Even at
a young age, Joan Torres was drawn to music. As a little boy he had a small
guitar and then a small keyboard with which he spent a lot of time making
"interesting" sounds. It wasn't until he was 10 years old that he
seriously considered starting playing an instrument with a group. He chose the
bass and when he turned 11 he finally got one and his life was changed forever.
He began
studying the instrument with a private instructor then individually when the
instructor moved away. He formed a Rock band with a couple of friends from
school when he was in 8th grade (2001) and they basically covered songs to
perform in talent shows and class parties.
In the
year 2003, he joined his school's new choir directed by Orlando Collado, a
Berklee alumnus who quickly became a mentor and a friend, as a bass singer. He
also decided to start working on original material and enrolled in the
after-school Stevan Micheo Music Academy. There he met drummer Fernando Garcia,
who has joined him in many endeavors throughout the years. Furthermore, during
his time there, he acquired the core for most of his musical knowledge today.
He studied the electric bass, reading and performing in Jazz under bassist Joel
Marrero. In addition, he learned the basics of Jazz harmony and theory under
one of his mentors, guitarist Antonio Caraballo. At this time he began to
explore composition.
In 2004
he auditioned for the Berklee in Puerto Rico workshops and was chosen to attend
that year in May. During this time he met another one of his mentors, Oscar
Stagnaro. He once again attended the Berklee in Puerto Rico program the
following year, this time meeting the people who got him playing his first jazz
gigs at local restaurants. Later that summer he attended the Berklee Summer
Performance Program in Boston. There he studied with many world-renowned
musicians including private instructor Matthew Garrison. He was also asked by
Victor Mendoza to join his "Salsa Ensemble". In this ensemble he met
Gabriel Lugo and Marcos Lopez both talented puertorican percussionists. At the
end of the Berklee program he was awarded with a scholarship to attend Berklee
as a full-time student.
He was
also invited to join many other different projects. He joined plena orchestra
"Plena Juventud" with fellow musician Gabriel Lugo. He also joined
jazz group "Indaka Jazz Quartet" where he met guitarist Gabriel
Vicens with whom he's been friends ever since. Later he joined a new reggae
group who was looking for a bassist that eventually became the local indie
group "Raices Rusticas".
Through
many steady gigs, and jam sessions he played with many people including Mario
Castro, Jeremy de Jesus and Enrique Trinidad. He once again attended the
Berklee in Puerto Rico workshops and his ensemble was chosen to play at the
Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest on June 4th, 2006. That summer he began to study
the upright bass with local legend Tony Batista who became a friend and a big
influence on developing his skills. Later, Raices Rusticas opened for Black
Guayaba at the Arena Pier Ten September 9, 2006, their first big show
performing original music.
After he
graduated high school and moved to the town of Mayaguez to study engineering,
he joined the University's Choir "Coral Universitaria". After one
semester there, the director asked him to move to the university's more
exclusive choir "Corium Canticus" in which he stayed for the next 4
years. During his time there, the choir was chosen to take part in a choir
competition in Argentina in 2008 where they were awarded a gold medal for the
score of their performance.
In May
2007 he attended the Berklee in Puerto Rico workshops for the last time where
he was awarded another scholarship to attend the college and was again part of
the ensemble chosen to play at the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest on June 3rd.
In
Summer 2009 Raices Rusticas decided to focus their efforts on their original
material. That year they recorded new original songs, got the chance to film a
music video for their single "Free Taste" and were chosen as one of
the 13 reggae bands to represent Puerto Rico's reggae movement in the first of
Sembrando Semillas compilation albums. Their single in that album
"Suerte" got them new fans and greater exposition. Afterwards in
2010, they had the chance to play throughout the island of Puerto Rico in the
Reggae Road Trip, Sembrando Semillas's Summer tour. Their song was also
featured in the Rip Curl Pro Search 2010 radio promo. The event was held in
Isabela, Puerto Rico where they also performed on October 30th.
After
the success of the Sembrando Semillas movement, he was able to launch the
website www.CulturaJazz.com, dedicated to promoting the Jazz scene in Puerto
Rico. The project grew enough so that in 2011 they were recognized as press in
local events including the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest. However, the
community began to dwindle and on April 26, 2014 Culturajazz closed down after
4 years of service.
In
Summer 2011, long-time friend, guitarist Gabriel Vicens and Joan Torres himself
started their own project, a Modern Jazz Quintet playing original compositions.
Eventually, the project became two separate projects, one of them being the
Gabriel Vicens Quintet, in which Joan Torres took part for its earliest
incarnation.
Joan
Torres decided after his experience with the Gabriel Vicens Quintet to revisit
some of the compositions he had made over the years along with some new ideas.
He began working on those ideas, got a repertoire of original music together
and recruited a new group to perform these Modern Jazz Fusion tunes. It can be
said that these tunes synthesize a lot of his musical experiences and
influences over the years. Joan was able to perform his music with the group,
All is Fused, for the first time at the local Nuyorican Cafe on December 21st,
2011. They recorded their first album on January 10 and 11 at Playbach Studio;
it features Sergio Gonzalez, David Ojeda, Fernando Garcia, Jonathan Suazo and
Gabriel Vicens. It was released May 21, 2012.
During
the first half of 2013 Joan Torres performed with many well-known local artists
like singer-songwriters Fana and Rique Colon. He along with drummer Fernando
Garcia offered drum and bass clinics at Stevan Micheo Music. In February, his
group performed some of the music from the album "Before" in a Jazz
forum for the community of the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory. In March 2013
Joan Torres's All is Fused was nominated in two categories for the 12th Annual
Independent Music Awards for their critically-acclaimed debut album
"Before". During November 2013, they went on tour through New
Orleans, Louisiana. Once they returned home they started working on their
second album.
Joan
Torres started working on a new concept for the second All is Fused album. The
music is very different from the first one having a darker mood and more
intense tone. However, the music was written by the same person, with the same
influences, so it is a new chapter on this musical adventure. The new album,
The Beginning, was recorded on February 24 and 25, 2014 at Playbach Studio. It
mainly features the same ensemble: Sergio Gonzalez and Gabriel Vicens on
Guitars, Fernando Garcia on Drums, Jonathan Suazo on Alto Sax, with new additions
of Emanuel Rivera on Piano and Gerson Orjuela on Drums. On April 27, 2014 they
performed a set featuring music from the new album for Heineken's Ventana al
JazzFest in Condado, Puerto Rico. The ensemble launched an indiegogo campaign
to help fund this album which was successfully funded on May 2, 2014. The
Beginning is set to release August 2014.
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