and built a five-decade broadcasting legacy in the region, according to Cambridge College. He also emceed an earlier El Gran Combo performance at City Hall Plaza. Axios reported that Saturday’s appearance will be the orchestra’s first downtown Boston performance in more than 30 years.
El Gran Combo’s long history
El Gran Combo grew out of musicians who separated from Cortijo y su Combo in 1962. The orchestra’s first performance came that May at the Rock’n Roll Club in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, according to The Associated Press.
Rafael Ithier, the group’s pianist, arranger and musical director, led El Gran Combo for more than six decades. He died Dec. 6, 2025, at 99, the AP reported. The orchestra became known as La Universidad de la Salsa for the many musicians who developed through its ranks, according to the same account.
A new link to the band’s catalog
El Gran Combo’s music received renewed attention through Bad Bunny’s “NUEVAYOL,” released Jan. 5, 2025, as the opening track of Debí Tirar Más Fotos. The song samples “Un Verano en Nueva York,” an El Gran Combo recording featuring lead vocalist Andy Montañez, according to Story of Song. “Un Verano en Nueva York” remains part of the orchestra’s live repertoire, Axios reported.
