Samuel Torres

[Isaac]

I like this controversy that began with my mention of
Samuel.
I'm no fan of speed for it's own sake, but I understand where Samuel is coming from. I spoke to him this summer. First in his defence, he is very musical
at all times, He also plays some piano and has done many
soundtracks at a young age. He also incorporates a lot
of Afro-Colombian Folkloric traditions into his repertoire.
I've seen him melodically
double up with the bass player creating conga harmonies
a la Patato. I think as a young bandleader he want's
to put the conga front & center in the mind of the listeners,
in the same way that Tito Puente brought the timbales
up front. I've seen his audiences growing to include new young listeners that don't know what "Old School" is at all.
Perhaps Samuel is their doorway into our world.
He 's taking some risks and experimenting and we'll
see what he eventually comes up with. Please don't
be a detractor if you havn't heard or seen him. He's
very lovable and fun to watch and a really good
soul and vibe emanate from him when he plays.
He's a man clearly in love with the conga, as
we all are. It's not about muscle, speed or just flash with him - it's on a much higher level. He just happened to start at a young tender age within his musical family that sent him
to study and excell. A very lucky man indeed, and he's only
28, so we can expect some great things to come.
When he's not doing his own project, he tours internationally
with African Bassist/Singer Richard Bona's (Pat Metheny Bassist) Band.

~ ISAAC ~

funkytradition@yahoo.com

[onile]

Alafia Isaac!
I never took you for a trouble maker Isaac!:D :p :laugh:

You know, it's a great topic nonetheless brotherlee!
Sammuel does have the blessing of having his skill level being where it's at, and those that know, realize that you don't just walk into a store and purchase it in a can or box. This type of skill is learned through humility, suffering, sacrifice and diligence! Adelante Sammuel!

I think that we all aspire to raise the bar, if for only ourselves and our skill level, that when someone like Sammuel comes around we appreciate it for what it is, beauty, skill and dynamics!

Agua pa'mi, Agua pa'ti.....

Onile!

[yoni]

Cool thread. I agree with all here that speed can be very exciting, but too much of a "good thing" can be tiring, as when a player is "all over the place". Taste is key.

Since Giovanni has been discussed here, I want to write of my own "Giovanni experience", where I met the master...

We were both performing in a Saint Lucia Jazz Festival, 1993. Both of us performed with Luther Francois, a Caribbean Jazz living legend... monster saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist and amazing composer. Our gigs with Luther were in two seperate groups that Luther led. I played with his Caribbean Jazz quintet doing some of his wild original tunes - including one where he had me solo in 9/8 time. The other players flipped because of the nine, and because we hardly did any rehearsal (Luther likes it that way, even though his pieces can be very complex, with shifting time signatures and all...). Luckily, I was familiar enough with 9/8, having been in the Mid East for some years, where it's used kind of often.

Gio performed together with Luther and the "Latin Jazz All-Stars" which also included Hilton Ruiz, Andy Gonzales, the late Dave Valentin, Steve Berrios and one or two others whose names I forget now. They performed an hour-long epic piece of Luther's, "The Call". Also, very little rehearsal.

A day or two before the shows, Luther introduced me to Giovanni, whom he himself had just met. The giant was tiny, a head shorter than me and I'm pretty small. He had just a little pot belly then. His arms and legs looked to me a bit too long for the rest of him. A kid, he looked like. We shook hands, his felt like fine sandpaper.
On that same morning soon after we met, Luther, Gio and the "All Stars" did a benefit show for Saint Lucian schoolchildren. I watched from about ten or twelve rows back. It was the first time I got to see Giovanni blow. And boy, did he blow. Not only that, but you know how you or other players can stare at one point while concentrating? Well, the point Giovanni chose to stare at was me. Right through the whole show. I guess I turned several different colors during that show, and seemed to feel myself shrinking into my seat. Wow. I smiled back, and afterwards told him how amazing his performance was. I think inside I was thinking... "I'm never gonna touch a conga again".

