“A
surprise concealed, and until now, displayed in bits
and pieces at the back of the stage, behind the batas
de cola. Jesús Torres’s flamenco guitar
introduces itself in a bright dawn overflowing with
harmonies and lively melodies on underground strings.
Way to go, Jesús!”
José Manuel Gamboa
‘Viento del
Norte’ by guitarist Jesús Torres is the
fruit of a solid career in accompaniment and composing
for bailaores such as Antonio Gades, Mario Maya, Isabel
Bayón and Rafaela Carrasco. The music which he
has created along the way, inspired by the images and
dynamics of flamenco dancing, has evolved and transformed
to shape up this album with which he débuts ‘up
front’. The Ecijan tocaor reveals himself as a
musician who contributes sensitivity, subtlety, virtuosity
and universality to flamenco guitar.
On this record he has collaborations by cantaores Miguel
Poveda, Encarna Anillo and Manuel Gago, percussionist
Antonio Coronel, pianist Pablo Suárez and bandoneon
player Jorge Lema, among other musicians. As flamencologist
José Manuel Gamboa affirms, ‘Viento del
Norte’ is “a surprise concealed and, until
now, displayed in bits at the back of the stage, behind
the batas de cola. Jesús Torres’s flamenco
guitar is presented at a bright dawn full of harmonies
and lively melodies on underground strings”.
Repertoire
Calle Espada (Bulería... A mi padre)
Mármol de espuma (Malagueña con Jabera)
Tarantango (Taranta)
Rincón de los perdíos (Soleá por Bulería)
Viento del Norte (Fantasía)
Sonsonío (Bulería)
Pasaje de Valvanera (Zapateao)
Alhama (Nana... a mi Madre)
Audio
Biography
Jesús
Torres (Barakaldo, 1965) is a recognized flamenco
guitarist specializing in accompaniment and composing
for baile. The Ecijan musician started off in genres
such as classical music and rock, until he moves to
Madrid to learn accompaniment for flamenco dancing by
the hand of maestros such as Manolete and Merche Esmeralda.
In 1992 he begins his professional career in flamenco,
taking part in the tours of María Rosa and José
Greco, at the same time as he was gaining experience
at tablaos. After participating in festivals such as
Seville’s Bienal, he joins the Compañía
Andaluza de Danza (Andalusian Dance Company) as lead
guitarist in 1994. Two years later, he becomes a member
of the Antonio Gades Company, playing in ‘Carmen’
and ‘Fuenteovejuna’. In the following seasons,
he shares his music with Miguel Poveda, Isabel Bayón,
Israel Galván, Mario Maya, Belén Maya,
José Mercé, Chano Lobato... at different
festivals and stages on the world stage circuit, including
the Teatro Real in Madrid and Carnegie Hall in New York.
Beginning with Festival de Jerez 2002, he collaborates
with the Rafaela Carrasco Company as a performer and
composer. The 2006/2007 season is key, since besides
working in shows like ‘El eterno retorno’
by Rocío Molina, composing ‘La puerta abierta’
by Isabel Bayón and playing at the City Center
in New York with Rafaela Carrasco, he records his first
solo album. ‘Viento del Norte’ was released
on March 2008, after being successfully premiered at
2008 Jerez Festival.
Press
EL MUNDO February 7th, 2009
Review of ‘Viento del Norte’ in concert
by Jesús Torres at Seville’s Flamenco Thursdays,
by Manuel Martín
“...the show by Torres is related to the jondo’s
soul...”
