New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Consistently toying with the outer reaches of progressive jazz music, Joan Torres's All Is Fused are always pressing forward with ambitious, high-concept releases. Their 2019 "
Revolution" album has now been recognized by the esteemed members of the Independent
Music Awards industry panel as 'Best Album' Winner (funk/jazz fusion/jam category). Among the judges were Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan,
Lee Ann Womack and
Nicole Atkins.
"This album was a milestone album for us. It feels like so long ago when I started planning on ways to get to this album in what I called All Is Fused: Phase One. It was a deep and personal journey of discovery. Everyone involved did an amazing job and I'm happy that I get to be surrounded by so many awesome individuals that help make the vision become a reality. We do everything independently as a way to help keep our musical integrity and keep the artistic vision focused. The fact that we receive this accolade now is not only a beautiful gift but also a testament to the work, patience, and dedication put in by everyone involved!
Thank you all for being so supportive and following along this musical journey! #Barriers have been torn down. Now we move onwards… to All Is Fused: Phase Two."
Revolution was originally released on April 21, 2019.
More recently JTAIF released the collaborative opus "
Finale" featuring Bubby Lewis on January 21, 2020.
From a young age, Joan Torres was drawn to music. Even though he often played around with instruments he found around his home it was not until he was 10 years old that he decided to take music more seriously and learn to play an instrument in order perform with others. He chose the bass and his life was changed forever.
He began studying the instrument, first with an instructor then on his own, formed a band with a couple of friends from school while still in 8th grade.
In the year 2003, a Berklee College alumnus and music industry veteran named Orlando Collado took over as director of his school's music program. Torres joined the school's choir, directed by Collado, and it was the modern, seasoned, and honest approach of Collado led to him becoming a mentor as well as friend for Torres. With newfound interest in expanding his musical horizons in order to eventually compose music, Torres decided to enroll in the after-school Stevan Micheo
Music Academy. There Torres met his drummer counterpart with whom he has worked in many endeavors throughout the years, Fernando Garcia. During his time at Micheo Music, he acquired the core for his musical knowledge. He studied the electric bass, reading and performing in Jazz under bassist Joel Marrero. He learned the basics of Jazz harmony and theory under guitarist Antonio Caraballo. Caraballo became another mentor and big influence in finally pushing Torres to begin actively exploring composition.
In 2004, Torres auditioned for the Berklee in Puerto Rico workshops for the first time. He was among the chosen to take part in the workshops. These workshops opened the door to a lot of musical knowledge, sharing opportunities, and mentorship. It was during this time he met another one of his mentors, the four time GRAMMY-award winning bassist and educator, Oscar Stagnaro.
He continued to attend the Berklee in Puerto Rico program for a couple of years meeting many musicians, including some who would be responsible for getting him playing his first Jazz gigs. Additionally, he attended the Berklee Summer Performance Program in
Boston later that summer. There he studied with many world-renowned musicians, most notably his bass instructor, Matthew Garrison, considered one of the most technically gifted jazz musicians of his generation. Torres also met vibraphonist and composer Victor
Mendoza who was directing a "Salsa Ensemble" he asked Torres to join. Torres was awarded with a scholarship to attend Berklee College as a full-time student at the end of the summer program.
Once back in Puerto Rico, Torres was driven to grow his musical awareness. He was lucky enough to be invited to join many different projects which allowed him to gain experience in a wider set of genres than most people are exposed to. He joined a Puerto Rican Plena orchestra named "Plena Juventud" with fellow musician Gabriel Lugo. He also joined the "Indaka Jazz Quartet" where he met guitarist Gabriel Vicens. Lastly, he joined a new Reggae group who had been looking for a bassist. That group eventually became the local indie group "Raices Rusticas".
Torres was lucky enough to learn from a diverse number of experiences. The ensemble he was a part of during the Berklee in Puerto Rico workshops was chosen to play at the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest (June 4th, 2006). He met local bass legend Tony Batista who became a friend, teacher, and a big influence on developing his skills. It was with Batista that Torres began to study the upright bass. Furthermore, Raices Rusticas landed a spot opening for Grammy-winning Puerto Rican rock band
Black Guayaba at the
Arena Pier Ten (September 9, 2006). This was the first show where Raices Rusticas performed original music. Additionally, through many gigs, shows, and jam sessions he got a chance to play with many people such as
Mario Castro, Jeremy de Jesus, Marcos Lopez, Enrique Trinidad,
Sergio Gonzalez, Gerson Orjuela.
After graduating high school and moving 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 chamber 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 competition in Argentina in 2008. The score of their performance there earned them a gold medal.
Torres was awarded another scholarship to attend Berklee College of
Music in May of 2007, his last time attending the Berklee in Puerto Rico workshops. He was also once again part of the ensemble chosen to play at the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest (June 3rd).
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