Joan Torres was drawn to music from an early age. After choosing the bass as his main instrument he diligently worked to understand the art form and its many flavors. He studied Jazz with a list of great musicians such as Puerto Rican legend Tony Batista (William Cepeda), the four time Grammy­ winning bassist and educator Oscar Stagnaro (Paquito D’Rivera), and Matthew Garrison (Joe Zawinul), considered one of the most technically gifted jazz musicians of his generation. Torres’s skill was recognized by musical institutions such as Berklee College of Music which awarded him several scholarships to attend both its summer programs and the college as a full-time student. He developed his musicianship by studying and performing a wide variety of music including Salsa, Rock, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Jazz, Classical Choir music and even Brazilian Capoeira music.

After years of playing and sharing with other musicians, Torres decided to revisit some of the music he had written over the years to start his own project, Joan Torres’s All Is Fused. While composing, producing, and leading the ensemble from 2011 to the present day, Torres has consistently pursued opportunities to collaborate with like-minded artists of different genres and skill levels.

Torres performed with well­-known Puerto Rican singer­-songwriters Fana and Rique Colón. He also contributed to SURGE, an Indie Rock band led by All Is Fused member Sergio González. Additionally, he has taken time to provide musical education. Alongside drummer Fernando Garcia they presented drum and bass clinics at the music academy where they met. Torres was also invited with his group to present his approach to Jazz at a Jazz Forum at the University of Puerto Rico conservatory.

Torres relocated to San Francisco in 2014 in search for different opportunities and to expand his musical depth. He has collaborated with many artists in the local Latin, Jazz, and Rock scenes including Eduardo Corzo, Julius Melendez, Calvin Keys, LOUDA, Piwai, and 6 Speed Supernova. In keeping with his interests to collaborate and build a community, Torres also started a project called the Barely Jazz Ensemble with the main goal of providing a space for musicians and music lovers to jam, taking a traditional standards approach to contemporary music selections, and welcoming anyone to the stage to experience collaboration with the support of fellow musicians. With a motto of “all genres welcome, and all skill levels welcome” the ensemble developed a community built on their shared love of music. In 2018, Torres along with the Barely Jazz Ensemble shared the stage with Michael Manring, a revolutionary musician whose work on the bass has influenced many including Torres himself.

Through his work with All Is Fused, Torres has earned two nominations for Best Jazz Producer at the Independent Music Awards, the group itself having earned ten nominations throughout the years and two wins, including Best Fusion Album in 2020. All Is Fused has performed in one of Puerto Rico’s biggest festivals, “Ventana al Jazz” (2014), at venues such as the SFJAZZ Center (2018), shared the stage with performers such as Michael Manring, Felix Martin, Richard Trinidad, The Wrong Sides and have collaborated with artists such as Paoli Mejias, Bubby Lewis, and Elena Hedrych.

Torres began collaborating with Venezuelan, two-handed tapping marvel Felix Martin in 2020. Torres has performed as part of Martin’s trio in the Caribbean, South America, U.S. and soon in Asia. Torres’s bass work is also featured in Martin’s singles such as “El Cantante” and his 2024 album The Gathering. Additionally, as an early member of the Martin’s FM Guitars, Torres contributed to the development of their first bass guitar, becoming the first bassist to use dual-fretboard basses. For their second iteration Torres went with Fishman Fluence as his pickups of choice to help him cover the wide range of musical styles he performs in.

“When you get a new bass you sorta know what to expect from the pickups based on the specs. I don’t I think I was ready for the kind of response I got from playing on the Fluence pickups. I’m able to cover quite a lot of ground with them. I can go from the groovy, low-end heavy to the percussive and articulate two-handing tapping styles and the clarity I hear is more that just high-quality sound. It is music to my ears.”

Instagram: JoanTorresMusic

YouTube: JoanTorresMusic

Website: joantorresmusic.com