Home » Jazz Articles » Samuel Torres
Jazz Articles about Samuel Torres
Joe McCarthy's New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band: The Pan American Nutcracker Suite
by Jack Bowers
Yes, Peter Tchaikovsky's timeless Nutcracker Suite is basically holiday music; and, yes, the 2022 holiday season is squarely in everyone's rear-view mirror. Even so, there is always room for a fresh approach to the annual festive staple, which is what drummer Joe McCarthy's New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band brings to The Pan American Nutcracker Suite. The Nutcracker has been rhythmically amended before, but never quite like this, as McCarthy and the band use the strong ...
Continue ReadingJoe McCarthy's Afro Bop Alliance Big Band: The Pan American Nutcracker Suite
by Richard J Salvucci
"The Nutcracker" is a holiday staple and, as many musical and dance companies around the United States and Europe will tell you, thank Heaven for it. The musicians and performers may eventually lose their sanity from repeat performances, but the ballet is a money-maker as sure as holiday sales generate commercial profits for retailers. Besides, someone is inevitably hearing it for the first time, and children--even some adults--seem to enjoy it. This year, the season starts early with ...
Continue ReadingMichael Eckroth Group: Plena
by Dan Bilawsky
Michael Eckroth had clear goals in mind for this project--"to create music that was lyrical, modern, true to its Afro-Latin roots, but never purist in its approach"--and he's accomplished his mission with gusto. Through Plena, this Grammy-nominated pianist/composer delivers a program of original music that, while acknowledging folkloric traditions, doesn't buy into their formal strictures and structures. Instead, Eckroth deals in forward-thinking offshoots and branch realities that beautifully extend on--and past--those points. Essentially working with two different ...
Continue ReadingLuba Mason: Triangle
by Jim Worsley
The rather smarmy “Bach, Stevie Wonder, and Janette Monae" opens this live performance. While disconcerting, the tide shifts dramatically with The Beatles' John Lennon-Paul McCartney classic “Ticket to Ride." It is reimagined in a sultry and just short of brilliant manner. Luba Mason's vocal phrasing brings an entire new essence to this tune. Bassist James Genus plays a line throughout which is a slow groove with a lot of feeling. Vibraphonist Joe Locke solos in spectacular fashion, while percussionist Samuel ...
Continue ReadingSamuel Torres: The Interfuse of Percussion and Orchestration
by Jim Worsley
Samuel Torres is a percussionist extraordinaire. Samuel Torres is an exceptional composer. Samuel Torres is an astute arranger. Samuel Torres has vast skills as an orchestrator. All of those statements are valid responses to the question, who is Samuel Torres? The Colombian born artist, who now makes his home in New York City, has, as they say in the industry, “made a lot of noise" over the past few years. No, I don't mean banging and clanging around on a ...
Continue ReadingSamuel Torres: Alegria
by Dan Bilawsky
After delivering a politically-pointed statement in the form of Forced Displacement (Zoho Music, 2015), Colombian percussionist Samuel Torres most certainly could've doubled-down in that direction. There's no shortage of political turmoil across the globe these days, so that move would've been completely understandable. But, as Torres clearly understands, there's something to be said for the power of going the other way. Opting to look on the sunny side here by tapping into feelings of “joy" and “happiness," as literally laid ...
Continue ReadingFiltron M: Astoria Roots Live
by James Nadal
In a genuine international collaborative effort, with sessions recorded in New York and Zurich, Astoria Roots Live showcases the eclectic sounds of Filtron M, performing in a live setting. Launched as a musicians' collective based out of New York under the direction of pianist/composer Manu Koch, this project has expanded into Europe and integrated musicians from around the world. Favorably compared to the work Joe Zawinul did with Weather Report and in his later recordings, Filtron M draws on that ...
Continue Reading