“...(his sound) reached it in a magnificent soleá
por bulería and in the intimate bulería
Calle Espada, however much the critics were grateful
to him for the farruca, a toque he dazzled with...” See full
page
EL CORREO DE ANDALUCÍA February 7th, 2009
Review of ‘Viento del Norte’ in concert
by Jesús Torres at Seville’s Flamenco Thursdays,
by Manuel Bohórquez
“Torres composes some very beautiful pieces of
music and they’re interesting in their harmonies,
with immense freshness, as was made clear in the bulería
por soleá Rincón de los perdíos” See full
page
DIARIO DE SEVILLA February 6th, 2009
Review of ‘Viento del Norte’ in concert
by Jesús Torres at Seville’s Flamenco Thursdays,
by Juan Vergillos
See full page
FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM February 5th, 2009
Flamenco x 2. Jesús Torres & Cano, guitarists See
full page
DIARIO DE SEVILLA February 5th, 2009
Preview of the ‘Viento del Norte’ concert
by Jesús Torres at Seville’s Flamenco Thursdays,
by Patricia Godino
“Guitarists Torres and Cano go back over their
emotions at the Flamenco Thursdays” See
full page
TRAD MAGAZINE France, January 2009
Review of the album ‘Viento del Norte’ by
Jesús Torres, by Jean-Luc Matte
“Jesús Torres est un guitariste au jeu
très fin, avec une technique que ne renierait
pas un guitariste classique et cette pulsation typiquement
flamenco qu’il sait rendre, aussi bien dans les
plages intimes qu’il semble affectionner particulièrement,
que dans les mélodies plus nerveuses” See
full page
CANAL SUR RADIO Seville, February 4th, 2009
Interview with Jesús Torres on Jesús Vigorra’s
program ‘El Público’, with Matilde
Coral, El Lebrijano, Mariana Cornejo and Nano de Jerez
FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM January 29th, 2009
Digital encounter with Jesús Torres, guitarist See
full page
ALMA 100
nº 79 November/December 2008
Interview with Jesús Torres by Javier Primo:
"Jesús Torres. La guitarra serena" See
full page
MUNDO FLAMENCO (HOLANDA) nº 0 / November 1st 2008
Reseña de ‘Viento del Norte’ de Jesús
Torres, por Jean-Pierre Geelen See
full page
FLAMENCO MAGAZINE (FRANCE) August 2008
Reseña ‘Viento del Norte’ de Jesús
Torres, por Norberto Torres See
full page
EL PAÍS ANDALUCÍA June 27th 2008
Reportaje sobre ‘Viento del Norte’ de Jesús
Torres, por Fermín Lobatón
“La música se emancipa del baile” See
full page
EL PAÍS June 27th 2008 Review of Jesús Torres' 'Viento del Norte'
de Jesús Torres published in
the supplement EP3 by Ángel Álvarez Caballero. See
full page
EL PAÍS May 31st 2008 Review of Jesús Torres’s 'Viento
del Norte', by Fermín Lobatón
"Supone una fresca y estimulante aportación
al rico panorama de la guitarra solista de nuestros
días (...). Sus renovadas armonías compiten
con el alto contenido melódico que reina en todo
el disco" See
full page
RNE. RADIO CLÁSICA May 17th, 2008
Interview with Jesús Torres about 'Viento del
Norte'. José María Velázquez-Gaztelu's
program 'Nuestro Flamenco' (Radio Clásica, RNE)
ALMA 100 nº 76 April-May 2008 Review of Jesús Torres’s 'Viento
del Norte', by Javier Primo
"...They’re scores sweet to the ear, originally
intended to be danced, which conceal details of great
interest..." See
full page
DIARIO
DE SEVILLA April 16th, 2008 Review of Jesús Torres’s ‘Viento
del Norte’
“A work in which contention and intimacy have
priority, despite the epic poetry por bulerías
which opens the album, dedicated in memory of his father.
This is an exquisite record with contained guitar playing
which hardly dares to sound above the percussion or
vocals. (...) Torres furiously shows that, like everyone,
his is a heart that suffers and enjoys”. See
full page
FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM March 2008
“I think ignorance causes a lot of boldness in
flamenco nowadays”
Interview with Jesús Torres, by Silvia Calado See
full page
DIARIO DE
JEREZ February 27th, 2008 The most complete youths in the world
Review of the concert ‘Flamenco World Music’,
by David Fernández See
full page
