Joan Torres
by Richie Frieman on March 14, 2013

Joan Torres just may be the best jazz musician you haven’t heard, having studied with greats like Tony Batista, Oscar Stagnaro and Matthew Garrison (son of John Coltrane’s bassist Jimmy Garrison), and having received several scholarships to study at the Berkleee College of Music. Joan studied everything, from Salsa, Rock and Reggae to Latin Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Jazz, Classical Choir music and even Brazilian Capoeira music. Today, Joan is bringing his big sound alongside a collection of fantastic players that make up his band (Joan Torres’s All is Fused), and their record, Before (recorded in their native Puerto Rico), is a shining testament to what these guys are capable of.

Torres says to expect “to enjoy the whole album but at the same time be surprised about the variety of sounds and rhythms that may seem to be embedded into its spirit. It’s one plate with many flavors that fit together quite nicely. The writing process was pretty personal…My sound is a complicated one to place sometimes. Instrumental sounds like a safe bet, but it doesn’t usually say much…I think that the way I prefer to refer to my sound is ‘Jazz+’. It can certainly be mostly Jazz, plus a few things more. So in the end, ‘All is Fused’ in order to create this sound.”

Click to http://joantorresmusic.com/ for more on Torres and his band, and if you’re in Puerto Rico, make sure to look up a live show. There’s still much, much more to get into, so keep reading for all the answers to the XXQs. XXQs: Joan Torres

PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound and what makes you stand out from others in your genre?

Joan Torres (JT): My sound is a complicated one to place sometimes. Instrumental sounds like a safe bet, but it doesn’t usually say much. I tend to branch through so many other genres at certain points in order to just be considered Jazz, plus the harmonies are light and dark but pleasing which may imply Jazz Fusion. I think that the way I prefer to refer to my sound is “Jazz+”. It can certainly be mostly Jazz, plus a few things more. So in the end, “All is Fused” in order to create this sound.

PEV: Calling San Juan, Puerto Rico home, what kind of music were you into growing up? Do you remember your first concert?

JT: I believe that growing up I had quite a list of genres that were reaching my ears even if involuntarily. Starting with my parents, the difference between was a bit drastic. At one point my mom could be listening to some Juan Luis Guerra type of Merengue, some Michael Jackson type of pop, some Willie Colon type of Salsa, really intense and mostly danceable stuff, then my dad would be listening to Joan Manuel Serrat, Silvio Rodríguez, Joaquin Sabina, music that I would consider deeper or more intimate. Of course that meant that I had to get into something else entirely and while I got used to listening to the music on the radio as a kid, when I found rock music, I found a home base I guess. I listened to things like Red Hot Chili Peppers, then I got into stuff like Guns N Roses and Led Zeppelin, which led me to Dream Theater and later on Rush. By now I was mostly looking for music to listen to rather than hoping to catch it on the radio. I was already playing bass by the time I got into “Around The World” by the RHCP and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns, so I started to check out some of these guys with detail, listened to their bass players, bought the bassists’ DVDs and I noticed something. They kept mentioning this name that I had heard another kid from my class who got into bass playing mention Jaco Pastorius. I blindly bought his first album and that was it. Another world of music opened up to me. Eventually though, I started exploring other genres so I joined a Reggae band that was just starting to write new music, I joined some afro-latin orchestras, I was singing classical choir music and I began playing jazz at local restaurants and pubs. At some point some of the guys and I started a band called Phlush featuring original live lounge music without the use of loops. I even joined a capoeira academy in order to learn more about Brazilian music and its culture. So there’s the definitely a lot of things that can be found on the island if you look hard enough.

Regarding my first concert, it was Tom Scholz with his band Boston on August 27, 2004 live in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum. (I still have the ticket) It’s hard to forget. They played an awesome set.

PEV: What was it like trying to break into the music scene when you first started out? What was your first show like?

JT: When I started performing we prepared one song for 6 months for a talent show and then maybe, rehearse some other stuff to play at a close friend’s birthday party. However, I believe the fact that we were playing together helped keep us practicing and learning new stuff and expanding. By the time I was called for my first official paying gig I could do the job. It was a three set gig at a restaurant playing jazz standards. Not exactly a show, but to me it was the closest thing. Eventually I did play my first show for a crowd that didn’t consider us background music. It was a fundraiser and I actually played twice that day. I played Jazz near the beginning then reggae near the end. It sounds like a weird show, I know. However, little by little, we all started becoming part of the scene. I started getting more calls. Some times to join bands and other times for one-time, last-minute gigs. It was definitely fun and I was enjoying it. Additionally, the fact that I was playing more and, even if I wouldn’t like to admit it, the fact that more people may recognize who I was when playing with different groups made me a bit more demanding about our performance. Better performance, more demand.

PEV: What can fans expect from a live Joan Torres show?

