Nestor Torres
Encyclopedia
Nestor Torres is a jazz flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
who was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
in 1957. He took flute lessons at age 12 and began formal studies at the Escuela Libre de Música, eventually attending Puerto Rico’s Inter-American University. At 18, he moved to New York with his family. Torres went on to study both jazz and classical music at the Mannes College of Music
Mannes College of Music
Mannes College The New School for Music is The New School university's music conservatory. While the university's main campus is located in Greenwich Village, New York City, Mannes maintains its main academic building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan....
in New York and the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
in Boston, among other places.
He moved to Miami in 1981, and signed with PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, where he released Morning Ride in 1989
1989 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...
. His major label debut climbed quickly to the top of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts and soon brought him widespread acclaim. Tragedy struck a year later when an accident in a celebrity boat race left him with eighteen fractured ribs, two broken clavicles and a collapsed lung. His record company dropped him, he and his wife divorced, and his home was nearly repossessed.
Nestor Torres is also a longtime practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
of the Sōka Gakkai International.
In 2007, Nestor played at the World Music Concert during One World Week
One World Week
One World Week may refer to:*One World Week , a UK development education charity and associated annual events, founded in 1978*One World Week , a student event at the University of Warwick, UK...
2007, in front of a full house, at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
.
On March 21, 2009 he played in Herbst Theatre
Herbst Theatre
The Herbst Theatre is an auditorium in the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in Civic Center in San Francisco, United States. The 928-seat hall hosts programs as diverse as City Arts & Lectures, SF Jazz, and San Francisco Performances....
in San Francisco in performance "Tango Meets Jazz" with Pablo Ziegler
Pablo Ziegler
Pablo Ziegler is an Argentine composer based in Buenos Aires and New York City. He is currently the leading exponent of nuevo tango, thanks to the skills and reputation he gathered while working extensively as Ástor Piazzolla's regular pianist from 1978 until the maestro's retirement for health...
.
On September 9, 2009 he played at the Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)
Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)
The Greek Theatre is a 5,700-seat amphitheater, located at Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1929, opening on September 29 of that year...
with the Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
. He guested on the song "Lying In The Hands Of God." He performed at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from July 18, 2010 to August 1, 2010.-Bid:...
opening ceremony.
Albums
- Mis Primeras Canciones - Released: 1980
- Morning Ride - Released: 1989
- Dance of the Phoenix - Released: 1990
- Burning Whispers - Released: 1994
- Talk to Me - Released: 1996
- Treasures of the Heart - Released: 1999
- This Side of Paradise - Released: 2001
- Mi Alma Latina - Released: 2002
- The Sutra of The Lotus of The Wonderful Law - Released: 2004
- Sin Palabras - Released: 2004
- Dances, Prayers & Meditations For Peace - Released: 2006
- The Very Best Of Nestor Torres (2007)
- Nestor Torres - Nouveau Latino (2008)