Composer and saxophonist Mario Castro formed the Mario Castro Quintet in 2009 during their education period at Berklee College of Music. In 2012 the group had not only played many of most prominent International Jazz Festivals (Newport, Montreal, etc) but they also released their debut album 'Primavera' on Greg Osby's Inner Circle Music label. "..he has a gorgeous sound on the tenor and most of all, leadership and passion..pure beauty, energy and honesty" says NEA master David Liebman of 'Primavera'. After their release bandleader Mario Castro moved to New York City and with his arrival to the big apple Castro commenced writing music with a larger pallet of colors and sounds in mind. He was in pursuit for a unique sonic experience. This pursuit eventually lead to combining the brilliant, warm and visual sound of a string quartet with the trademark rumbling vibrant crash of the quintet. Mario Castro Quintet / Strings was born. In December of 2013 Mario Castro Quintet / Strings signed a record deal with Interrobang Records and went into the best and most legendary studio in NYC; Avatar Studios to record their debut album with strings. 'Estrella De Mar' (star of the sea) is an emotional ride. Beautifully written pieces brought to life by a stunning performance of each member of the group as well as special guest appearances by Casey Benjamin(from the Robert Glasper Experiment), David Sánchez, Dave Liebman, Emily Elbert, Jaime Woods, J. Hoard, among others. In a nutshell: a mix of John Coltrane's cosmic intensity and Debussy's ability of creating emotive and visual images with sounds. saxophonist. composer. artist.