Biography

Samuel Torres is a Colombian percussionist and composer, born in Bogotá and based in Brooklyn, New York. A Latin Grammy winner, he works at the intersection of Afro-Latin rhythms, Latin jazz, and contemporary classical music, in a career that has consistently resisted easy categorization.

He has performed, arranged, produced, and recorded with a who’s who of the jazz, Latin pop, and classical worlds, including Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, Alejandro Sanz, Ricky Martin, Richard Bona, Lila Downs, Angélique Kidjo, Marc Anthony, Rubén Blades, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Shakira. As a composer and soloist, he has appeared with orchestras such as the Berlin Symphoniker, City of London Sinfonia, the Cuban National Symphony, and the Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali Philharmonics.

In 2019, he won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Album for Regreso, a concerto for congas and symphony orchestra. He is a three-time recipient of Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works grant and won second place at the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in 2000. His latest album, Trio Libre (Blue Conga Music, 2026), distills his path into an intimate chamber setting.