[1] He specialized in a form of improvisation known as descarga, a format in which he recorded numerous albums throughout the years with Cachao, Frank Emilio Flynn, Estrellas de Areito, Alfredo Rodríguez and Jane Bunnett, among others.
[3] His mother, María de los Ángeles Soto, took care of the house, while his father José Alejo Vasallo "Joseíto" was a cane worker.
He was exposed to music from a young age; Joseíto played the tres in the Sexteto Partagás and used to jam with Arsenio Rodríguez, who lived nearby.
He then moved to New York City for two years, performing at the Waldorf Astoria and various nightclubs including Birdland,[3][4] where he shared the stage with jazz musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Maynard Ferguson and Miles Davis.
Güines returned to Cuba in 1959 after Fidel Castro came to power in the Cuban Revolution which he helped fund by contributions from his earnings as a musician.
[5] He then joined the Quinteto Instrumental de Música Moderna, a pioneering jazz combo founded by drummer Guillermo Barreto and pianist Frank Emilio Flynn.
In the 1990s, he toured internationally and recorded with many artists including pianist Alfredo Rodríguez, Peruchín Jr., Orlando "Maraca" Valle, Jesús Alemañy's Cubanismo and Hilario Durán.
[7] In 2003 he played on the Latin Grammy-winning Lágrimas negras with pianist Bebo Valdés and Spanish flamenco singer Diego El Cigala.