Hands were clapping in the clave rhythm on Friday afternoon inside the Longs Peak room inside the University of Northern Colorado University Center. Leading the clapping was Samuel Torres, a Latin Grammy award-winner.
Torres was leading a workshop, which was a part of the second day of the UNC-Greeley Jazz Festival.
Some of those clapping and listening to Torres were band students who had been on campus since Thursday for the three-day event. More than 150 middle school, high school and college bands were expected to attend the festival.
The UNC Compass Jazz Orchestra entertains a sold out concert held in the UNC Campus Commons Performance Hall on Friday April 25, 2025.(Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)For more than 50 years, the festival has brought in numerous jazz musicians and bands to play music as well as to learn and teach it.
Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Torres has worked with musicians such as Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Yo-Yo Ma, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony and others over his career. Torres’ album “Regreso” won Best Classical Record at the 2019 Latin Grammy Awards.
Torres was set to play with the UNC Compass Jazz Orchestra twice on Friday at the Campus Commons Performance Hall. The Count Basie Orchestra was scheduled to play, too, before Torres.
At 2 p.m., Torres started his workshop with a group of students and other musicians. His talk focused on the importance of rhythm, including clave. Clave is a rhythmic pattern with an asymmetrical distribution of beats across a two-measure phrase. It’s commonly found in Latin American music. Clave is the foundation of many genres like son, rumba and salsa.
Rhythm, no matter what style of music you’re playing, is critical, Torres said.
“Develop control of the rhythm,” he told the audience. “If you don’t, you lose a lot.”
The UNC Compass Jazz Orchestra plays with Samuel Torres during the annual UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival on Friday April 25, 2025.(Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)Along with rhythm, having freedom as an artist is another beautiful aspect of Latin jazz, he said.
The festival continues Saturday. At 4:30 p.m., Sullivan Fortner and the Jazz Festival All-Star Big Band featuring saxophonist Sarah Hanahan and trumpeter Wayne Bergeron perform at the Campus Commons Performance Hall.
Fortner has established himself within the new generation of jazz musicians and listeners. Last year, Fortner and the Sullivan Fortner Trio were winners of the DownBeat Critics Poll for Rising Star Jazz Group.
Bergeron’s talents have been featured in movie soundtracks such as “The Incredibles” and the 2021 remake of “West Side Story.” Hanahan has worked her way up through the New York City music scene and is seeing the benefits of her hard work.
For more information about the festival, go to arts.unco.edu/jazzfest.
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