I had lent him my bongos for that schoolkids' show and he really liked them and asked if he could use them for his show with Luther later in the festival. I said, "Sure! I got a quinto with me too if you want to use it also."
He did, and boy did he use them!

He was younger then and very,very fiery, and did a solo that was like a 5 minute double roll, with all kinds of twists and accents in it. This time the house was dark, so the focal point he chose to look at was onstage... he stared smiling at Luther the whole time. At the end of his solo he stopped so sudden, by whipping his hand up and cupping his chin, his elbow resting on the quinto, as if to say:"How's THAT?!". Still staring at Luther. But Luther's a stone-face, all his expression comes out in the horn, and he didn't flinch, or bat an eyelash. The audience screamed.

Later, Luther told me in his quiet way, "This Giovanni is a bitch, isn't he?"... meaning, of course, that Giovanni was the baddest conguero he had ever heard. I said, "No shit. The guy is like an idol to me. What a grand charge, to finally get to see, meet and hear him."

Since then Luther also worked with Richie Flores, with Gio again, with me again, and many others. I returned to Israel after living the three years back in the States when I was hired to play those Jazz Fests, the last one being in 1994 or '95. I apply techniques I learned from Gio, and other tricks, to the darbuka and dahola, as well as conga, but do play more darbuka and dahola these days.
I will of course never forget my encounter with Gio, a huge inspiration, and just wanted to tell my conga brothers here a bit about it.

All the best,

Yonatan



Edited By yoni on 1131992781

[JohnnyConga]

DAVE VALENTIN IS DEAD?????...He just released a CD recently "World on a String"......."JC" Johnny Conga...

[yoni]

I had heard that the flute player Dave Valentin had passed on a few years ago. If it's the same Dave Valentin you write of, and he is alive, I heard wrong and I'm sorry for the goof!!!

Regards,
Yoni

[GuruPimpi]

Yoni!

Thank you very much for so ''plastic'' description of meeting with Giovanni. I kind of was there with you!

I saw on TV recently Miguel Anga Diaz in his tv show solo (Our national TV) from couple of years back.... Geeez, AngaManiac!

Yeah, not just speed, musicality - that's the key!

Groove on, my brothers!

Primozz

[yoni]

You are most welcome GuruPimpi!

I would also love to see/hear more of Miguel Anga Diaz and Samuel Torres. Lots of "big guns" out there that I'm not enough familiar with.

All the best,

Yoni

[chibi]

I saw Samuel several times.
His sound is amazingly beautiful.
I am sure he will become on of the legendary musician.
And he is polite, smart. really nice guy.
:laugh:

[JohnnyConga]

If you want to see Sammy in action just goto CongaHead.com and goto the video section...he jams it out on 6 congas..."JC" Johnny Conga...PS there are a bunch of videos with Gio and many others unknown, maybe to some of you here......

[OLSONGO]

Samuel Torres got to see and meet him a few years back with Arturo Sandoval, I feel good for a fellow country man doing good and getting some recognition for the hard work.
I remember on a gig with Gato Barbieri, I asked him what he thought of a new guy on the scene, at that time Paquito D'Rivera and his responce was " Hombre la musica... la musica se toca." trans. " Man , the music... you play the music.
A piece of music is called a song, and a song is a form of expression. So most people express themselves by talking, so tell me when someone talks to you at a 100 miles an hour do you understand what the #### are they saying. There is something about a pretty chord sostained, or a rythm like the Yambu, that with time has become one of my favorites, you can hear the sound of the conga, the singer is much more relaxed and can say more, the placement of the quinto is usually tasty. Playing fast is a texture within textures , in the broad espectrum of the percussionist bateria, and it all depends on the song. I always have known that in most cases the name of the rythm, dictates how fast you should swing. Personally, I feel that knowing how to play , more of a variety of percussion instruments; is much more impressive than playing super fast.