The following is an interview held at the Sheraton Hotel in Universal City in Los Angeles with trombonist/bandleader Jimmy Bosch on November 3, 1999.

Rudy Mangual: It's a pleasure to see you once again! What brings you to Los Angeles ?

Jimmy Bosch: I'm in town for a few days recording with Cachao on his latest production. I'm also doing some promotional work for my latest CD, Salsa Dura.

RM: So how does the Jimmy Bosch story start?

JB: I was born in Jersey City, New Jersey , and mostly raised in Hoboken, New Jersey , to Puerto Rican parents. I come from a family of nine children. After completing high school, I attended Rutgers University for two years.

RM: When did music enter your life?

JB: Music was always in my life, as a child I remember my uncles coming over the house to play guitars and percussion instruments. At one time, there were two trumpet players and two trombone players in my family. Three of my brothers and myself, but I was the only one to pursue a musical career.

RM: This music that we have been calling salsa for over 30 some years now and which is your choice of genre to play, how did it win your heart?

JB: Before I even started to play music, I was a salsero. At my home, my mother was always listening to the latest salsa recordings from bands from Puerto Rico and New York . Even now, she still loves and listens to salsa music. I remember listening to El Gran Combo, La Sonora Ponceña, and Eddie Palmieri as a young boy.

RM: Were you exposed to any other styles or types of music as a child? Like R&B, rock, jazz, etc.?

JB: Yes, I certainly was! The Beatles and their music was a big influence on me. In high school I wrote a report on the Beatles which I researched extensively. Straight ahead jazz I was aware of as well during this same time in high school, but I was already hooked on salsa music. R&B, soul music, and disco were also around, but my interest and love for salsa has always come first.

El Gran Combo, Ponceña, Eddie Palmieri, Barretto, and this gentleman with whom I'm recording right now, Cachao, were my musical idols as a teen and continue to be today.

RM: Would you categorize the music that you play and have been recording as a bandleader for the past few years as salsa?

JB: Absolutely! Yet, it depends on the definition of salsa.

RM: What is your personal definition of salsa?

JB: For me, Salsa is an umbrella term that I use comfortably to cover all of the Caribbean rhythms which I'm familiar with as a Latin musician and are part of my musical repertoire like guaguancó, bomba, plena, and son montuno, among others. It's also a special energy, created by the players when these rhythms are played correctly, in sync with each other, and in the styles made popular during the decades of the sixties and seventies for the most part. All these rhythms have their own particular names because they are all in different ways and forms different from each other. The term salsa simply groups all these rhythms under one easy-to-remember word which was accepted by the fans back then and continues to be so today.

RM: I can agree with your definition of salsa but the music which is being marketed, promoted, and plugged on the airwaves as salsa, may not quite meet all of the requirements of your definition.

JB: You are absolutely correct Rudy, and that is why myself and many others respect yourself and Latin Beat Magazine. You guys print it like it is and that is very important to me and I'm sure to the majority of your readers. For some time now many bands and artists have been creating what many of us call salsa monga (limp salsa). With watered-down interpretations of Afro-Caribbean rhythms used as background music, labels sell the images of young good looking singers to the public, which in most instances do not measure up to a decent level of talent. Yet with good promotion and plenty of airplay they become overnight stars and sell lots of CDs. Others in the business lack the intensity necessary to make this music work for them.

RM: You mentioned styles before. In the case of your own music, what do you define as your style?

JB: My style, or the style that I bring forth with my band is that of the New York City experience, the New York style. Urban and aggressive, born in the main melting pot of the world, New York City . It'.s a style that reflects the energy and the attitude of the people that make music in the rough and tough environment of the city.

RM: Do salsa bands and artists from Puerto Rico favor other styles of playing their music?

JB: That's a tough one, due to the fact that most bands, musicians, and artists from both sides of the bridge between Puerto Rico and New York City have worked the scene on both sides at one time or another. Yet, there are still some unique differences which separates them at times from each other. I will say that the Puerto Rican sound is a more polished sound.

RM: Polished in what sense?

