The Band
LA-Based Touring Band
Hey everyone! I’m originally from Colorado, but have been based in LA since 2018. I graduated with a degree in Drum Set Performance from the Los Angeles College of Music at the age of 19, following my graduation from High School a full year early when I was 17. Been playing live since I was 9, and haven’t stopped studying the instrument since.
For the past decade I've studied with drumming giants like Dom Famularo, Billy Cobham, Steve Smith, Dave Weckl, Joe Porcaro, Ralph Humphrey, Mike Mangini, Todd Sucherman, and many others. These experiences have allowed me to cultivate a deep understanding of the instrument, its techniques, and its history, which I implement to push my playing and music forward.
Since winning awards for my jazz playing and all-around musicianship from DownBeat Magazine and The Percussive Arts Society when I was a teenager, I've strived to sound like a 'pro' no matter what or where I'm playing. This deep bag of tricks and deeper pocket comes from experience; playing a wide variety of styles including Afro-Cuban, Pop, Funk, Hip-Hop, Punk, Rock, Indie, Alternative, Soul/R&B, and others as a band-member, session player, teacher, and hired-gun, along with TV & Commercial work. This variety of work over my career so far has been an education in itself, and molded me into a chameleon, always prepared to step into any situation.
I proudly endorse Mapex Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Promark Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads, Offset Pedals, and Humes & Berg Cases.
●"Hailing from Puerto Rico, bassist and composer Joan Torres is on the forefront of progressive jazz." –Morena Duwe, The Huffington Post ●"Como bajista, líder y compositor, Joan Torres tiene todo lo necesario para sobresalir. [...] su música toma prestado de varias tradiciones jazzísticas, tanto acústicas como eléctricas, para crear una síntesis vital, fresca, inclasificable." -Rafael Vega Curry, El Nuevo Día ●"Joan Torres is one of those incredible talents that you have to delve deep into the treasure chest of music to find. Hailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Torres defies conventional songwriting and playing styles in order to create his incredibly entrancing and technical music." -Nic Raffo, The.Raffo.Review