  Flautist
and Latin Grammy Award winner Nestor Torres has been captivating
audiences with his distinctive mix of Latin, Jazz and Pop sounds for
more than two decades. By transforming the flute’s role in the
contemporary musical landscape, this remarkable virtuoso has earned
a devoted following, and has practically established a new genre of
popular music.
Torres was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He took flute lessons at
age 12 and began formal studies at the Escuela Libre de Música,
eventually attending Puerto Rico’s Inter-American University. At 18,
he moved to New York, where he studied jazz and classical at the
Mannes School of Music, and later at the New England Conservatory of
Music in Boston. During this time he was able to develop his musical
chops playing in Latin dance clubs, a scene in which he mingled with
the likes of Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, Hector Lavoe and Tito
Puente. During this early period, the young Nestor recorded 3 Solo
albums: Charanga En Colombia, Afro Charanga Volume ll,
and No Me Provoques.
He moved to Miami in 1981, and spent the next several years
developing a grass roots following via his electrifying live
performances in the South Florida club scene. The local demand for a
recording eventually led to a record deal with PolyGram and the
1989release of his debut album, Morning Ride.
The album climbed quickly to the top of the Billboard Contemporary
Jazz charts, but his career was abruptly halted by a boating
accident in 1990. Despite serious injuries, along with other
setbacks related to the incident, Torres refused to accept defeat.
In fact, during his stretch of misfortune, he learned that, “no
matter how difficult and hopeless my situation seemed, my life was
fine,” he says. “Rather than ask why, I decided to face the
obstacles head-on and overcome them.”
So Torres started over. Still in what would be a lengthy recovery
period, he recorded Dance of the Phoenix, released in 1991.
Four years later, he released Burning Whispers, followed by
Talk To Me in 1996, and Treasures Of The Heart in 1999.
Included in this CD was his Latin-jazz composition “ Luna Latina”,
which was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award (in 2000). Throughout
this time he also performed and recorded with variety of Latin Pop &
Jazz luminaries, including Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada, Herbie
Hancock, and Wayne Shorter.
In addition to his achievements in the studio and on the stage
during the ‘90s, Torres also received two honorary doctorate
degrees; one in 1994 from Barry University, and the other in 2000
from Carlos Albizu University, for his commitment to youth education
and cultural exchanges.
In 2001, Nestor Torres won a Latin Grammy for his CD This Side of
Paradise. It was a bittersweet victory, given the terrorist
attacks in New York and Washington at the time. “It was a great
honor and privilege to win the Grammy,” Torres reflects. “But the
fact that I was to receive it on 9/11 gave my work and my music a
stronger sense of mission and purpose. Terrorism and violence come
from ignorance, anger, arrogance and hopelessness. Music and Culture
inspire and empower. They soothe the human heart and enlighten the
spirit. I have made it my prime point to create music and live my
life as an artist and a human being in a way that does just that.”
Nestor followed up his Latin Grammy win with My Alma Latina
(My Latin Soul), which was nominated for the Grammy as well.
But it is in his most recent CD, Dances, Prayers & Meditations
for Peace, that Torres chose to transcend his role as a musician
and entertainer and take on the role of artist as an agent for
change. Moved by the tragic events of 9/11, the war in Iraq and
other instances of global unrest in the new century, Torres appeals
to all of humanity to rise above the negative tendencies that
separate us; by layering numerous shades of Classical, Jazz and
World Music with Hip-Hop and Reggaeton grooves, he shows by musical
example how we can embrace the universal elements that unites us.
“Everything that I am as an artist and human being is expressed
through the music in this recording. That is why Dances, Prayers
& Meditations for Peace will always be a part of everything I
do.”
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The
NESTOR TORRES Fan Club
P.O. Box 144681
Coral Gables, FL 33114
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Copyright ©
1999-2003 Nestor Torres. All Images & Photographs All Rights Reserved.
No content or imagery can be used or duplicated
without the express written consent of AXIS Management, Inc.
Please direct fan related
questions to: info@nestortorres.com
non fan related inquiries to:
management@nestortorres.com
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