Generoso Jimenez, 90; legendary Cuban trombonist and arranger

Generoso Jimenez, 90, a legendary Cuban trombonist and arranger who helped create the 1950s big-band sound of Afro Cuban icon Beny Moré, died Saturday at Coral Gables Hospital in Coral Gables, Fla., the Miami Herald reported Monday.

In reporting his death, Billboard magazine said Jimenez was a member of the original lineup of the pioneering Orquesta Aragon and also played with the legendary arranger and bandleader Chico O’Farrell.

Jimenez was born to a family of musicians in the small town of Cruces in central Cuba. He played a variety of instruments with the municipal orchestra before joining a regional orchestra as a pianist. He later settled on slide trombone

He stayed in Cuba after Fidel Castro seized power in 1959 and, according to the Herald’s obituary, recorded “El Trombon Majadero,” considered a classic in contemporary Cuban music. He came to the U.S. in 2003 to attend a Latin Grammy ceremony and returned a few months later to stay.

His last recording was for singer Gloria Estefan’s “90 Millas” Spanish-language album that was released Tuesday.