Fabio Torres

JazzB - Sao Paulo

16 Aug

Written By Oh! Jazz

Grammy Award Winner - Best Latin Jazz Album

Fabio Torres began his music studies at the age of five. After graduating in classical piano at the conservatory, in 1990, he enrolled in the Composition course at the USP School of Communications and Arts. At this stage, in parallel with the study of classical music, the musician taught piano, played in dance bands and nightclubs, where he practiced popular music.
In 1992, aged 22, he joined Banda Mistura e Manda, with which he would record his first CD. The following year, she won the Nascente Project – Editora Abril's prize for revealing talent at USP – in the Popular Music category. From then on, he started playing and recording with numerous MPB artists, such as Dominguinhos, Oswaldinho do Acordeom, Vânia Bastos, Eduardo Gudin and Heraldo do Monte, among others. In 1996, he played abroad for the first time, accompanying singer Célia in a show in the Principality of Monaco.
In 1998, feeling the need to carry out his own artistic projects, Fabio started a duo with flutist Rodrigo y Castro, with whom he reached the final of the 1st Visa Instrumental Music Award, alongside Hamilton de Holanda, André Mehmari and Nelson Veras . That same year, he participated in the Chorando Alto Project, alongside Hamilton de Holanda, one of the most praised shows at the festival that brought together names like Egberto Gismonti and Herbie Man.
Still in 1998, Fabio started a long partnership with the singer Rosa Passos, which resulted in numerous tours in the Americas, Europe and Asia and also recorded several CDs, including concerts in some of the biggest jazz festivals in the world such as Umbria Jazz and Vitoria- Gasteiz. On the last CD released by the singer, Romance (Telarc, 2008), Fabio signs most of the arrangements and plays on all the songs. This work earned the pianist praise from national and international critics. Parallel to working with Rosa, he played in concerts and recordings with Ivan Lins, Toninho Horta, JoãoDonato, Roberto Menescal, Leila Pinheiro, Joyce, Fátima Guedes, Zizi Possi, Leny Andrade, among others.
In 2000, he started another partnership with the instrumentalist and composer Chico Pinheiro. In addition to shows in Brazil, Fabio played on four of the guitarist's CDs, the last of which included appearances by singer Dianne Reeves and saxophonist Bob Mintzer.
In 2001, he formed, alongside Edu Ribeiro and Paulo Paulelli, one of the most recognized Brazilian Jazz groups today, the Trio Corrente.
In 2005 they released their first CD, Corrente, whose production was handled by Guennoshin Yassui, a Japanese from Tokyo who, upon seeing them play one night in São Paulo, immediately proposed recording them.
In 2008, he released another CD as a trio with Celso de Almeida (drums) and Paulo Paulelli (bass). With this work, they performed at the Buenos Aires Jazz Festival and at the Barquisimeto Jazz Festival – Venezuela, in addition to countless shows in Brazil. In the same year, he participated in the recording of the CD “Rio”, by the German trumpeter Till Brönner (winner of the Echo Prize), a project that had the participation of Milton Nascimento, Vanessa da Mata, Annie Lennox, Sergio Mendes, Luciana Souza, among others, and was produced by Grammy winner Larry Klein. Also in 2008, Fabio traveled to Japan with Fabiana Cozza and Marcel Powell to participate in the “Tribute to Baden Powell” performed by Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe.
In 2009, Fabio released his original work, Pra Esquecer das Suas Úteis, a CD with the participation of Luciana Alves, Tatiana Parra, Fabiana Cozza, Renato Braz, Chico Pinheiro and Vinícius Dorin, among other excellent musicians. The work received great reviews in the press and revealed the pianist's songwriting side.
Also in 2009, he made a series of special concerts called Trio Corrente Convida, with the participation of Anthony Wilson (guitarist of the American singer and piano player Diana Krall), Joyce, Leny Andrade and Leila Pinheiro.
The following year, he traveled with Trio Corrente to Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Madrid, Tenerife, Dublin and Scopje (Macedonia). That same year, she participated in the Chico Pinheiro concert at Sala São Paulo with Edu Lobo and César Camargo Mariano.
In 2011, Trio Corrente released its new CD, Volume 2, and then participated in the Tucca International Concert Series, at Sala São Paulo with American singer Stacey Kent. The trio also traveled to Spain with saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and played at festivals across Brazil with guitarist Mike Stern. That same year, Fabio participated in the recording of the live DVD “O Universo Musical de Raul de Souza”.
