When

When Rubén Blades settled in New York, one of the first musical experiences he had there was captured in a record that, although it did not achieve the expected impact at the time, laid the groundwork for later creations that would resonate much more. This debut album, released in 1970 under the Alegre Records label, is a testament to those first steps. In fact, the inspiration to compose songs like El Cazanguero, which would later appear on another album, arose from this New York period. This record, titled De Panamá a New York, was conceived during a trip that Blades and his family took to the city. There, his talent caught the attention of Pancho Cristal, producer for Alegre Records, who already had a history of success.

Although songs like Descarga Caliente, El Bravo, and Juan Gonzáles did not have the anticipated commercial impact, their structure and spirit served as a starting point for later songs that would become very well-known, such as Pedro Navaja, Plástico, and Siembra. The track When, for its part, has a recorded duration of 2 minutes and 38 seconds.