"There's a swing in these songs that make it a Latin Jazz album, but there's some indescribable 'something else' there. It's in the energy and flow, and there's rarely a dull moment... this album is modestly, sneakily large.... an altogether outstanding album." - Anthony Dean-Harris, Nextbop.com - read full review here

"Absolutely gorgeous jazz with strings session from tenor saxophonist Castro. He leads a core quintet of trumpeter Josh Shpak, bassist Tamir Shmerling, drummer Jonathan Pinson and pianist KyuMin Shim along with a string quartet (and a variety of guests), and despite the crowded dance floor, the music has a light, airy presence despite its often big sound. Of great importance, the string quartet parts are woven seamlessly into the fabric of the whole, and not treated like some sort of compositional plug-in that gets added when needed for effect. Notable guests are David Sanchez and Dave Liebman. Just a beautiful effort. One of the better with-strings albums I’ve heard in 2014. Highly Recommended." - Ryan Keberle, Wondering Sound - visit page here

"Saxophonist Mario Castro is on a roll. The 26-year Puerto Rican Berklee graduate performed a series of shows with Miguel Zenón this past summer as part of [The Jazz Gallery's] Mentoring Series, and he returns... to make his début as a leader alongside his quintet plus string quartet." - Kevin Sun, Jazz Speaks / The Jazz Gallery NYC - read full interview here

"Here’s an exciting and panoramic collection of fresh and invigorating material... The result is a velvety kaleidoscope of wondrous sounds and rhythms weaving in and out like a Raphael tapestry into an organic, warm unit.... This is a meal to savor!" - George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly "Ringer of the Week" - read full review here

"Here is an album that sings of creativity and is fueled by love... It is a work of art, from the engineering that separated everything so perfectly, to the mastery that each musician exhibited. I'm full of gratitude that my ears had an opportunity to enjoy this musical masterpiece... I haven't heard a young jazz band on the scene that's excited me as much as this one in years." - Dee Dee McNeil, LAJazz.com - read full review here

"The saxophonist's album is juicy with melody and has a vision. It's ambitious: There are string arrangements, vocal numbers and a handful of "star turns" by saxophonists David Sanchez, Dave Liebman and Casey Benjamin, the latter on vocoder. Castro keeps it all in order; the music is as accessible as it is soulful. It has a tropical feeling about it. It floats and dances, elegant. At the core of the album is his working quintet, which includes the combustive drummer Jonathan Pinson. Castro is 26, one of a crop of young saxophonists to watch. " - Richard Scheinen, San Jose Mercury News - read full review here

"The lines which define jazz compositions and performance have long blurred. This production was quite an ambitious project for Castro, with astounding results. He judiciously blended influences as abstract as Debussy, Dexter Gordon, Latin rhythms and beyond - and brought in the proper musicians - to achieve this amalgamation. With Estrella De Mar, Mario Castro is in the forefront of those artists willing to take chances to push this music forward." - James Nadal, AllAboutJazz.com - read full review here