Founded in 1962 by Ithier, who was for many years the pianist and musical director of the orchestra, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico was born out of the breakup of Rafael Cortijo y su Combo, with some ...

Rafael Ithier, the dynamic and congenial Puerto Rican pianist and bandleader who founded renown salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and was its leader for decades, died Sunday (Dec. 7) in Puerto ...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Rafael Ithier, a beloved musician and a founder of the legendary salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, whose hits have inspired Bad Bunny and other icons from the U.S.

SAN JUAN (AP) — Rafael Ithier, un querido músico y fundador de la legendaria banda de salsa El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, cuyos éxitos han inspirado a Bad Bunny y a otros íconos del territorio de ...

Rafael Ithier, leader of the salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, has died, The Associated Press reports. He was 99. The news was confirmed by an attorney for the Ithier family, Víctor Rivera, to ...

The Latin music world has lost a musical master with the passing of Rafael Ithier, the legendary founder, pianist, and musical director of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Known universally as “El ...

FILE - Rafael Ithier of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards presentation at the Ka Theater in the MGM Grand Hotel on ...