MILLO TORRES Y EL TERCER PLANETA
AKA MILLO TORRES AND THE THIRD PLANET

Puerto Rican Reggae Band gets versatile at Bob Marley Festival, proves they
can rock with Santana

This article appeared in Reggae Report, Vol. 16, #3

BY ANYA McCOY

The members of this Puerto-Rico-based rootsy reggae band were excited by
their career opportunities in early 1998. They were coming to the United
States for their second tour, and they were honored to be on the bill for
the Fifth Annual Bob Marley Caribbean Festival held  in Miami on Feb. 14.
The chance to play on the same stage as the Marley family members, and
share the bill other luminaries in Reggae was enough to make them view the
appearance as a high point of their career, but  the surprise that awaited
them in Miami far exceeded their wildest dreams.

The arrived in Miami several days before the Festival, doing radio promos,
meeting with jounalists, typical stuff, nothing special on the agenda.
However,  the day before the Festival, circumstances developed so that not
all of the members of  Carlos Santana's  band were not able to make the gig. 

Santana was the featured invited guest of the Festival, the headliner that
the Marley family recognized for both his accomplishments in Latin Rock,
and for his long-time admiration of Bob Marley's music and philosophy.

So, at the last minute, the Third Planet was tapped to audition at a
rehearsal at Ikus Studios in South Dade, jamming with Carlos  to see if
they could step in for his absent band members. The members of Third Planet
who filled in were Millo Torres (lead guitar/singer), Rigo Collazo (drums),
Tinci Moreno (bass), Javier Bermudo (keyboards), Carlos Zubrzychi (rhythm
guitar and Efrain Hidalgo (percussion).  Santana's lead singer, keyboardist
and percussionist filled out the group, making their set soar in a
Reggafied-Latin-rock blend.

As luck would have it, Millo Torres and the Third Planet were the only
Latin reggae band on the bill, and, being life-long Santana fans, they were
very familiar with his music.  The question might still have remained if
they were competent enough musicians to fill in for the band of one of
rock's leading guitarist/musicians, but the background of the Third Planet
includes some strong musical education and experience. "We were happy to be
asked, and we might have thought the "audition" could be nerve-wracking,
but instead, it turned into a great jam, with Ziggy (Marley)  joining in, "
said Millo.


Maybe one reason the auditon went so smoothly, is Millo is a graduate of
the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, and he and the other
band members have been musicians since childhood, so they are used to
playing on demand. Millo originally came to Boston for studies at Boston
University, where he received his degree in International Relations. One
night, in 1986, he got up at an open mic night, and was hooked on
performing. He then attended Berklee after graduation from Boston U, honing
his production skills. He has had his own production studion in Puerto Rico
for several years, and that is where their first CD, "Sonadad Realidad"
(the phrase means dreaming reality)  was self-produced and leased last
year.  On the CD, Giovanni Hildago, one of the world's top percussionists,
made a guest appearance, as did Luis Aquino on trumpet and Chichito Cepada
(another top percussionist), who di a barriles de bomba" chant.

"Life in Puerto Rico is  nearly idyllic, Puerto Rico being one of the most
carefree, prosperous and "well-connected" of the Caribbean isles," said
Millo.  The island's close ties with the United States have been the basis
of a good economy and opportunities for Puerto Ricans to enjoy a higher
standard of life that many of their neighbors.

>From childhood, the band members  were able to pick up on the latest
American trends and goods, and the music of the American airwaves made for
much enjoyment. American groups toured in Puerto Rico, and the TOP 40
sounds were as familiar to the kids of San Juan as they were to the kids of
San Jose, California. 

With maturity and travel, the band members picked up more and more on the
sounds of reggae, and when the band first formed two years ago, a
commitment was made to use Reggae as a vehicle by which they could sing
about the social, environmental and political factors of life.

The musical philosophy of the Third Planet is deeply tied to the
environment of Puerto Rico, and the current development that is affecting
the pristine waters and lands of the island. Many of the songs on their CD
are about spirituality,  the way in which the people relate to each other
and the earth, and the conscious life of someone tuned into the Reggae way
of thinking.

The songs are in both English and Spanish, but someone who spoke only one
of those languages could still pick up on the general "feel" of the music,
and enjoy the professionalism and high quality of the sound and the
production. Perhaps it was this high quality that attracted the attention
of Apple, of Israel Vibrations. 

                   On several occasions, while in Miami, they have gigged
with Apple, most recently at the Hungry Sailor in Coconut Grove, a week
after the Bob Marley Festival. The reggae sounds of Third Planet are so
tuned into the heart of Reggae, that one of the most respected artists,
Apple, gives them as much credibility and honor as to play with them as
Santana did. All this within a one week period -- the kind of recognition
that young bands can only dream about, was Third Planet's reality in Miami.

Their next trip back to the States will again be to Miami, this time to
showcase at the MIDEM Latin and Caribbean Music Convention in August.  With
their hectic performance schedule ( they play at least four times a month
in Puerto Rico, being regulars at the Warehouse, the Asylum, or Mangoes),
they are sure to be in top form for MIDEM, and ready to let the Latin music
business crowd get a taste of their Latin Reggae.  

With their track record for gigging with musical legends, place your bets
on who they will hook up with at MIDEM, and stand back and watch them blow
the audience away, as usual. The rhythms and the  whole Afro-Caribbean
sounds will come together to lay the foundation for Reggae Espanol, Boricua
(Puerto Rican) style.

Peace, Anya

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