Customer Reviews

So Far From Home

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not because I am a Brazilian, but because I love what I call Progressive Jazz, commercially known as Smooth Jazz, I have all the discography of Torcuato Mariano: Paradise Station (1994), Last Look (1995), Diary (2004) and Lift Me Up (2006) and now, So Far From Home (2009). He is a superb guitarist and has a great talent to mix jazz rhythm to the Brazilian way of playing instrumental music. In this recent work, he maintains the quality of the other albums, although I miss some tracks of Brazilian songs that his group used to play using jazz and instrumental rhythm.

This guy is good. I don't know what it is but there is something about his style that makes me want more.

After spending a wonderful afternoon with Torcuato and his wife Monica in Rio De Janeiro just before Carnival this year, I was able to get a good idea of who this talented guitarist is and how his life flows in the "Marvelous City." The easy going Mariano is fun to be with and drives like Mario Andretti around Sugarloaf Mountain and Copacabana Beach... his music is no different really... relaxed and high performance. Always a radio favorite with his solo releases, he's also played and toured with Sergio Mendes, Ivan Lins, Gal Costa and many others. The brand new release is a smooth, cool soundtrack for contemporary life, glistening with rich guitar work and sublime melody... featuring world class players including Michael Lington, Marcelo Martins, Hamilton de Holanda and the rhythm section is off-the-chain solid due to the very capable hands of Vinnie Calaiuta on drums and Neil Stubenhaus on bass. Favorite tracks include the title track, as well as the suave "Back To The Road," the funky chilled "British Time" and the sensual "Midnight Words." Many thanks to Torcuato and Monica for making me feel so welcome when I was SO FAR FROM HOME!

This new CD by Torcuato (So Far from Home)is a pleasent one; in my opinion, not as good as his all previous CDs like Diary or Lift Me Up, but still good.
Many of the tracks fall into the Smooth Jazz category and some into the Brazilian Jazz one, my favorites are: "British Time" "DF" "Ipanema Sunset" dedicated to Bossa Nova Monsters Roberto Menescal & Marcos Valle, and "Blues Days" with that particular sound of his 1967 Gibson 345.

His guests for this album are:
- Torcuato Mariano / Guitars, Keyboards, Arrangements & Compositions
- Andre Vasconcelos / Keyboards
- Vinnie Colaiuta / Drums
- Neil Stubenhaus / Bass
- Marcelo Martins / Sax & Flutes
- Renato Fonseca / Keyboards
- Hamilton de Holanda / Mandolin
- Paulinho Calasans / Fender Rhodes
- Michael Lington / Sax
- and many more....

All in all is a good CD; no any instant classic hits like "Ocean Way" or many other ones, but still very pleasent.

As a fan of Torcuato Mariano I certainly hope this CD makes him enough money so he can switch labels and start playing music with passion instead of marketablity. This album is "LUNCHMEAT" compared to his previous recordings.
Don't get me wrong..all are nice tune but dumbed down to smooth-jazz standards that are neither adventurous or thought provoking. I hope he reawakens his superb talents before the commercial interests suck him dry like too many before him.

I don't know how I could have missed this artist,he is just tremendous.As one reviewer stated, I do hear the Marc Antoine and Peter White in his music. But I also hear some Chuck Loeb and his bluisy side reminds me of a younger Larry Carlton. All in all this is a very solid album,the tunes seem to flow very well and all of them are solid.Iwould love to see him live.

Torcuato new cd is awesome,superb. It is 1 of the best cds iv heard so far in 2009 id go out & buy this cd right away. Id also buy his 2006 CD Lift Me Up its just as awesome as his new release for 2009.

This beautiful cd may be far from home, but certainly not from the heart - my heart, that is. Mariano's style is distinctly his own, even though there is a slight resemblance to the styles of both Marc Antoine and Peter White. I don't mind that, since they are among my favorites, too. The only complaint I have is that the 48 minutes pass only too fast in such good company. Able musicians add to an already excellent set of songs. My advice therefore: Go get it!
Sigbjørn Reime, Bryne - Norway

I've been a fan of this Brazilian guitarist since 1995 when I heard music from his "Last Look" CD, and I've eagerly awaited each CD he's released since then. While I anticipate that each new release will be more of the same (in other words, more of what I like), I'm pleasantly surprised each time to find that he's put a new twist on his style while keeping the core of what I like about him: distinctive writing and playing. After my first listening, 'Ipanema Sunset' jumped out as a favorite track, but the entire CD is a nice assortment of mid-tempo Torcuato.