JT: Well, they can expect to hear me talk. I usually like to talk about the meaning of my music before or after we start playing it. They can also expect every night to be different. The nature of Jazz allows for that. That why its aspects are a very influential part of my music. We may record music once, but music happens all the time and during a performance the music is happening then and it won’t happen like that again. The subject of this musical conversation may be the same but the stories and their tellers are seldom the same.

PEV: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you step on stage to perform?

JT: I usually always wonder about things like “How will the music sound this time?”, “What kind of crowd is here today?”, “Who is out there listening”, “Has my road here been enough for this show to be great?” Then I pick up my bass, turn on the amp and when I hear the first few notes and feel the neck of the bass, I have already basically lost all of my thoughts besides “here we go”. The excitement that follows the realization that I’m about to perform my music for an audience once again, overtakes me and I just count off and enjoy myself.

PEV: What is the best part about being on stage in front of an audience?

JT: The indirect interaction. When I am up a stage, enjoying myself, being as honest as I can when improvising, feeling the room’s vibe flow into me and feeding it back with my bass, the crowd focuses and gets into it. All of us on that stage notice that and I believe it fills us up with more confidence which in turn allows us to perform and communicate better, to be even more genuine with our playing as the musical bars go by and tunes change from one to the other. The room then becomes even more familiar and crowd loosens up even more and enjoys the music even more. By the time the show ends, that energy has built up so much that during a great show I may not even want to finish the set and say ‘good bye’ even though I know I must.

PEV: What is the underlining inspiration for your music?

JT: Many things, maybe at times an abstract idea, other times a general mathematical idea, other times maybe just a place I visited, but mostly experiences or situations and the feelings that usually tag along with these. I may try to set myself on a different moment in time in my past and think about something that may have helped me understand or cope with the situation and then it feels like the music just writes itself. I do, however, take time to listen to it and make sure it is not going where I didn’t want it to go or where it shouldn’t go.

PEV: Thinking back to when you first started out, do you ever look back on your career and think about your earlier days and how you’ve arrived where you are today?

JT: I guess that with every event that I consider a major event or a turning point for the future of my career, I think back on the day I first decided to play bass instead of any other instrument. I may think about many of my choices in music or paths I took throughout my life to get to this point. I may think I deviated and went to a place where I acquired nothing, but then I always realize that no other path could have brought me exactly to where I am today but this one. Those CDs that I heard, those guys that I went to see perform, those people that called me to play with them, that presentation subject that I forced into a music-related activity, those people I met, those places I went, that girl I dated, those girls who turned me down, the people I’ve lost and those the ones close to me have lost too – it all shaped who I am and the character of my music. With every major achievement, I can’t help but be glad and thankful to all of those people and things put in my path, both sweet and sour.


PEV: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to hear about you?

JT: Well, I’ve actually more than once been described as a “box of surprises”. However, that has been mostly by friends who somehow forgot “I had a life before you met me”. As does everybody we just meet. Now, the one thing that gets a lot of people wondering about what I do in my spare time is the fact that I can speak in about 4 to 6 languages. I say 4 to 6 because 4 of them I learned formally, taking actual courses, watching movies and, of course, studying the lyrics music in those languages. Those I’m confident about. My knowledge of the other two may not come from formal studies but I do watch movies, listen to music in those languages and tend to find myself surrounded by people whose first language is that one. But I can’t honestly say how much I know the language. Sometimes I feel like more than I thought and sometimes I feel like less.

PEV: What happens when you hit a brick wall while writing? What are your methods to get over it?

JT: If I feel like I may be going off the rails I take a break and relax or focus on something else. However, if I feel like I’m getting close to something but can’t quite get it, I take out the closest thing that can record audio and make sure I hum or play what the different ideas may be so that I can pick it up later with fresher perspective. Also, if the tune is nearly finished and there’s just some melodic line missing or some changes, I may record it or create a midi file in order to listen to it on and on, play over it and decipher what comes natural to my taste. I think I may have listened to music long enough to notice both the thing forced into a very unvarying song and the unexpected change that the songwriter/composer totally prepares you for. I try not to be the former, even if I must take a week or a month to igure out what I wanted when I started writing.

PEV: How do you think the industry has changed over the years, since you started out or just began enjoying music?

JT: When I started playing, the music industry was a mysterious, mystical thing. Somehow you got discovered, signed and recorded. It seemed like a “right place at the right time” or a “chosen one” deal. Little by little, as technology evolved more information was available. I learned more about the process of recording. Plus, it helped that my high school music teacher used to be part of the local industry. Anyway, information was out there and attainable. It was only a matter of time before the independent scene grew even more than it had before. Suddenly, the mysteries are a bit demystified. Although most pop music is still as generic and “middle-of-the-road” as ever, focused on parties and something that is not quite clear but I think may just be a euphemism for “I didn’t have much to say but I wanted more money”, it is easier for me to discover new music by independent artists with depth, with something to say, with genuine emotion. Actually, some of those pop artists may sneak in some good stuff in their albums sometimes. Thankfully, today it is easier to discover those ones too. You can like that one song without feeling all dirty because you bought the rest of them too. We are all different and have different taste. We like different music and today it is probably easier to find more of that than it was 15 years ago. However, It’s definitely harder for the musicians trying to catch a big break now. There is nothing wrong with making money, that is how we can all live our lives, but I think today the industry loves money even more than before and music even less. So it seems like if you’re not a cash-cow band, no matter how good your music may be, they won’t consider it.

