Bobby Matos' first concert album, Live at MOCA was recorded at Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art in July 1998, during a summer jazz series. The timbales and cora master leads a group he calls the Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, with
Robertito Melendez on conga, Michael Turre on reeds,
Steve Baxter on trombone,
Rene Camacho on bass, and Victor Cegarra on piano.
Matos leads the group through a variety of moods, from the opening horn extravaganza "Jammin' at the Crossroads of the World" (with great interplay between Baxter and Turre) to an extended laidback jam on a shimmering version of
Horace Silver's "The African Queen." Though none of the solos really stands out, the group interaction is entrancing and the concert was recorded perfectly. ~ John Bush