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Omar Torrez

About Me


“Dare we dub him the Latin Hendrix?! The fastest fingers in the West, a massive talent poised to break out and kiss the sky.” ~ The Los Angeles Times

“Torrez, [a] guitar wizard … ranges from Flamenco mastery to hot rock” ~ The Seattle Times


Omar Torrez Band (OTB) is indeed blessed with all that is right within the world of music – a passion for their art, an audience to share it with, and enormous talent to back it all up.
One could write a novel about front man Omar Torrez’s heritage, ranging from Spanish and Basque (via Mexico) to Norwegian, Native American and Russian roots. Born and raised in Seattle (where OTB was voted ‘Best Band’ for three consecutive years by Seattle Weekly), the young artist received national attention when he won the National Jimi Hendrix Guitar Competition at the prestigious Bumbershoot Festival. After this victory, Omar embarked on a musical, spiritual, and physical journey, traveling the world, studying Cuban and Andalusian gypsy music. Learning from the Cuban and Spanish musical masters such as Carlos del Puerto, Jr. and Juan Serrano, Omar immersed himself in classical and Flamenco guitar. Living a life of the gypsy, he eventually found himself coming full circle back to his American music roots. This remarkable versatility caught the ears of Tom Waits who chose Omar to be his guitarist for the 2008 Glitter and Doom tour. His music now reflects these various experiences, revealing a multi-dimensional artist that is rare in today’s music scene.
Torrez and his writing partner, multi-instrumentalist John Wakefield, have attracted world-class players to join them in OTB. Among the various artists that play with them regularly: Tige DeCoster and Carlos del Puerto, Jr. on bass, Byron Vannoy, Dale Fanning and Jimmy Branly.
OTB has toured extensively both in the US and abroad in support of their 2 releases on Russia’s major label Soyuz Music. They have shared the stage with musical giants, including the Buena Vista Social Club, Jethro Tull, Pancho Sanchez, Susana Baca, and Francisco Aguabella, as well as such underground favorites as Indigenous, B-side Players and Sidestepper. Endorsements include: Fender, Breedlove Guitars, and L.R. Baggs.
In the latest album, “The Beat Outside”, OTB has seamlessly blended their rock, funk, blues and Latin influences to make original yet radio friendly music.
With a West Coast tour in place this fall to support the release of their first single, (after Omar returns from the Tom Waits "Glitter and Doom" tour), the band is poised to continue crossing musical, generational, and cultural boundaries with their passionate energy and sound.
Management & Booking: Masha Tsiklauri
(310) 403-2909; [email protected]
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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 9/23/2005
Band Website: www.omartorrez.com
Band Members: Omar Torrez - Vocals, acoustic/electric guitars

John Wakefield - Percussion, background vocals
Tige Decoster, Carlitos del Puerto, Jr. - Bass
Jimmy Branly, Byron Vannoy - Drums

Omar Torrez "Dog Heart":

Omar Torrez "Mexican Home":

'All the World is Green' from the Glitter and Doom Tour:



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Influences: Sly Stone, Bill Withers, Jacques Brel, Richard Pryor, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Vonnegut jr., luis Buñel, B B King, Tom Waits, Howlin' Wolf, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, John Prine, Paco De Lucia, Vicente Amigo, Juan Serrano, Led Zeppelin, Meshell N'Degio'cello, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, Pink Floyd, Manu Chao, Bulgakov, Joseph Campbell, Greg Palast, Garcia-Marquez and Steve Martin

Press Blurbs for "The Beat Outside":

“’The Beat Outside’ expresses the Omar Torrez Band's passion for both the vintage sounds of artists like Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix and their love of song writers like Leonard Cohen and John Prine. This record combines juicy grooves and formidable musicianship with songs that actually reflect our brutal and absurd time.” ~ Amazon.com

“Omar Torrez’s lysergic Latin guitar fluttered like a Bossa Nova hummingbird, a neon Andres Segovia, runs punctuated with Bill Frissel sustains and Hendrix air-raid siren chords.” ~ Flagstaff Live

"If you enjoy great guitar playing, you'll enjoy this album" ~ 88.1FM WYCE

“Dare we dub him the Latin Hendrix?! Torrez, [a] guitar wizard … ranges from Flamenco mastery to hot rock. The fastest fingers in the West, a massive talent poised to break out and kiss the sky.” ~ Seattle Times

"'The Beat Outside' is downright funky, albeit some unusually smart funk" ~ Easy Reader



Sounds Like: Jimi Hendrix, Andres Segovia and James Brown drinking Tequila in a bar in Russia, playing all night until they fade into the oblivion of the early morning.

OTB live at the Temple Bar:

Record Label: Arteria (Mexico)
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Lanza la Omar Torrez Band su disco "Corazón de Perro"

Lanza la Omar Torrez Band su disco "Corazón de Perro"29 de Abril, 2009 - 15:05 México, 29 Abr. (Notimex).- Considerado como uno de los virtuosos de la guitarra contemporánea, el músico Omar Torrez y ...
Posted by on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:25:00 GMT

Yekaterinburg concert

Yekaterinburg show.2 hours of sleep and we are off. We arrive at the Ural city of Yekaterinburg. It is suprisingly warm at 10 celcius. A van meets us to take us directly to soundcheck. The Tele-Club i...
Posted by on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:07:00 GMT

Moscow concert at Jao Da

Moscow show:I absolutely LOVE Kitaisky Leo'chik. I'm serious. This little place has more Bohemian charm than all the hipster bars in the Western United States combined.We sound check. We go outside to...
Posted by on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:59:00 GMT

Blog #5

Blog #5Our wonderful host, Ghena, gave us a true Russian welcome; pickles, caviar, salami, smoked fish, delicious black bread and vodka ruled our first night in Moskva.We awake at the crack of no...
Posted by on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:50:00 GMT

Trip to Moscow

Blog #4We arrived at the Riga airport. It was easy to feel the difference at the nexus between Eastern and Western Europe. The most obvious sign was the alarming increase in beautiful women waiti...
Posted by on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:37:00 GMT

Diario de Mallorca article ...

Link to the full story:http://www.diariodemallorca.es/secciones/noticia.jsp?p Ref=2009032800_9_449134__Actual-Omar-Torrez-resulta-imposibl e-tocar-solo-estilo
Posted by on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:57:00 GMT

Omar T trio in Mallorca, Spain

Blog #1Mallorca- Day 1We arrived after a five airport, 24 hour travel day suitably exhausted. Tomeau, the promoter, met us at the hotel lobby and we went out for tapas and wine.We took our places...
Posted by on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:43:00 GMT

Our European adventure begins Wednesday!

Hello friends,We are excited to begin our tour of the old world next Wednesday. We fly to Mallorca for two shows. Then we play in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and continue on to Georgia.We are excited about...
Posted by on Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:24:00 GMT

Omar Torrez Band "Mexican Home"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z87NJssQsI I sang this sing at my father's funeral. It was his favorite. Recorded in November 2008 with Carlitos Del Puerto, John Wakefield and David Leach...
Posted by on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Mexico City

We came back from Mexico worn from the deeper pleasures. We played in front of 2 thousand people at the Quito Festival Diego Rivera in Coyocan, drank the finest tequilas in the land (Maestro Reposado)...
Posted by on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:58:00 GMT