Customer Reviews

Journey to the Amazon

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a beautiful work of art. I heard one of her tracks on the radio, and had to get this CD. Isbin proves that truly great music does not need lyrics to speak to you. There are so many subtle nuances to the composition- an unexpected note here, a syncopated rhythm there. "Julia Florida" is achingly beautiful. The South American flow keeps my fingers tapping. There is a Latin jazz influence that permeates throughout, perfectly belnding with her classical, intricate guitar style. If you're interested in classical guitar and enjoy a lot of jazz and rhythms, you should search out this CD.

Sharon is a wonderful guitarist who has been concertizing since she was fourteen years old. She plays with technical mastery and feeling, but more importantly she takes risks and has not gone stale. A few of the more well known compositions hold up very well next to other versions of say, Segovia and Christopher Parkening. Why would you want to hear these recordings since other masters have already done them so splendidly? They haven't been done with Brazilian percussion and saxophone. The other reason to purchase this CD is because of the wonderful world premier of Thiago de Mello's compositions. Two for one: familiar Brazilian compositiona by Barrios et. al, with a little more "Brazilian" feel.

This recording was one of my early exposures to Sharon Isbin on CD. I had the pleasure of experiencing her live performance prior to the purchase of this CD. As a fan of heavier guitar music, (i.e. Steve Vai and Eric Johnson), I never believed I would enjoy a classical guitarist. I was so completely moved by the performance Ms. Isbin gives on this CD, that I promptly purchased "Dreams of a World" and most recently "Baroque Favorites for Guitar". I highly recommend this CD if you want to hear a guitarist whose work defies traditional categorization. I give it 10 stars! Please try to see Ms. Isbin live in recital if she comes to your area; you will experience a remarkable performance.

I had the good fortune of hearing these performers live and relished every moment. Rarely does a CD live up to a live performance, but this is one that does and more. A must buy!!

Sharon Isbin is undeniably the greatest guitarist to grace up. TODAY she preformed for at Berkeley for the Crowden School. And she preformed a piece from the CD. With grace and charm it was the highlight of my year. This CD has beat and witty South American Flavor that any die hard Classical Guitarist would enjoy. I have all of her CDs let me tell you if there is ONE cd you should buy this is it.

Sharon's music like her is pretty nice too. She autographed my copy of Journey to the Amazon. And I have a pic of herself and I. Something to cherish, like the music she will instill in your heart and soul. Viva ISBIN!

This CD was my first exposure to Sharon Isbin, and I am absolutely mesmerized by it!! The music is beautiful, lyrical and moving. You can close your eyes and feel transported to a lovely other-worldly place full of graceful Latin/Brazilian rhythms.

The guitar performance is as good as it gets. Every track could have been recorded as a solo performance and worked very well. The percussion and saxophone enrich the context and move the performance into something more than just music. After listening you feel like you've just enjoyed something wonderful and at the same time you've been educated without realizing it! After listening you understand something about Latin American music that you didn't before.

Oh my, this is just fantastic. Sharon came through town last year, and while I missed the concert I read the pre-show interview and post-show review and was intrigued enough to put his on my amazon wishlist. It arrived this week and I'm blown away. It's even better than I'd imagined it might be. Such sensual playing, and fantastic percussion and sax work as well. If you enjoy music at all, of any sort, you NEED this CD.

I heard Cochichando and I put the search engines in high gear looking for it. The music called me and I answered. It's that simple. A true classic.

The Journey to the Amazon does just what the title suggests, taking you on an melodious adventure of guitar and local instruments and rhythms. This disc was my introduction to the sound of a classical guitar, and I found that the path Sharon Isbin took from more classical repertoire suited her style well. I may not have liked the sound of classical guitar at all if I had first listened to it in a more traditional genre.