When the golden era of Puerto Rican salsa comes to mind, most people think of groups like El Gran Combo, Papo Lucca's La Sonora Ponceña and Roberto Roena's Apollo Sound. None of these venerable orchestras, however, could have existed without the artistic innovation of Cortijo y su Combo.

The historic albums that percussionist and bandleader Rafael Cortijo recorded with the mellifluous sonero Ismael 'Maelo' Rivera have yet to be discovered by many of today's salsa aficionados, even though trademark Cortijo hits like "El Bombón de Elena," "Oriza" and "El Negro Bembón" are tropical anthems in many Latin America countries.

This compilation of tasty Cortijo tracks was released on the Tico label during the '70s. None of the band's massive hits are here, with the possible exception of the irresistible "Arrecotín Arrecotán", culled from the 1967 session Con Todos Los Hierros. If anything, La Quiniela del Día should serve as an introduction to the magic of this band for those who are still unfamiliar with Cortijo's place of honor within the pantheon of Afro-Caribbean music.

Born in 1928 in the area of Santurce, Rafael Cortijo began playing congas and bongó with local orchestras as a young teenager. It was around that time that he met Ismael Rivera, the conflicted and talented man who would grow to become one of salsa's most idiosyncratic vocalists.

Now a timbalero, Cortijo became the leader of his own orchestra in 1954. The band included future luminaries such as pianist Raphael Ithier (who would eventually defect the orchestra to form El Gran Combo) and bongosero Roberto Roena, who remained by Cortijo's side until the bandleader's move to New York. Rivera joined the band in 1955.

From the mid-'50s to the early '60s, Cortijo dominated the Puerto Rico music scene with an all encompassing tropical sound setting the parameters of the genre that would later be known as salsa. Interestingly, the bandleader was not limited to the song formats of Cuba. A proud boricua, Cortijo brought to his band the soulful influence of Puerto Rico's folkloric formats: the plena and the bomba. This fusion of Afro-Cuban formats with the island's own styles would have an indelible effect on salsa.

The band's success came to a screeching halt in 1962, when Rivera had problems with the law due to drug possession. When Maelo was released from prison, the duo recorded the 1966 LP Bienvenido, which included the "Aquí Estoy, Ya Llegué", a joyful declaration of freedom and the opening track of this compilation.

In 1968, Rivera left Cortijo and moved to New York, where he formed his own band. Fortunately, the timbalero carried on, enlisting excellent vocalists such as Panamanian sonero Camilo 'Azuquita' Argumedez. Azuquita's lively interpretation of "Agua Que Va A Caer" is included here. In 1974, Cortijo took his musical vision to new levels of creativity with Time Machine, a daring album that fused bomba and plena with foreign influences like calypso and Brazilian rhythms.

Cortijo passed away in 1982. Even though he was revered all over Puerto Rico as one of the island's musical institutions, he did not receive the recognition that he deserved. Now, this remastered edition of La Quiniela Del Día gives us another opportunity to reevaluate the legacy of a man who brought joy, swing and sensitivity to the rich tapestry of Afro-Caribbean folklore.

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