Brazilian guitarist, Torcuato (tor-QWAH-toe) Mariano - who cites the legendary Jeff Beck as a primary stylistic influence - is a guitar master in his own right with an outstanding pedigree in the rich world of Brazilian Jazz. After winning the Sharp Prize as Best Pop Composer and spending several years as one of the most sought after guitarists in his adopted homeland, he went on to perform and record with a virtual Who's Who of Brazilian music. He's played and recorded with singers Djavan, Gal Costa and sax great Leo Gandelman, and has toured with Sergio Mendes and Ivan Lins. 2009's So Far from Home featuring Michael Lington among others, looks to be his biggest and best yet.