PEV: What can fans expect from your latest release, Before? What was the writing process like for this album?

JT: The fans can expect to enjoy the whole album but at the same time be surprised about the variety of sounds and rhythms that may seem to be embedded into its spirit. It’s one plate with many flavors that fit together quite nicely. The writing process was pretty personal. During this whole process I made most of the decisions when it came to composing and naming the tunes, choosing the instruments and the players that were adequate for them, and finally recording them. Of course, the whole recording, mixing, mastering, duplicating and distributing process had money taking a chair at the table where decisions were made. However, I believe I got just want I intended. The best part of working on an album like this is the fact that you are the one setting the deadlines, which means the tunes won’t be affected by external forces. You can’t slack off too much though. If you do you may never finish the “work”.

PEV: With all your traveling, is there one area you wish you could travel around and play that you have not yet?

JT: I loved Canada when I went on vacation there once and Canadians like Jazz, so I would definitely enjoy dropping by for a couple of shows, but I guess I’d be really excited if I got to perform in either Brazil, Italy or Japan. They are probably part of anyone’s goals, and it may seem cliche, but I can’t help but wonder how it would feel like to travel to those places to perform. Maybe one day… there’s always hope.

PEV: How have all your friends and family reacted to your career?

JT: I think my friends and family have all been very supportive and honestly, more proud than surprised at the results. In a way, I feel like when one of those big moments pops up they just feel like, “Congratulations. I knew you could do it” instead of “Wow, really! How?” They may believe in me more than they should (laughing).

PEV: What can we find you doing in your spare time, aside from playing/writing music?

JT: Whoa, big question. Well, you can expect training, taking care of my many pets, capoeira, watching many movies and series, learning something new, planning for anything new, playing mostly old video games, doing what I can to promote and help the local jazz scene grow, or just having a meal with friends and family.

PEV: Name one present and past artist or group that would be your dream collaboration. Why?

JT: Not easy to narrow down, but if I had to pick two from the Jazz world, I would say Miguel Zenon and Weather Report. Musically, Miguel Zenon is amazing, however, his dedication to music is admirable. I actually met Miguel Zenon. In the first jam sessions he held in Puerto Rico I actually shared the stage with him. I have a lot of respect for a man like him who has gotten so far and still humbly does what he can to promote music, to teach people here about the masters of jazz while also bringing with him some of the current best players in the world. Now, to fully collaborate with him, to actually sit down and write something with, to actually record an album together, that is too much for me to imagine right now. Then there’s Weather Report. This ensemble at one point in time featured three of my favorite musicians and composers. Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter and Jaco Pastorius were a force to be reckoned with when together. I used to love their individual music before I found out they all were actually together in one group for quite some time. I can say a lot of things about each, but to keep it short, I believe these men were walking a path that wasn’t even there yet for Jazz players when they were making music. They pushed the boundaries and were open to newer, different sounds. If only I could’ve have seen them live at least.

PEV: Is there an up and coming band or artist you think we should all be looking out for now?

JT: Actually yes, I should say that most of my band mates have driven themselves to write original music and take the stage as leaders of a group brilliantly. Fernando García, Sergio González, Gabriel Vicéns and Jonathan Suazo have all fiercely worked on their music with dedication. Three of them have already recorded their own albums as leaders and composers. Fernando’s is more Afro-beat/Fusion and the only one to feature a brass section. I should mention I also recorded a duo with him on the last track of this album, a tune we wrote together. Then there’s Gabriel and Jonathan whose albums have a more acoustic Modern Jazz sound. Gabriel was actually the first of us to release an album as leader and it has gotten quite a lot of attention and recognition. Jonathan will soon release his album, so I can’t say much, but it sounds promising. The one who has a very different sound is Sergio, because his original music is not instrumental. He is basically a singer-songwriter with a very funky, deep style. I trust he’ll be out there soon enough, but I know producing an album with vocals takes more time than the instrumental ones do.

PEV: If playing music wasn’t your life (or life’s goal), what would be your career?

JT: Well, I may have not mentioned this in that previous question about my spare time but in my spare time (the time between gigs and rehearsals) I am actually a computer engineer, developing web applications or embedded devices if I’m bored enough. That’s probably one of the reasons for the “box of surprises” remark. But I wouldn’t go about telling people that. They tend to think I’m very good at fixing their computer.

PEV: So, what is next for Joan Torres?

JT: Hopefully, traveling with All is Fused to many places outside of Puerto Rico. Letting people into the story behind the sounds of Before. Also, work on new music, maybe I can have the next album out by 2014.

Source: PensEyeView.com