12.24.06 | Review SKIN TONES / Jazz Times
Colombian-born percussionist Samuel Torres makes his debut as a leader with a pastiche of textures and captivating compositions, accompanied by some top-notch Latin-jazz artists including the ever-funky John Benítez on bass, supreme pianist/composer Hector Martignón and drummer Ernesto Simpson. Torres links several of the tracks with brief conga interludes and provides thoughtful and interesting moods for his excellent cast, including the lyrical vocal scatting of Julia Dollison. There is a richness and diversity to Skin Tones in everything from the chosen musical genres to the occasional use of odd meter. The opener “Crazy Montuno” creates a funk-infused atmosphere and offers Martignon freedom and space to explore, followed by a very melodic conga solo by Torres, who must have at least six precisely tuned drums in his arsenal. The dialog between sax man Mike Campagna and trumpeter Mike Rodríguez continues through the song’s faded ending, leaving you wanting more. “Saying Goodbye” features a wonderfully jagged and sophisticated melody between vocalist Dollison and Rodriguez on trumpet, then calms the mood for a probing trumpet solo over a 7/4 groove punctuated by the rhythm section. Other highlights include “The Key”—a fabulously rich piece with hints of Afro-Colombian and Puerto Rican folklore, and the powerful and harmonically dense “Express to Queens.” Skin Tones is at once intelligent, sophisticated and explosive. -Rebeca Mauleón

12.23.06 | New recording with Jeff"Tain"Watts
Samuel is a special guest in the new Jeff"tain"Watts upcoming Album, with: Christian McBride (bs), Dave Kikosky (pn), Marcus Strickland (sx) and David Gilmore (Gt)

10.15.06 | Review SKIN TONES / En Clave de Jazz (Español)
Nuevamente – como ha venido siendo, una constante reafirmación de convicciones, para mi – otra excelente muestra del mejor quehacer jazzístico sudamericano, mestizo, hispanoamericano. Me llega este trabajo de Samuel Torres. A Samuel lo conocí (personalmente) hace poco tiempo, habiendo escuchado y leído de el dado que forma parte del staff del carismático y formidable músico que es Richard Bona. Señores! hay que estar atento a el.
Todos los temas de Skin Tones, como bien lo describe Gary Domínguez de La Conga y, los cuales son todos de la autoría y arreglos del propio Samuel, nos proporcionan un viaje musical de diversidad, colores y matices. El CD está muy logrado de principio a fin, sin fisuras, con demostraciones de virtuosismo y dominio del los instrumentos pero, sin estridencias ni exagerados protagonismos sino, que todo está cohesionado para darle un resultado equilibrado a todo el producto.
En lo personal he encontrado picos de gran altura en los diferentes temas, como en “Ajiaco” un aire de cumbia de gran factura o, impresionado con el arpa de Castañeda en “Rumba con María” llanerísmo, todo el mérito sin duda es de Samuel Torres al reunirlos para este resultado, como la misma introducción del canto de Julia Dollinson (un hallazgo) incluso el percibir un sonido “Irirraziano”, finalmente homenaje, en “Crazy Montuno” repito, para una cuidada y atractiva producción total. (JR)

08.27.06 | Review Concert at NYC's BLUE NOTE
Samuel Torres, a dynamic Latin percussionist, appearing in clubs about town, opened this second brunch set with a Colombian harp-cahone (a wooden, percussive box, also used in Flamenco) duo. The beat was salsa, and the sound was sensational. Edmar Castañeda produced a milder sound, elegant and melodic, that contrasted with Samuel Torres’ heated action. Torres’ style was straight and searing, as unusual rhythmic effects were drawn from various points on the box. El Pozo, in memory of great percussionists who are no longer with us, brought out the full band, and Michael Rodriguez’ trumpet pierced the club with sharp, clear sound. Ernesto Simpson on drums, Ricky Rodriguez on bass, Manuel Valera on Bösendorfer piano (courtesy of Bösendorfer New York), and Torres on congas all created an Afro-Latin mood, pulsating and exotic. The full compliment of up front and close congas, all positioned on the floor, added power and passion to this and to each of the following compositions. The piano took an abstract jazz theme, accompanied by conga clavé, and a fused sound followed the Latin showcase. In Ajiaco, dedicated to Torres’ homeland, Colombia, a conga-drum duo ensued with ethnic energy. It ended in a whisper.

As a tribute to Africa, Torres wrote Yaounde, named for the capital of Cameroon. Wood blocks, wind chimes, shakers, and other exotic percussion fused with the band in a wild African motif, evocative of the scores heard in Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Michael Rodriguez’ trumpet soared and resounded through Blue Note, as cymbals clashed and congas echoed. A sharp trumpet ending merged with the band to end the African moment. The Congas Solo was truly a masterpiece, and Torres threw his physical and psychic energy into the performance. Each of the six congas was played in different ways - different rhythms, volume, and tone - a true conga tribute for the enjoyment of the audience. Express to Queens, the brunch finale, featured a rapid beat, hot and brassy, with Valera’s piano and Ricky Rodriguez’ electric bass adding to the Caliente! mood.

