Salsa has known more than its share of star vocalists and virtuoso instrumentalists. But among the artists who defined the rich, layered specificity of its sound was Willie Colón, who died on Feb. 21.

Salsa is far too underrated in the 2020s, at least outside of Latin American pop culture. It’s such an invigorating, culturally relevant genre of music that has only gotten better as it has evolved.