The virtuosic Spanish pianist Xavi Torres is one of the most outstanding young musicians on the European scene. He currently resides in Amsterdam, after studying Classical and Jazz at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He has won several awards, including the Dutch Jazz Competition with his trio and the 2020 Enderrock Award for Best Album and Best Jazz Band in Catalonia, among others. He was also a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Piano Jazz Competition, the most prestigious jazz contest in the world.
Following his acclaimed recent solo and trio albums, as well as his tribute to Beethoven (Kind of Beethoven), he returns with a new trio album titled Quarantena Songs. A work composed during the pandemic lockdown, in which Xavi Torres wrote one piece a day for 30 days as a way to keep his creative energy flowing.
His live performances are powerful and display great attention to detail and nuance. Rhythmically solid and inventive, they are extremely imaginative, blending the Mediterranean roots of the bandleader with the Amsterdam jazz experience, classical music, and South American rhythms.
In this concert, part of the CAN REON – THREE DAYS OF JAZZ series, Xavi Torres performs alongside his regular collaborators Reinier Elizarde and Andreu Pitarch, with a special guest appearance by British-Canadian saxophonist Seamus Blake.
New York based Seamus Blake is recognized as one of the finest exponents of contemporary jazz. His music is known for its sophistication, bold improvisations and “sheer swagger”. John Scofield, who hired Seamus for his “Quiet Band,” called him “extraordinary, a total saxophonist.” Throughout his 24 year career, Seamus has garnered critical praise for his masterful playing, his fine compositional skills and for his facility as a leader.