05.16.06 | Review SKIN TONES at Jazz Review
It comes as no surprise that the Columbian-born musician is exceedingly talented. You don't get the opportunity to play with Arturo Sandoval, and celebrated African performer, Richard Bona, by being less than great. It also is no surprise that Torres comes from a family deeply rooted in music, his grandfather a trombonist, and his grandmother a self-taught guitarist, and singer. These great early influences also provided the jazz records in which the percussionist was first taken by. "I went to sleep with this music and the sounds floated in my head all night long," says Torres.

If there is any surprise, it comes with Samuels' sensitivity and maturity as a composer and band leader at such a young age. The musicians on Skin Tones, the 2006 One Soul Records release, were hand-picked by Torres. John Benitez has a warm, rich tone on his electric bass that goes tightly with the time-keeping skills of drummer Ernesto Simpson. Hector Martignon on piano brings out much of the classical elements of Skin Tones, and also beautifully accompanies the soft, silky voice of Julia Dollison, which floats brilliantly over the music on tracks such as "Observatory," and "The Key." Mike Campagna on tenor saxophone and Michael Rodriguez on trumpet and flugel horn are the dynamic horn section that take this immensely diversed band from Latin jazz, to shades of early bebop, to classical jazz. Rounding out the line up for Skin Tones are Edmar Castaneda on harp, Wolfgang Barros on Columbian maracon, and Ralph Irizarry on timbales.

Skin Tones showcases the textural melodies of Samuel Torres, but it is not a show-off album. Each player here contributes and leaves thier own mark, which in turn, makes this record a modern classic for all jazz lovers. Jeff "Tain" Watts has called Torres an "inventive, lyrical and special artist" and I could not agree more.
Savon Edwards

04.12.06 | Buy Skin Tones digital downloads on Napster and Emusic
Now Skin Tones - Samuel Torres Debut Recording is Now available for Digital Downloads at www.napster.com and on www.emusic.com

Ahora puedes comprar Skin Tones a traves de www.napster.com y www.emusic.com

03.06.06 | Review SKIN TONES at Latin Beat Magazine
SAMUEL TORRES Skin Tones (One Soul)

Listening to Colombian percussionist and composer Samuel Torres on his debut album Skin Tones, you discover a knowledgeable and skillful musician coming into his own. Fusing the sounds of his generation with the fundamentals of his chosen tradition, Torres creates refreshing Latin jazz blends that, for the most part, are acoustic in nature and filled with joyous contemporary harmonies and youthful vibrancy. The opening selection, Crazy Montuno, is a perfect example. John Benítez lays down with a thumping funk bass line that along with the pumping backbeat of drummer Ernesto Simpson, the boogaloo-style montuno of pianist Hector Martignón and the hardbop melodies of trumpeter Mike Rodríguez and tenor saxman Mike Campagna, sets a smoking groove in motion. Torres adds to the setting with a keen sense of tonality and superb time. Highlights abound and include the tune titled Saying Goodbye, which features the gifted Mike Rodriguez and vocalist Julia Dollison (who is heard on several other tracks). Rumba Con María adds the harp of Edmar Castañeda and lets Torres wail on a driving conga solo. For hardbop lovers, Express to Queens is a jazz gem with a well-contoured melody and an excellent solo by the unsung Héctor Martignón. Special guests include timbalero Ralph Irizarry, who helped to introduce Samuel Torres, a promising new talent that will invigorate Latin jazz for many years to come, according to my prediction. (JV)

COPYRIGHT 2006 Latin Beat Magazine

03.02.06 | Review SKIN TONES at Herencia Latina (spanish)
Samuel Torres – Skin Tones (One Soul Records)

Que tamaña sorpresa nos ha causado este talentoso músico de origen colombiano con su segundo trabajo titulado Skin Tones. Samuel Torres es su nombre y ejecuta la conga, lo hace con unos toques compactos, firmes y prolongados. Demuestra como domina a la perfección los cueros y cuan comprometido es con su trabajo. Y no es porque lo plasmemos en estas cortas líneas, sino que personalmente lo vimos actuar en el Teatro de la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico - Recinto Metropolitano, para noviembre de 2005. Allí con su vitalidad puso de relieve cuan refrescante se ha constituido para nuestra música latina y desde luego, en una joven promesa para las congas, (luego de la reciente perdida del maestro Ray Barretto). En dicho espectáculo le sometió a un solo de cueros por cerca de 25 minutos, además de hacer un alto en una de sus piezas y tocar con ambas manos un prolongado solo de maracas, que robo un caluroso aplauso de un público sorprendido por su actuación.

