Bobby Montez
Latin jazz vibraphonist and bandleader Bobby Montez was born in Sonora, Arizona in 1934. Born into a musical family, he learned to play many instruments, focusing on the vibraphone, piano, and double bass. Eventually moving to Los Angeles, California, Bobby Montez worked days as an accountant while performing Latin jazz at night in jazz nightclubs all around the Los Angeles area. Once his brand of West Coast Latin jazz caught the attention of the public and record labels, he made it his full-time job. His debut album, Jungle Fantastique, was released in 1958 and laid the foundation for Latin jazz. He followed that album with Hollywood Themes in Cha Cha Cha (1959) before billing his group as Bobby Montez and His Quintet for 1960’s The Music of Lerner and Loewe in Latin Fashion (also known as My Fair Lady Latin). He released two further albums in 1961 as the Bobby Montez Orchestra - Pachanga y Cha Cha Cha and Viva! Montez – before the public’s attention moved on to other Latin jazz artists. He continued to perform until the late 1960s, bringing in some of Latin jazz’s most talented musicians to play with him including Mike Gutierrez (timbales), Luis Miranda (congas), Carlos Avelar (piano), Jimmy Baiz (bass), Ruben Provencio (bass) and many others. By the early 1970s, he had left the music business for the most part and pursued a career in landscape planning. Bobby Montez died on January 8, 2003.
©Copyright Music Story Stephen Schnee 2023
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Discography
13 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Pachanga Y Cha Cha Cha
Latin America - Released by Circulo Musical on 12/11/2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Jungle Fantastique! / Viva! Montez
Jazz - Released by Blue Moon on 24/04/2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Viva! Montez! (Remastered)
Latin America - Released by RevOla on 14/12/2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Salon
Latin America - Released by More Wings in Hell on 13/12/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Express Yourself
Latin America - Released by sinderella on 30/12/2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Playful Way
Jazz - Released by LST Collector Series on 12/09/2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leisure Time
Jazz - Released by LST Collector Series on 12/09/2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jungle Fantastique!
Latin America - Released by Ancien Prodige on 28/05/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Flapping Wings
Latin America - Released by Wings in Hell on 13/12/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jungle Fantastique!
World - Released by SINETONE AMR on 28/05/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rooftop Storys
Latin America - Released by golden times on 10/07/2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo