Artist page

Bobby Matos, born in the Bronx, began his musical journey by beating on pots and pans in his grandmother's apartment. He received informal lessons from conga drum masters Patato Valdez and Mongo Santamaria, and his early gigs took place in the bohemian cafés of Greenwich Village during the early 1960s. Matos played in a variety of venues, from Bronx dance halls to Carnegie Hall, elegant supper clubs, Central Park concerts, Off Broadway theaters, and "After Hours" clubs in El Barrio. Inspired by Willie Bobo and Tito Puente, he took up the timbales and studied composition and arranging at the New School and Manhattan School of Music in the late 1960s. During this vibrant period for Latin music in New York, he recorded "My Latin Soul" for Philips Records, which later became a cult classic, influencing many Acid Jazz groups in the 1970s and 1980s. After touring and recording with notable artists such as Ben Vereen, Bette Midler, Fred Neil, Jim Croce, Ray Rivera, Joe Loco, and Miriam Makeeba, Matos relocated to Los Angeles. There, he experimented with an Afro Cuban Jazz band, blending various musical elements from icons like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Wayne Shorter, and Eddie Palmieri. In the 1980s and 1990s, he released several albums, including five critically acclaimed