En este CD Samuel Torres ejecuta las congas y se hace acompañar de una nomina de lujo: John Benítez en el bajo, Héctor Martignon en el piano, Jualia Dollinson en las voces, Mike Rodríguez en la trompeta, el cubano, Ernesto Simpson en la batería; Cowell EFX y Mike Campagna en los saxofones tenor, Edgar Castañeda en el arpa, Ralph Irizary en el timbal y Wolgang Barros en las maracas. Es un trabajo prometedor e independiente que merece el apoyo de todos. El trabajo se puede conseguir a través de su página en la Internet: www.samueltorres.com (Israel Sanchez Coll)

03.01.06 | Review SKIN TONES at Latin Percussion
It's your wake up call! Samuel Torres' Skin Tones is no sleeper. It's exciting from the get go, emphatically contemporary. This is not to say that Torres rejects tradition. But rather than reiterate, Torres has chosen to reconstruct in an instantly pleasing fashion. Also of significance, he has chosen instead to record fully seventeen concise tracks, many of which we'll look at.

First off, to the personnel, a distinguished lot. LP artist Samuel Torres is a percussionist of unique ability, one who uses percussion as much for color as for rhythm. Not only that, he is a gifted composer capable of a blend of melody and intricacy-a difficult balance to achieve. Usually one triumphs by sacrificing the other. What that means is that the casual listener can hum, while the musician can do all those "musicianly" things: analyze, take apart, and listen over and over. Incidentally, Torres also plays Fender Rhodes, piano, and various percussion.

Torres is aided by the nimble bassist John Benitez, pianist Hector Martignon, vocalist Julia Dollison, and killer kit drummer Ernesto Simpson. That would be enough, but we also have Mike Rodriguez on trumpet, Mike Campagna on tenor, guests Edmar Castaneda, harp, Ralph Irizarry on timbale, and Wolfgang Barros on Columbian Maracon.

To the Tracks!

"Crazy Montuno" is not so crazy as it is slick. Ernesto Simpson begins with a lick that reminds equally of LP artists Steve Gadd and Dave Weckl-with a nod to Harvey Mason. Ernesto is crisp and definite; there's never a doubt as to his intentions. Samuel has his congas tuned perfectly to complement Ernesto; it's a nice blend of mellow to crisp, respectively. As the tune closes, Mike takes a spirited sax solo and it's not so much of a mambo as a New York funk chorus.

"Interlude One" is just that, a little stretch for Samuel Torres on congas, unaccompanied. It's concise and to the point.

We move to the funky "Saying Goodbye", with its salsa undercurrent, wherein vocalist Julia Dollison, to this point an acquired taste, begins to take hold. She reminds a little of, say, Flora Purim in the way she comes up behind the note, very much in the South American tradition. Benitez holds this one together, popping and slapping the bass strings, particularly around 4:15. Twenty-four measures later a rousing drum solo appears over his ostinato. Again, who is this Simpson? The stereo panning on this track is wide, with toms to the outside, making for an exciting listen.

"Interlude Two" finds Torres in melodic mode. It's just a snippet, mind you, but it sings to you as congas rarely do.

Picking a radio hit is easy: It's "Observatory", featuring Julia's wistful, delicate vocals, very clean and attractive. Interestingly, and contrary to the pop formula, the bass takes a solo and it's totally right for the track in terms of texture and melodic content.

Melodic congas and harp provide a memorable opening for "Rumba con Maria". You're actually hearing harp in a Cuban context-plucked, struck for full improvisational effect. Meanwhile, Torres treads softly, contributing melody and interesting conga counterpart to the defined attack component of the harp.

Ernesto's sharp snare drum backbeat and firm bass drum, much in the Joey Heredia tradition, defines the next track, "Ajiaco" (Columbian potato soup), as does the languid trumpet of Mike Rodruigez. Again, we're humming along, not fighting to comprehend, and yet there's plenty of musical challenge below the surface.

A darker feel pervades "The Key", which, despite its suggestive title, is not in clave, at least the Cuban sense. Pianist Hector Martignon does some welcome stretching out around 1:36, with bass and drumset shadowing him each step of the way.

We said we'd look at a selection of the seventeen tracks presented herein, but we'd be remiss not to consider the title track. "Skin Tones" is nimble as nimble gets, a tribute to Samuel Torres' light touch, crisp articulation, and respect for exact note values. It's a beautiful solo and gone in the blink of an eye.

Other tracks to note include the angular "Express to Queens", fraught with syncopation and bustle. During the piano solo, a clave, or perhaps LP block, rears up a couple of times and vanishes, unable to take root, more significant as a color rather than in an Afro-Cuban organizational sense.

