Juancito Torres

Juan “Juancito” Torres Velez (January 14, 1936 – July 26, 2003), also known as "La Trompeta Nacional De Puerto Rico", was a Puerto Rican salsa and jazz trumpet player, composer, arranger, producer and musical director best known for his association with the Fania All-Stars from 1979 to 1985. He was known as a great soloist, specializing in upper register.

Early life
Torres was born in Caguas Puerto Rico on January 14, 1936, and began in music by playing violin in his hometown, where he belonged to the Municipal Band. Torres began formal musical studies at the age of fourteen when he enrolled at the Escuela Libre de Música. In 1952 he joined the orchestra of jazz musician Ramón Usera Vives. In 1955 he moved to New York City, where he performed with Xavier Cugat, Noro Morales and Lecuona Cuban Boys. He also performed with the orchestras of Pupi Campo and Tito Rodríguez as well as with René Touzet, Dámaso Pérez Prado and Eddie Cano.

Torres returned to Puerto Rico in 1960 and continued his studies at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. He would later become the trumpet player for the Puerto Rico All Stars as well as Batacumbele.

Career
Torres performed with some of the best artists of the 1950s Latin big band era, including that of Rafael Muñoz, Miguelito Miranda and Moncho Usera's orchestra as well as with the Noro Morales Orchestra based out of the La Concha Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1965 he recorded an album with Bobby Capó and his Orchestra. At the end of the sixties, Torres joined the orchestra of Bobby Valentín, who was also a trumpet player, with whom he participated in the recording of five albums between 1969 and 1975. During the 1970s he recorded with Frank Ferrer, Justo Betancourt, Puerto Rico All Stars and Marvin Santiago.

He also performed with Tito Rodriguez, Joe Quijano, Sexteto Silver, Charlie Palmieri, Johnny Pacheco, Bobby Valentin and many other Latin Jazz musicians. In 1979 Vélez began recording, and performing in international tours with the famous Fania All Stars orchestra. Between 1979 and 1997, he performed and recorded Johny Pacheco for Jerry Masucci, on multiple albums. These include: Habana Jam, Commitment, Latin Connection, Lo que Pide la Gente, "Live", Viva Colombia and Bravo. He has also recorded and performed with Cheo Feliciano, Tommy Olivencia and his Orchestra, Raphy Leavitt and La Selecta, Adalberto Santiago, Roberto Roena, Sonora Ponceña, Eddie Palmieri, Tito Rojas, Pedro Arroyo, Descarga Boricua, Lalo Rodríguez and Ray Barreto and Tito Puente among many others. In 1992, he joined the Dutch salsa orchestra Nueva Manteca.

Death
Torres died on July 27, 2003, in Carolina Puerto Rico, in his sleep from a heart attack.

Selected discography

 * 2010	Ponte Duro: The Fania All Stars Story	Fania All-Stars	Soloist, Trumpet
 * 2008	Campeones: A Band and Their Music	Fania All-Stars	Soloist, Trumpet
 * 2008	Cien Anos Con Albizu	Andrés Jiménez	Trumpet
 * 2008	Trompeta Tropical	Humberto Ramírez	Primary Artist, Trumpet
 * 2004	Fuerza Gigante: Live in Puerto Rico April 27, 2001	Ray Barretto	Trumpet
 * 2003	Cuban All Jazz [Tropical]		Trumpet
 * 2003	Feeling Good Again	Charlie Sepulveda	Flugelhorn, Guest Artist
 * 2003	Las Noches de Nydia	Nydia Caro	Trumpet
 * 2002	Paradise	Humberto Ramírez	Flugelhorn, Trumpet
 * 2001	Barreto 50th Anniversary	Ray Barretto	Trumpet
 * 2001	El Duque de la Salsa	Herb Flores	Trumpet
 * 2001	Union	Puya	Trumpet
 * 1999	50 Anos en Su Musica	Miguelito Miranda	Trumpet
 * 1999	Bobby Capo y Orquesta	Bobby Capó	Trumpet
 * 1999	Interpreta a Placido Acevedo Anoranzas y Quimeras	Gilberto Monroig	Guest Artist, Trumpet
 * 1999	Noche Caliente		Trumpet
 * 1999	Puerto Rican Jazz	Caunedo y Su Orquesta	Primary Artist, Trumpet
 * 1998	Roberto Clemente: Un Tributo Musical (Tribute in Song)		Trumpet
 * 1998	Somos Uno	Descarga Boricua	Trumpet
 * 1997	Bravo 97	Fania All-Stars	Trumpet
 * 1997	Carlos David	Carlos David	Trumpet
 * 1997	Personal	Hector Rey	Trumpet
 * 1997	Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound: Mi Música 1997	Roberto Roena	Trumpet
 * 1997	Volver	Tito Gomez	Trumpet
 * 1996	Abrazate: Descarga Boricua, Vol. 2	Descarga Boricua	Collaboration, Trumpet
 * 1996	De Regreso	Puerto Rico All Stars	Trumpet
 * 1995	Live: June 11–1994, Puerto Rico	Fania All-Stars	Soloist, Trumpet, Unknown Contributor Role
 * 1994	El Maestro	Nino Segarra	Trumpet
 * 1994	Naci Para Cantar	Lalo Rodríguez	Trumpet
 * 1993	Lo Sabemos	Justo Betancourt	Flugelhorn
 * 1992	A Dos Tiempos de un Tiempo	Gilberto Santa Rosa	Flugelhorn, Trumpet
 * 1992	Capricornio	Dario Estrella	Trumpet
 * 1991	Fuego a La Jicotea [TH Rodven]	Marvin Santiago	Trumpet
 * 1991	Tropico	Pedro Arroyo	Trumpet
 * 1990	Con Mas Power	Puerto Rican Power Orchestra	Trumpet
 * 1990	Te Tengo Que Olvidar	Sergio Hernandez	Trumpet
 * 1989	Live Session, Vol. 2	Steve Nelson	Flugelhorn
 * 1989	Vine Pa’ Quedarme	Pedro Arroyo	Trumpet
 * 1985	El Nino, El Hombre, El Sonador, El Loco	Lalo Rodríguez	Flugelhorn
 * 1984	Lo Que Pide La Gente	Fania All-Stars	Trumpet
 * 1982	Calidad	Adalberto Santiago	Main Personnel, Trumpet
 * 1982	Determination	La Sonora Ponceña	Flugelhorn, Main Personnel
 * 1982	Profundo	Cheo Feliciano	Flugelhorn, Main Personnel
 * 1982	Super Apollo 47:50	Roberto Roena	Main Personnel, Trumpet
 * 1981	Latin Connection	Fania All-Stars	Trumpet
 * 1981	Social Change	Fania All-Stars	Flugelhorn, Trumpet
 * 1981	Un Triangulo de Triunfo	Tommy Olivencia	Trumpet
 * 1980	Commitment	Fania All-Stars	Flugelhorn, Trumpet
 * 1980	Sentimiento Tu	Cheo Feliciano	Flugelhorn, Main Personnel, Trumpet
 * 1978	 Los Profesionales	Puerto Rico All Stars	Composer, Producer, Trumpet, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
 * 1977	 Puerto Rico All Stars	Puerto Rico All Stars	Trumpet
 * 1976 Puerto Rico All Stars	Puerto Rico All Stars	Trumpet
 * 1974	In Motion	Bobby Valentín	Featured Artist, Trumpet
 * 1974 Aleluyah Frank Ferrer, Trumpet
 * 1969 Se La Comió Bobby Valentin, Trumpet
 * 1964 Bobby Capó And His Orchestra, Trumpet