In 2012, the Corrente trio participated again in the Tucca International Concert Series, at Sala São Paulo, with Paquito D'Rivera and New York Voices. With Paquito, Trio Corrente recorded the Album Song For Maura and together they travel to Chile, Nicaragua, Spain, Germany, Ireland and Scotland. That same year, he held concerts at Sesc Pompeia with the Brazilian singer residing in the US, Luciana Souza
In 2013, Fabio returned to Japan to launch the album “Outra Vez”, by Sadao Watanabe, recorded at the end of 2012. He traveled with Trio Corrente and Paquito D´Rivera to Colombia and Ecuador. He produced the show Música Perto de Mim for Sesc, an unprecedented project for children that featured Toninho Ferragutti, Alexandre Ribeiro and Zeli, among other excellent musicians.
In 2014, Trio Corrente won the Grammy Awards and the Latin Grammy in the category “Best Latin Jazz Album, with the CD Song For Maura, recorded in partnership with Paquito D'Rivera. He participated in the Tucca International Concert Series, at Sala São Paulo, with Trio Corrente, Lenine, Mônica Salmaso and Zélia Duncan. He played at the Caixa Cultural Concerts with Raul de Souza and Ron Carter, and on the trombonist's 80th birthday he participated in the show held at SESC Vila Mariana, in São Paulo, alongside Richard Bona and Maurício Einhorn. He performed solo piano concerts at the Recife Conservatory. He participated with the Trio Corrente of the Jazz + series of the Orquestra Jazz Sinfônica, at the Ibiraquera Auditorium in São Paulo. He played with Trio Corrente and Paquito D'Rivera on tours in Brazil, Japan, Korea and the USA.
In 2015, he played with Trio Corrente in Uruguay and throughout Brazil. She performed Solo Piano Concerts at Sesc Arsenal in Cuiabá, at Sesc Curitiba and at Virada Cultural in São Paulo. He accompanied singer Rosa Passos in concerts in Finland and Denmark, and performed in a piano duo with Nelson Ayres at the Porto Alegre Jazz Festival and in the Astra-Finamax Concert Series in Jundiaí. He participated in the Tucca International Concert Series, at Sala São Paulo with Trio Corrente and American singer Sachal Vasandan and French singer Cyrille Aimée.
In 2016, he released the new CD by Trio Corrente, Vol 3. He played with American singer Dianne Reeves and guitarist Romero Lubambo at Virada Cultural in São Paulo. He participated with Trio Corrente at the Grahamstown Jazz Festival in South Africa, and in the Jazz Assinaturas series with Orquestra Jazz Sinfônica at Sala São Paulo.
Also in 2016, Fabio launched his online method of Brazilian rhythmic applied to the piano, which has received praise from several Brazilian pianists, and toured South Korea with jazz singer Youn Sun Na.
In April 2017, Fabio released his new authorial album, “De Cara pro Sol”, at Sesc Pompeia, in São Paulo. In the same month he plays at Sesc Pinheiros, in São Paulo with Trio Corrente and the mandolinist Hamilton de Holanda. In June he leaves for Europe with Trio Corrente for a tour in Spain and France. In August, with Trio Corrente, he also performs shows in Piracicaba and Ribeirão Preto by Sesc Jazz and with the Banda Sinfônica Jovem do Estado de São Paulo. In September, he performs a solo concert at the Conservatório Pernambucano de Música.
In 2018, he performs with Trio Corrente and Hamilton de Holanda, two concerts at Sesc Vila Mariana. In the same month he performs at Sala São Paulo with Orquestra Jazz Sinfônica and Trio Corrente. In July, he leaves with Trio Corrente for another tour in Spain, France and Italy, recording the album, Tem que ser Azul, in Milan, for the jazz label Abeat Records. In October he goes to Japan for the 5th time, at the invitation of saxophonist Sadao Watanabe.
In 2019, he returns in July and October with Trio Corrente to Europe to release the album Tem que ser Azul, in Spain, Italy and France. With Trio Corrente, he performs at numerous festivals throughout Brazil and makes a special concert with the String Quartet of the City of São Paulo at Sala do Conservatório.
In January 2020, he performs a solo concert at Sesc Ver o Peso, in Belém do Pará. In the same month, he launches the album Curitiba 58 with the Quinteto of renowned trombonist Raul de Souza. In March, he records a new authorial work, Além do Jardim, featuring singers Luciana Alvez, Tatiana Parra and Luiza Britto, as well as Fabio Leal on guitar, Edu Ribeiro on drums and Paulo Paulelli on acoustic bass.
With the pandemic, he performs solo and with Trio Corrente in countless lives.
In 2021, he records the album Sincronia with Trio Corrente and his 1st solo piano album, Sarau. In October, Trio Corrente releases the new album, returning to the stage after the recess forced by the pandemic.
In April 2022, he released the album Além do Jardim at Sesc 24 de Maio in São Paulo.
In July, he toured with Trio Corrente, releasing the album Sincronia in Spain, France and Italy.