JB: In the sense of the structure of the bands, their compositions, and their arrangements. The bandleaders are more in control of their music and of the direction they choose to take the music in. New York bands are more non-structural and open to more freedom of musical expression in their arrangements. In the case of my own band, I expect my musicians to play whatever is in front of them at any time or place, but whenever I give the signal to jam, which I do in just about every song, they better be ready to play from the heart and forget about what's on the sheets. I like a lot of space in my music so that the selections we perform can evolve freely and differently every time they are played. If I have eight or nine guys with me on stage, I want the audience to experience and enjoy the talents of everyone together as a band as well as individually. When I give a chart to an arranger to work, I tell them to arrange the composition and not worry about putting in the moñas. Myself and the rest of the band will take care of the moñas.

RM: And what is a moña? Is it the bridge?

JB: No, not quite like going to the bridge. The moña is the part or section of the tune were the volume goes up as well as the intensity of the arrangement being played by the band. Spontaneous riffs which are inspired by the level of energy being generated by the band in a certain part of a composition; that moment in the interpretation of a composition where everyone is locked in and grooving, becoming the time to take the music to another level. It's the fun part of the song, the time to play from the heart.

RM: Does this approach work in the studio?

JB: Yes, my two CD productions as a bandleader have been recorded in this way. I record the band basically live, everyone in the same studio room. We set up the necessary divisions in between instruments to prevent any sound leakage during the recording and off we go. The solos are recorded live, the moñas are recorded live, as well as created on the spot. This way the process of making music is more collective and real. We are all able to bounce ideas off each other in real time and make decisions together when needed. The vocal tracks are the only ones done separately for clarity. But the vocalists usually partake in the whole process of the recording anyway.

RM: Going back to the beginning of your musical career, which was the first band you played with?

JB: The first paid gig I did was with Libre, Manny Oquendo's incredible band in New York City in 1978, at age 18.

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RM: How long did you remain with the band?

JB: On and off, I have worked with Libre for about twenty years.

RM: Did you work in the capacity of musical director at any time during your association with the band?

JB: Well, not really, but they did extend the courtesy to me for several years during my relationship with Manny Oquendo and the band. There were no words spoken or anything really ever said to me, but when I was in the trombone section they would look at me for going into changes and into the moñas. I in return would extend the same courtesy out of respect to Papo Vásquez whenever he was part of the trombone section.

RM: Papo Vásquez! Tell my readers who is he is.

JB: Papo Vásquez is one of my heroes. He's the trombone man of Latin music. Papo is a player who has mastered his playing in both Latin music and jazz. He can mix the genres or approach them totally independent of each other. I've greatly enjoyed his playing and his music and I have enjoyed playing together with him throughout the years. The cat has great technique, soul, sabor, and also loves moñas.

RM: Who are some of the other bands and artists you have worked with in the trajectory of your musical career?

JB: Wow! I have been blessed and very lucky to have worked with the likes of Cachao, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, Caiman All Stars, Rubén Blades, India, Marc Anthony, Michael Stuart, Machito, Tito Puente, Fania All Stars, Típica Novel, Charanga 76, Típica 88, Charlie Rodríguez, and Roberto Torres, among so many others.

RM: When did you start your own band?

JB: In 1996, I assembled my own first salsa band and a year later, I was signed by the RykoLatino label. My first production with RykoLatino was titled Soneando Trombón and just recently, my second CD, Salsa Dura, hit the streets.

RM: Okay, you already told us your definitions of salsa and salsa monga. Now, what is salsa dura?

JB: Salsa dura translates to "hard salsa" or to "aggressive salsa", sort of like the term used for the more aggressive rock music, hard rock. The opposite of salsa monga, salsa dura is the real McCoy, tropical dance music played correctly, aggressively, with an edge, and with a lot of passion. That's what my new CD is all about. Hot Latin music for the soul and to have fun with on the dance floor. All the selections in this production were created responsibly and carry only positive messages of social and personal nature.

RM: Very cool. Jimmy, it's been a pleasure talking to you about your music and career. Thank you for making great music for all of us.