Album of the Year
author: John Temmerman
This is a tremendous CD from start to finish. An outstanding variety of ltain jazz, most of which are originals from the leader. Check out the driving 5/4 cut, Desire, and the laid-back Hiroshi. This is an incredibly tight band, with great soloists. Well worth buying.
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Excellent Interpretation of Latin Jazz
author: Matt Negrete
Azul Oscuro featured some of the best and most fascinating interpretations of the Latin Jazz genre. The songs are well composed and wonderful to listen and enjoy. I also compliment Sasha Brusin and Swing Odyssey Studio along with mastering engineer Steve Yates for a very nice quality recording. Steven Hashimoto and Suenos Latin-Jazz has brought forth a wonderful work. This is beyond the usual.
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A 'must own' CD!
author: Mike Yackley
If you like Latin Jazz, then you will love this disc!
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Top-notch playing and compositions make this a delightful disc
author: David Ashcraft/Expose magazine
This is the first time that the sound of Steve Hashimoto's excellent band has been properly captured on CD. They have honed their degree of interplay to an almost telepathic level after many years of playing together, and they know the tunes inside and out. The compositions are one of the most outstanding aspects of the disc as 9 of the 12 tunes were written by Hashimoto in his highly melodic style. The band features Mike Levin who has mastered about every wind instrument imaginable as well as Bob Long (formerly of Streetdancer) on fluid keyboards. The supporting cast is also very strong with the likes of Neil Alger on guitar (Patricia Barber's band) and the dean of latin percussion, Alejo Poveda. This disc is highly recommended for a combination of tuneful and tasteful jazz that is both joyful and sophisticated.
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