Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Samuel graduated in Music Composition from Universidad Javeriana. He started playing at age twelve and recalls learning a great deal from in-home jam sessions with friends of his musically inclined grand parents and relatives and began playing around with different bands in his hometown. - Although a classically trained percussionist, Samuel was drawn by the sound and rhythms of different styles, especially Latin American and jazz. In 1998 he traveled to the United States, where he was contracted with Grammy Award Winner Arturo Sandoval with whom he toured throughout the world for four years. He creates beautiful, yet challenging music designed to appeal to the discriminating listener. With artfully, dynamic and relaxed chops that match speed with precision, the Boston Globe describes his playing: “a ferocious conga solo by Samuel Torres that seemed not humanly possible”.