With Bosch in charge, it’s first-rate salsa from New York

As the leader of one of the most exciting orchestras operating in the salsa field today, Jimmy Bosch runs a tight ship. On stage at the Sportsmen’s Lodge on Friday, the New York-based trombonist looked like a hawk as he studied his musicians’ every move, generating impromptu solo spots with a gesture of his hand, then chastising those who showed off their talent a few seconds beyond the expected number of bars.

If the performance by his 10-piece combo was any indication, Bosch is to be commended for his attention to detail. The group’s two-hour set offered hard-core salsa fans an embarrassment of riches.

Presenting material from the two albums he released in the late ‘90s, as well as a few hyperkinetic numbers from a forthcoming collection, Bosch reveled in the visceral pleasures of New York-style salsa: the implacable groove of the conga/timbales/cowbell trio, the breathless piano lines and, most notably, the propulsive bursts of pure swing delivered by the four-piece brass section.

Bosch’s trombone solos were appropriately larger-than-life, and he was matched by trumpeter Steve Gluzband, whose soloing on Friday was remarkably fluid and poetic. The real star of the show, however, was Bosch’s lead singer, Rey Bayona. Hailing from Puerto Rico, this modestly dressed young man bears an uncanny resemblance to legendary vocalist Hector Lavoe -- from his comedic mannerisms to the throaty, colorful pitch of his voice. With a singer of his caliber, Bosch’s combo is clearly at the top of the salsa game.