Manolito y su Trabuco is a

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

and

timba Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban ''son'' with ''salsa'', American Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass dru ...

group out of Camaguey and

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba. It is named for founding member, pianist Manolito Simonet. ''Trabuco'' literally means a firearm from the times of the Independence War of 1895 and figuratively refers to anything forceful or strong (Vaughan 2012: Kindle 345).

History

On February 26, 1993, after spending at least six years as musical director of Maravilla de Florida, Manolito Simonet departed along with most of the group's members, added a horn section, synthesizer and kick drum, and started playing

under the name Manolito y su Trabuco. In 1996 United States based Bembe Records released Manolito's first CD ''Directo al corazón'' in North America. This was the first of Bembe's "Salsa cubana" series, an attempt to market the new Cuban popular music as

. For the most part however, acceptance of timba in the salsa market has been limited. In 1997, during the height of timba's popularity, the

Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians established in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and directed by Juan de Marcos González. They named the gr ...

released its first CD. In response to that record's international success, older-style Cuban music became quite popular. There is little evidence that the BVSC's success affected the sale of timba records though. Because of the band's arrangements, Manolito y su Trabuco is one of the few timba bands that has experienced noteworthy cross-over into the salsa market. Manolito's exceptionally creative use of multiple contrapuntal ''moñas'' (horn

guajeo A guajeo (Anglicized pronunciation: ''wa-hey-yo'') is a typical Cuban ostinato melody, most often consisting of arpeggiated chords in syncopated patterns. Some musicians only use the term ''guajeo'' for ostinato patterns played specifically by a ...

s) is a rarity in timba, but common in salsa. Manolito y su Trabuco's front line has included some of the best singers of the era, including Rosendo "El Gallo" Díaz, Sixto "El Indio" Llorente, and Carlos Kalunga. Manolito's 1990s recordings feature one of the most renowned synthesizer players, Osiris Martínez, and the prolific composer, singer Ricardo Amaray. El Trabuco is one of the largest timba bands, a "super-charangón," as it is called, with violin, cello, two trumpets, two trombones, flute, and synthesizer, as well as the standard piano, bass, drums, congas and güiro. Many of Trabuco's biggest hits result from Amaray's R&B influences, filtered through Simonet's strong Cuban aesthetic and arranging abilities. Like

Issac Delgado Issac Delgado (born Isaac Felipe Delgado-Ramirez on April 11, 1962 in Marianao, Habana, Cuba) is one of the founders of the band NG La Banda and is a popular Salsa music, salsa and timba performer. Early life and family His father, Luis Delgad ...

, Manolito made CDs that mixed the aggressive hardcore timba he played in concert with various other styles designed to appeal to foreign buyers. For example, he has recorded

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include: ...

s in an effort to target Mexican and South American audiences.Moore (2010: v. 5: 22)

Discography

* (1995) ''Directo al corazón.'' * (1996) ''Contra todos los prognósticos.'' * ''Concierto Eurotropical.'' * (1998) ''Marcando La Distancia.'' * (2000) ''Para que baile en Cuba.'' * (2001) ''Se rompieron los termómetros.'' * (2004) ''Locos por mi Habana.'' * (2007) ''Hablando en serio.'' * (2008) ''Control''. * (2010) ''Trabuco una vez más.'' * (2013) ''Sin freno.'' * (2015) ''No Puedo Parar.'' * (2017) ''Nueva Estrellas de Areito.'' * (2018) ''A Puro Corazón.'' * (2018) ''La Vida Cambió.'' * (2020) ''Clásicos del Trabuco Vol. 1.'

Notes

Sources

* Moore, Kevin (2010). ''Beyond Salsa Piano; The Cuban Timba Piano Revolution. v. 5 Introduction to Timba''. * Moore, Kevin (2013). "Manolito y su Trabuco" ''Timba.com.'' * Vaughan, Umi (2012). ''Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance:Timba Music and Black Identity in Cuba'' The University of Michigan Press. Kindle Edition.

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Salsa music groups Cuban musical groups fr:Manolito Simonet