Alex Torres y Los Reyes Latinos
Dateline: 01/23/98
Alex Torres is the leader of one of the biggest bands in Upstate New York -- literally. Not only does
Los Reyes Latinos (The Latin Kings) have many members, but also have been wowing audiences at local gigs and
international festivals alike with their unique blend of salsa, merengue, and other Latin American styles.
Alex recently took some time out from his hectic schedule to answer some questions about his background,
the band, and his musical goals.
Paula: How long have you been playing music, and what got your started
originally? How did your band come to be?
Alex: I've been playing music since the age of 6, starting in the South Bronx. The
youngest of my siblings (there was a 6-7 year difference between the last
sibling and myself) my mom used to have me in the playpen, in NYC. And the
radio was on 24/7 on the AM station, listening to Machito, Tito Puente, Tito
Rodriguez, etc. I was bombarded in the playpen, listening to this music.
I moved to Amsterdam, NY at the age of 14 and there was NOTHING in the whole
area in a 200 mile radius. I loved my heritage and my music, and I was a
fish without water, a tarzan without his jungle! Basically, what I did was,
I started teaching some of my friends in school, who had like, very little
connection to their heritage. They were Latino but didn't know their
heritage, so I started teaching them percussive instruments. I couldn't find
a bass player to play the Latin rhythms so I bought a bass and started
playing bass, by ear. We started jamming, we rehearsed every single day,
seven days a week, and we stayed out of trouble after school. Eventually one
thing led to another, we formed a band so we could play at functions, and
the guys named us Alex Torres y los Reyes Latinos. We've kept the name ever
since.
Paula: What is it like being the leader of such a large band?
Alex: Its insane! But I love it. Its challenging, and you become a part time
psychologist, because you deal with 13 individual egos. So, it fulfilled my
medical career.
(Note: Alex thought he'd become a doctor, at one point)
Paula: Who are your musical influences?
Alex: First three on question #1, plus Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colon, Celia Cruz,
Benny Moré, just to name a few.
Paula: Your music is definitely not the type people can sit still to
while listening. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened during a
performance, either on stage or in the audience?
Alex:The funniest thing that ever happened - this woman got heavily into a
trance during a salsa, and she really was going at it with her partner and
her partner swung her around and missed her hand. As she spun, the woman
broke her shoe heel in midspin, lost her balance and was coming at the band
like a tornado. She almost wiped out half of the horn section. THAT was the
funniest!!
Paula: What is the best gig you ever played, and why?
Alex: The best gig I've ever played, to date, although the majority of them are
very memorable, was the largest folk festival in the USA, the Johnstown PA
Folk Festival. Upon our arrival, they had a staff of drivers for us, to give
us a tour of the city, they gave us beautiful hotel rooms, they had a
restaurant buffet for us to eat, and they even chauffeured us to a bar after
the gig! Their organization, and their hospitality, has been unequaled by
anybody in the last 10 years. Any musician who gets invited to the Johnstown
Folk Fest should not think about it twice. They really know how to treat
artists.
Paula: What are your future plans, musically?
Alex: To continue to write songs, and record them, because its a form of
documentation. And more importantly, taking our beautiful music to parts
where it has not been heard, played and enjoyed.
Thanks to Eileen Parzek who runs the band's unofficial Web site
for helping out with this interview.
Photo credit: Jeff Wood, Imagine That Photography and Video (518) 662-0092
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