Perfecto Caballero is the Spanish for 'perfect gentleman.' Derry musician John Trotter has acquired a few words of the language during many working visits to Cuba over the years.
He uses these words to describe one of his heros, the late trombonist JJ Johnson.
Either in Spanish or English, most people who come into contact with the Waterside man would agree that he too is a 'perfecto caballero.'
There's no ego whatsoev
er about John despite the fact that he can play a total of five instruments, and gets work because of his solid reputation all over the world.
About to embark on a cruise and another visit to Cuba in the coming weeks, John, born in Wapping Lane, is now a more familiar face following the airing of the BBC documentary 'Paradiso.'
The one hour programme which aired in January documented the reunion of a well known group of Derry musicians The Signetts.
Reminiscing about his younger days in The Fountain, John remembers a very different place to the one we're familiar with now, as he explains.
"The Fountain was a community then. It was all private houses, then they built those horrible flats and destroyed the place.
"There were three pubs and it was all Catholic people who owned them. That's how it was then. No one passed remark. The factory girls used to come down through the Fountain to work in the Bogside. Then the girls used to link onto each other. I never looked at anybody's religion. If you saw a good looking girl you just went for it. Religion just wasn't a factor!
"The social scene was lovely," adds John.
An accomplished trombonist, the 66-year-old this week looked back at some of the most memorable points of his long career, crediting a relative for his deeply rooted entertainment genes.
"I had a very illustrious relation with the name John Scott Trotter," laughs John. "He was Bing Crosby's musical director. John was my great uncle and I was named after him."
Like his late great uncle, John learned most of the tricks of the trade in America. Leaving for New York's famous Catskill Mountains in 1983 the Derry man quickly discovered there was no shortage of work in the States.
Immersing himself in the melting pot of different cultures which made up the region at that time, John soon put his talents to good use.
"I moved into jazz and started playing Italian weddings, greek weddings and Jewish weddings when I was in New York," he explains.
"I met a lot of different people there and it was great. At that point, there just wasn't the work here in Derry. A lot of musicians here hand money back over the counter of where they were playing. There wasn't great money to be made.The work wasn't in Derry for what I did. I didn't play country and western or rock and roll so in many ways you could say I just didn't fit the bill. In the US I played traditional, jazz, country, Irish, Jewish, Italian and German. You can't let the grass grow under your feet."
Nostalgic for the good old days, the popular entertainer relives a time when live music generated an unmistakable passion among those on stage, and engaged crowds on a personal level decades before the disco scene.
"Live music can find it hard to compete with sophisticated recording techniques and backing tracks we have nowadays," says John.
"But for me, you'll never beat that feeling of four guys on a stage. It's a personal thing.
"People are dancing around to discs and it's completely wooden. You ask a guy for a request and he has to go through an encyclopedia on his computer before he can find it. I've never been caught out yet, I know thousands and I keep them all in my head!"
Bemoaning the numerous music qualifications currently on offer at almost every third level college in the country, the prolific Derry performer claims natural talent is now hard to come by.
"The new guys are a wee bit dry," he comments.
"There are jazz musicians who play the right notes in the right places but they don't swing and they have no heart. They go to music schools in America where they're turned out like brickies or joiners. They have all the knowledge in the world but there's no grabbing you by the shoulder to make you want to listen. The older guys had that."
Despite the fact that he's a tee totaller, John admits a few drinks often led to a more fluid performance on stage during his heyday, a million miles away from the polished more manufactured 'Westlife' look.
"In the old days they drank," he says.
"The new guys are in the dressing rooms doing push ups and flossing their teeth. But it has to be said that you last longer without the drink."
Now the father of five has passed his love of music onto another generation, his daughter Fiona is one of the city's best known jazz singers.
John's philosophy has remained consistent over the years. He still believes in putting everything he has into every performance, a rule he's always had to abide by to keep the gigs coming and keep word of mouth positive.
"It was play or die," he says. "If you played a session and you didn't make it they wouldn't have you back. If you didn't know the music they wouldn't want you back."
Having never chased the elusive record contract or actively sought the celebrity lifestyle, John has simply enjoyed his music and always had a smile on his face.
"If you're a star you become famous for one thing and you could be singing this one song that you made a hit for the rest of your life. I think that would be the most boring thing imaginable," he says.
"I've enjoyed my music and I love it now as much as ever."
Today, the multi-talented artist will be entertaining the crowds on a cruise of the Bahamas, then he'll return to Cuba to indulge in some true salsa music with a few old friends.
"I can do a salsa night one night and a jazz night the next or have an Ulster Scot's night or doing a cruise or going to Cuba just to play. That way you don't stagnate," he adds as he packs for another trip.
There's no chance of stagnating there.
