This year marks the 60th anniversary of the legendary New York label Fania Records, one of the most significant Latin labels in the world, musically and culturally.
To celebrate Fania’s legacy on this special milestone, Craft Latino will release over a dozen remastered 180-gram vinyl reissues and over two dozen remastered digital albums, many of which will debut in hi-res digital. Additional offerings include a singles box set and a variety of content throughout the year, including curated playlists, artist spotlights, and live events across New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and London.
Kicking off the year-long celebration and available now is a newly remastered reissue for La Gran Fuga (The Big Break), the 1970 masterpiece from the magnificent salsa duo Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe.
The Gold-certified sixth collaboration has been newly remastered, featuring (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram vinyl with a classic tip-on jacket.
As an added bonus, fans will get an 11” x 22” insert featuring Izzy Sanabria’s famous cover art—an FBI wanted poster with the bandleader’s mugshot—which took inspiration from Colón’s “Malo” alter-ego. La Gran Fuga is also finally available in 192/24 hi-res digital audio on all major music platforms.
Other vinyl reissues coming in 2024 include renowned recordings such as Joe Cuba Sextet’s long-out-of-print debut album on Tico Records, Vagabundeando! Hangin’ Out (60th Anniversary Edition), and the Fania All-Stars 50th-anniversary edition of the Latin-Soul-Rock album, which features live recordings from the band’s 1973 concerts at New York’s Yankee Stadium and Puerto Rico’s Roberto Clemente Coliseum with guest artists Jorge “Malo” Santana, Manu Dibango, Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer, and more.
In the 60s, Fania was a pioneer in creating and spreading the sound of salsa music from New York City to the globe. In addition to salsa, Fania is the definitive home for genres such as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo and Latin soul.
Buy or stream La Gran Fuga (The Big Break).
