Xavi Torres

Tarragona (Tarragona) – June 20th, 1991. 

Pianist Xavi Torres is one of the most outstanding musicians coming of the Spanish and European scene. He is currently living in Amsterdam, where he already had the opportunity to play and collaborate with great musicians such as Dick Oatts, Terell Stafford, Nir Felder (recording for the dutch public TV), Ben van Gelder, Reinier Baas, Tineke Postma, Raynald Colom, Horacio Fumero or Jasper Blom.

He began playing the piano thanks to his older sister, and soon found a tool to express himself honestly, plus a refuge from the outside world. After some years, and yet the classical training, the attraction for jazz and improvised music brought him to study a jazz piano bachelor in ESMUC, Barcelona, where he achieved honors studying with teachers such as Lluís Vidal, Albert Bover and Joan Díaz. Once in Amsterdam, he finished the Jazz Master and Classical Bachelor at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, one of the best of the world, with David Kuyken and Harmen Fraanje, among others.

He leads his own group, the Xavi Torres Trio, which won the most prestigious dutch contest, the “Dutch Jazz Competition 2016”, where the jury said: “They had a lyrical, technical and rhythmic superiority, with a huge potential, energy and Interplay. Harmonically sounds very interesting, with lots of fun moments. An exciting and surprising musical history. “

The band was also awarded as “Best jazz group of 2015” by the Catalan Jazz Association.
On march 2015 he won, also with Xavi Torres Trio, the contest “Keep An Eye International Jazz Award”, where on 2014 he already won the best soloist prize.

He has recorded more than 20 CDs with different bands, including Lluc Casares RED, Vuma Ian Levin, BVR Flamenco Big Band, Verd i Blau, as well as a CD of classical music as co winner of the first competition of young pianists of Tarragona (2008). His first album as a leader is “Skyline”, with his trio, and thanks to Seed Music Records and the producer Joan Díaz, which has had a great reception among the critics and audience in Spain, Holland and other European countries. On march 2014 the trio got a commission from the Festival de Dixieland de Tarragona to do a concert with two of the most important Spanish saxophonists, Perico Sambeat y Llibert Fortuny.

He has performed as a soloist at the big hall of “Auditori de Barcelona” with the ESMuC orchestra, with Lluís Vidal as a conductor. He also has played as a soloist with the Cobla Sant Jordi. He has received many artistic scholarships, such as the Stichting Jazz Talent 2015, the Jacques Vonk Fonds, Anna Riera, or a scholarship from the Catalan government.

Over these years, he has performed in 3 different continents, in countries such as EEUU, South Africa, Spain, Holland, Germany, Italy, Morocco or Andorra, and in festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Fest, Gracthen Festival, Grahamstown Jazz Festival, Bimhuis, Amsterdam JazzFest, Siena Jazz Festival, Orbit, Jamboree, Bogui Madrid, Bilbaina, Jazz in Mallorca.

He has recieved lessons or masterclasses from Fred Hersch, Ambrose Akinmusire, Mark Turner, Miguel Zenon, Avishai Cohen i Maria Schneider, and has worked as a substitute teacher at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, as a subtitut accompanist at the ESMuC, and has been a teacher at the Grahamstown Jazz week 2015.

photo: from artist’s website