Bobby Montez - Viva! Montez (2015)

An incredible album of Latin jazz! The great vibist Bobby Montez leads one of the hippest combos you'll ever hear on record – a modal quintet that grooves like no other Latin combo we can think of – topped with wonderful vibes from the leader, on an album that's totally unique – and even different than any of Bobby's other albums! The tracks are nicely jazzy, but with an exotic touch that gives them a wonderfully fresh feel – and Bobby and group sing spooky vocals on a number of tracks, chanting with the choruses in a way that's really cool – but which never takes away from the jazzy instrumentation. The whole thing's sublime – with piano from Carlos Avelar, timbales from Mike Gutierrez, and congas from Ray Rivera. Titles include "Jungle Stars", "Garden Of Allah", "My", "Guajiria Josephina", "But Heaven Knows", and "Brazilian".