Jesús Torres
Who is Jesús Torres?
Jesús Torres was born in 1965 in Baracaldo, Vizcaya, the son of a Sevillian gitano from Écija who had emigrated to the Basque Country. He lived in the Bilbao area until he was twenty-four, before moving first to Madrid and then to Seville in search of an environment more conducive to the flamenco that had begun to captivate him.
His musical training started far from cante and toque: as a teenager he took up classical guitar and electric rock, and only later discovered flamenco as his true calling. He considers himself largely self-taught in that field, shaped above all by listening to and sharing the stage with other musicians, though he did receive more formal lessons from Rafael Riqueni, as well as guidance from El Güito, Manolete and Merche Esmeralda.
Career
He began his professional career in 1992 working with the companies of María Rosa and José Greco, and in 1994 joined the Compañía Andaluza de Danza as first guitarist. In 1996 he became part of Antonio Gades’s company, taking part in landmark productions such as “Carmen” and “Fuenteovejuna,” a period that cemented his specialization in dance accompaniment.
Since then he has worked with some of the most important names in flamenco dance and singing, among them Belén Maya, Isabel Bayón, Rafaela Carrasco, Israel Galván, Mario Maya, Miguel Poveda, José Mercé and Chano Lobato, performing at top international festivals.
Style and discography
A composer as well as a guitarist, in 2006 he wrote the music for “La Puerta Abierta,” Isabel Bayón’s show, which won the award for best production at that year’s Bienal de Sevilla. Shortly after, in 2007, he presented his first solo album, “Viento del Norte,” at the Festival de Jerez, marking his leap from pure accompaniment to a voice of his own as a soloist.
Legacy
Without ever becoming a media figure, Jesús Torres has earned the respect of the flamenco dance world as one of the leading guitarists and composers for Spain’s major dance companies in recent decades.