Alexa Torres is a Latinx improvising violinist and music researcher with a background in jazz. Torres views her ethnographic and performance practices as reciprocal. Musically, she seeks to cultivate improvisational and compositional styles that embody a dialogue between tradition and innovation in modern improvised music. Throughout her musical career, Torres has performed in the US, Latin America, and Europe and has had the privilege of sharing the stage with renowned, Grammy-winning artists such as Kurt Elling and Mon Laferte.
Breaking new ground in the world of improvised strings, in 2022 Torres became the first woman and the first violinist to graduate from the University of North Texas (UNT) Jazz Strings program when she obtained a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the acclaimed Jazz Studies department. Torres’ research and performance work has been recognized by prestigious awards such as the Austin Live Music Grant, the Fulbright Grant, the Presser Graduate Music Award, and the Steinhardt Fellowship. In Situ, Torres’s debut album as a band leader will be available on major streaming platforms on June 14th.
The archaeological term in Situ evokes a sense of rediscovery and temporal connection, reflected musically through the textures, improvisational languages, and timbres of the album. Further mirroring Torres’ goal of bridging past, present, and future, In Situ brings together original compositions as well as contemporary arrangements of jazz standards. The compositions foreground contemplative melodies, rich harmonic textures, and atypical forms. The arrangements reflect an intimate engagement with jazz idioms and Torres’ own Latinx heritage by synthesizing Latinx rhythms, modern jazz devices, and improvisation. Weaving an aural landscape that is both personally and historically grounded, In Situ sculpts a sonic bridge between past and present, between tradition and innovation, and between musical idioms and cultures.
Mario Wellmann - Guitar; Guillermo López - Double Bass; Gary Kerkezou - Drums
https://www.alexatorresmusic.com ; https://www.instagram.com/alexatorresmusic/