El trombón majadero

Latin Beat Magazine, Dec, 1997 by Luis Tamargo

GENEROSO JIMÉNEZ

Regarded as the most influential Cuban trombonist of all times, Generoso "Tojo" Jiménez acquired his nickname due to certain Asiatic facial features. Like Benny Moré and so many other musical luminaries, Tojo was a native of the island's central province (Las Villas), who had come to Havana in search of wider horizons. After spending four years (1955-1959) with the big band affectionately described by Moré as la tribu (the tribe), Tojo had the opportunity to lead his own orchestra during the following decade.

Recorded in 1965 in the Cuban capital (and reissued by the Northern Californian label Bembé), "El Trombón Majadero" illustrates how Tojo publicly exposed the improvisational possibilities of the trombone, an instrument that had been largely neglected on the island until the samurai-looking villareño came to its rescue. Tojo arranged all of the 12 cuts, and wrote or co-wrote half of them. That two thirds of the repertoire is dedicated to the descarga idiom should not surprise anyone, in view of the fact that his naughty trombone was featured in many of the classic Cuban jam sessions of the late 1950s (Remember Cachao's 1957 Trombón criollo?). Although one comes across a few goofy episodes in this disc (i.e. Descarga solfeando), there also redeeming qualities to be found, such as Orlando "Papito" Hernández's phantom contrabass solo on the descarga El contrabajo fantasma or Leopoldo "Pucho" Escalante's trombone melody on Uno, dos, tres, a conga authored by Cienfuegos-born guitarist Rafael Ortiz (of Septeto Nacional fame). Not to mention Tojo's unprecedented ability to alternate between silky phrases and thriving solos on an island without a surplus of great trombone soloists.