Born August 17, 1946 in Puerto Padre, Cuba, Juan Pablo Torres Morell is an Afro-Cuban songo and jazz trombonist, composer, arranger and bandleader. Although recognized as one of the finest trombonists to emerge in the Latin jazz community in the 1990s, his career began in Cuba in the late 1960s. He began by playing euphonium (a three- or four-valve brass instrument) in a local band. In 1967, he joined the Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna under the direction of Armando Romeu. Juan Pablo Torres began leading his own group, Los Caneyes, in the early 1970s. The group is credited with creating the "chikichaka" rhythm. In 1975, he released the album Y Viva la Felicidad, the first in a series of 1970s albums that also included Mangle (1976), Cuba Romántica (1977) and Algo Nuevo (1978). In the 1980s, he joined Irakere, a group that also included Chucho Valdés, Arturo Sandoval and Paquito D'Rivera. In 1992, Juan Pablo Torres emigrated to Spain, where he accepted a teaching post at the Zaragoza Conservatory. A year later, he moved to the United States. While living in the U.S., he became actively involved in several musical ensembles, including the Tropijazz All-Stars, the Cuban Masters and the Caimán All-Stars. While keeping a busy schedule, Juan Pablo Torres has also recorded a series of critically acclaimed albums, including Trombone Man (1995), Pepper Trombone (1997), Cuba Swings (2001) and Identidad (2003). His solo albums led him to work with other legendary musicians such as Paquito D'Rivera and Hilton Ruiz. Juan Pablo Torres died on April 17, 2005 of an inoperable brain tumour.
