Rafael Cortijo (Santurce , Puerto Rico, December 11, 1928 - October 3, 1982) was a Puerto Rican salsa, bomba and plena percussionist and bandleader.

Cortijo Y Su Combo had a style in which the orchestra played music spontaneously and avoided major orchestras routines. The Cortijo orchestra played standing up and dancing on stage. Their arrangements were simple and served as the basis for improvisations of the musicians. They could compete with major orchestras of the time such as Machito , Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente .

The Combo of Rafael Cortijo gave rise to the group known as El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.

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