Sounding a little out-of-context is the shuffle, "Fairy Tale", perhaps the best forum for Julia Dollison's vocals. A "radio version" of "Ajiaco" is just that, as is a radio-friendly take of "Observatory" (funny, I'd already labeled the earlier version as radio-friendly!). Perhaps the vocals are mixed more to the fore. Certainly the track length is reduced by a couple of minutes. That smart bass solo is still there, if abbreviated. And that's how Skin Tones rides out, with two more radio versions of previous tunes. To some this will appear a wise move; to others the real music will have already gone by. But all will agree this is a major release.

PLEASE VISIT ONE SOUL RECORDS!

For more information on Samuel Torres, please visit his web site.

02.01.06 | Review SKIN TONES at www.laconga.org (spanish)
SAMUELITO TORRES nuestro "Manenguito criollo" cumplió su cometido con su primera producción discográfica titulada SKIN TONES (me atreví a traducirla como TONOS DEL CUERO). Sorprende y hace reaccionar al melómano del jazz y la música latina, no solo por la calidad en la produccion y grabacion que es vital en este tiempo, sino por el multitalento que esgrime su protagonista al componer, hacer los arreglos y tocar conga al estilo atrevido y progresivo de un Giovanni Hidalgo, Anga, Joel y Poleo (que son palabras mayores), claro sin olvidar esa milenaria herencia de Chano, Mongo, El Niño Alfonso y Tata.
Este joven "rolo bogotano" con pinta de estudiante decente de la Universidad Javeriana tiene un background (yo lo traduciria "recorrido") que incluye 4 años con el exigente e implacable Arturo Sandoval, festivales de jazz en Japón, Usa y Europa, Segundo puesto en el dificilísimo concurso de jazz a mano libre en percusión de Thelonious Monk y sobrevivir en el dificil ambiente newyorkino del jazz latino donde ya es reconocido y aplaudido.
LOS TONOS DEL CUERO de Samuel Torres reitera que en estos dias la profesión de conguero no se limita a la "guaperia" de meterle mano fuerte al tambor y que se puede hacer un arcoiris de música alrededor del cuero, si se estudia, se escucha, se aprende y se inspira como lo ha hecho con dedicación, técnica y disciplina el joven Torres.
El recorrido por los surcos de este apasionante disco compacto autofinanciado como muchos otros buenos productos alternativos que no tienen "mecenas" en este oscuro tiempo musical en que hasta los "secretos" grammy ya se sabe quienes se los ganan y quienes los otorgan, abre con un montuno loco, que calienta el cd desde los primeros acordes, y prepara al oyente para un viaje musical que te lleva desde la madre patria, la de los gitanos y su rumba, pasando por Colombia, a Brazil, el medio oriente y termina en el subway número 7 rumbo a Queens, New York. En medio de todo este "ajiaco musical" a punto de hervir nos apacigua la voz de una sirena de nombre Julia Dollinson.
Los créditos de los músicos acompañantes demuestran que Samuel y sus Tonos de Piel merecen el aplauso (la standing ovation diría yo) y el respeto de la comunidad del jazz latino internacional. Con Ernesto Simpson en la bateria, con John Benitez en el bajo y Hector Martinong en el piano "haciendo tierra" (término eléctrico que evita los cortos circuitos) un virtuoso conguero como Samuel pudo ir del cielo al infierno, arrebatarse por las 4 congas y volver a la realidad (en otras palabras al afinque que a veces lo pierden los velocistas del tambor) con toda la tranquilidad y seguridad que este triángulo de las Bermudas musicales registro en esta singular grabación.
SKIN TONES y Samuel Torres nuestro "Giovanni colombiano" ya entró en el listado de los "grammy underground" 2005-2006 que lo otorgan los anónimos compradores y melómanos de buen latin jazz en el mundo!
Samuelito "sacaste la cédula" y te la comiste!


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Gary Domínguez

09.09.05 | Release of Samuel Torres Debut recording "SKIN TONES"
Samuel Torres debut Album "SKIN TONES" is now available for purchase at www.onesoulrecords.com, you can click on the link to buy the CD.

08.14.05 | Standing Ovation At Newport Jazz Festival
At the last JVC Newport Jazz Festival, Romero and Samuel Torres, recieved the first standing ovation in the history of the Guitar Stage of the festival.

03.21.05 | Grammy Award Winner
Marc Anthony's " Amar sin Mentiras" was awarded the 2005 grammy as best latin pop album. Samuel plays on tracks: "Escapemonos" featuring Jennifer Lopez, "Tu Amor me Hace Bien", "Volando entre tus brazos" accompanied by The London Simphony Orchestra, arranged by Jorge Calandrelli and Julio Reyes.