Customer Reviews

Zona Torrida

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

 

 

Zona Torrida is packed full of strong thematic material, colourful harmonies,imaginative percussion arrangements and exemplary ensemble work. One of many facets of Strunz and Farah's guitar playing is harmonised alternate-picked passages,at an incredibly fast speed, with razor sharp accuracy which abounds in this cd. However, the pieces are also well structured, proving that not only do Strunz and Farah solo brilliantly, but they also compose and arrange expertly too. The overall style is an imaginative fusion of latin American, Spanish, jazz, Middle Eastern, and Eastern Europe,expressed by the unmistakable sound of Strunz and Farah. My guitar students have been very impressed with Zona Torrida and I am sure that you will be too. Congratulation guys, you have done it again! This is music for head and heart.

I have several of S&F albums, and although their recent work (a couple of albums before this one) sound very much alike, this one sounds different and more revitalized with both new rythms and styles.

It's a gem from beginning to end and transmit a great sense of joy, but it makes you also feel you're part of the different exotic cultures the different rythms used on this album come from, you feel like a world citizen through music.

Enjoy

It seems like only yesterday that I first heard Strunz and Farah's Primal Magic CD being played on Austin's KGSR and was electrified by their sound. For a while I followed them avidly and picked up their back discography when it was available, but then after the magnificent Heat of the Sun they seemed to slip into too comfortable a groove and everything began to sound the same. So I lost interest and went on to listening to other artists. But recently, I decided to give some Strunz and Farah CDs I hadn't heard a shot and Zona Torrida is one of those I settled on.

Well, you might think that by my four-star rating of this CD that I find fault with it. Actually, it is quite a delightful piece of work with its main fault being its brevity. Zona Torrida features an international cast that brings many influences to the music. Out of nine pieces, I note four that stand out. Those are: De Luna, a fine and fluid number that epitomizes this duo at its best; Raiz and Flor, which makes judicious use of the flute; the title cut, which to me sounds straight out of the world of Django Reinhardt; and Kereshmeh, which instantly evokes the Middle East.

If you are an old time fan of Strunz and Farah who had sort of given up on them like I had, you won't be disappointed with Zona Torrida. The CD comes with a tri-fold insert that provides information on each composition and a Strunz and Farah discography. The price is right, give this a listen!

What a gem of an album this is. It is hard to compare to Americas and Heat of the Sun, as they are probably Strunz and Farah's best work, but Zona Torrida delivers also. I am happy to have it in my growing collection of Flamenco and Latin guitar music. If you are new to Strunz and Farah and only want to buy one or two albums, get Americas and/or Heat of the Sun. If you know you like the artists then feel free to get this, Rio De Colores, Wild Muse, and Stringweave in addition to Americas and Heat of the Sun if you don't already own them. Get all of the aforementioned titles and you will have a very strong collection of music from this genre and plenty of music to listen to that will not disappoint. Enjoy!