Manolito y su Trabuco is a Cuban salsa and timba band founded on February 26, 1993, by pianist and director Manolito Simonet. Based in Havana and Camagüey, the group was formed after Simonet spent six years as the musical director of the orchestra Maravilla de Florida. He departed that group alongside the majority of its members to establish the new band, which gained early popularity performing on Cuban radio and on the television program Mi Salsa.
The orchestra's distinctive sound is based on a traditional charanga setup of violin, cello, flute, and timbales, which Simonet expanded by adding a synthesizer, keyboards, drums, two trombones, and a trumpet. The word "trabuco" historically refers to a firearm used during the Cuban Independence War of 1895, figuratively signifying force or strength.
Throughout their career, the group has recorded extensively in the genres of salsa, timba, and son cubano. Their catalog includes early releases such as the 1998 album Marcando la Distancia (La Nueva Generación de la musica Cubana), followed by the singles Te Dejo Libre and Saliditas Contigo in 2000, and the 2003 compilation Grandes Éxitos. They have continued to release music into the 2020s, with albums like Contra Todos los Pronósticos (2023), Se Rompieron los Termómetros (2023), Me estoy acostumbrando (2024), and the live recordings Caminando Por La Habana, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 in 2025.
