MARIA MENDES - Take Five No: 68
Can you tell us about your new album?
A symphonic Jazz approach to Fado, is how I would describe the music on my third album Close To Me. It is not Fado! I only used the music and poetry from this genre, but made a completely personal interpretation of it, with new arrangements of some famous fados and with the terrific collaborations of the multi Grammy winners Metropole Orkest and John Beasley.
Fado can be seen as a Blues, with its own harmonic form structure. So, in a way it is the same process we jazz musicians work with when we start from a jazz standard, searching for reharmonisation/adding new melodic elements into the original piece, that has been my musical concept for this project. In addition, I’ve written my own songs, of which one is instrumental with scat singing. Moreover, one of my musical gurus, the Brazilian legend Hermeto Pascoal wrote me his modern version of a fado (also in scat). Working alongside with me at a later stage in this creative process, was John Beasley, producer of this album. Together we have re-imagined these songs and Beasley was the responsible genius behind the sublime orchestrations of four of the songs. With him on board these songs took wings and got the chance to fly higher than what I’ve ever imagined.
What other projects are you currently involved in?
I’ve been the featured guest on Woody Black’s new project “The Fire This Time” which was released few weeks ago in Oct. 2019. But my project "Close to Me" is a big one in live music possibilities, demanding my full dedication. In 2020-2021 my band and I, together with John Beasley, we’ll be touring with symphonic orchestras and big bands worldwide, meaning: I am pretty much busy still getting the full repertoire orchestrated for strings and brass section.
A symphonic Jazz approach to Fado, is how I would describe the music on my third album Close To Me. It is not Fado! I only used the music and poetry from this genre, but made a completely personal interpretation of it, with new arrangements of some famous fados and with the terrific collaborations of the multi Grammy winners Metropole Orkest and John Beasley.
Fado can be seen as a Blues, with its own harmonic form structure. So, in a way it is the same process we jazz musicians work with when we start from a jazz standard, searching for reharmonisation/adding new melodic elements into the original piece, that has been my musical concept for this project. In addition, I’ve written my own songs, of which one is instrumental with scat singing. Moreover, one of my musical gurus, the Brazilian legend Hermeto Pascoal wrote me his modern version of a fado (also in scat). Working alongside with me at a later stage in this creative process, was John Beasley, producer of this album. Together we have re-imagined these songs and Beasley was the responsible genius behind the sublime orchestrations of four of the songs. With him on board these songs took wings and got the chance to fly higher than what I’ve ever imagined.
What other projects are you currently involved in?
I’ve been the featured guest on Woody Black’s new project “The Fire This Time” which was released few weeks ago in Oct. 2019. But my project "Close to Me" is a big one in live music possibilities, demanding my full dedication. In 2020-2021 my band and I, together with John Beasley, we’ll be touring with symphonic orchestras and big bands worldwide, meaning: I am pretty much busy still getting the full repertoire orchestrated for strings and brass section.
Click on the album cover to read our review
What are you currently listening to and what was the last CD or download you bought?
The two last ones I’ve download were “Caipi" from Kurt Rosenwinkel and “From One Language to Another” from Mike del Ferro Trio feat. David Linx. I usually listen to a lot of instrumental jazz, not only including albums from the greatest such as Keith Jarrett or Winton Marsalis, but as well from fellow colleagues and friends doing a lot for the modern/actual jazz scene worldwide: Alfredo Rodríguez, Pascal Schumacher, Jef Neve, Monk’Estra, Jasper Somsen Trio, Anat Cohen, Cecile McLorent Salvant, Stefano Bollani, João Paulo Esteves da Silva...
What is your all time favourite album and why?
I guess the one that always makes me dream and puts me in a state of mesmerising beauty, a performance I can witness and music I can discover all over again with its incredible poetic orchestral layers is Maria Schneider’s album “Concert in the Garden”. Luciana Souza’s voice used as an instrument is an inspiration on how well the human voice can blend in with all the other horns. Maria Schneider’s music is a God gift to the world! I have a story to share with you: in one of my visits to Brazil, I’ve jumped out of Pedra Bonita, the famous cliff where you can do hang gliding. I have done that due to Maria Schneider’s piece “Hang Gliding” (from the album “Allégresse”), because when I’ve listened to her orchestra playing this song live, it made me want to live that moment and feel the inspiration she felt when herself did the hang gliding in the same exact place I did.
Who has caught you attention recently that we should be listening out for?
Teus Nobel Liberty Group’s
Click to hear music from Close To Me on JazzTracks
The two last ones I’ve download were “Caipi" from Kurt Rosenwinkel and “From One Language to Another” from Mike del Ferro Trio feat. David Linx. I usually listen to a lot of instrumental jazz, not only including albums from the greatest such as Keith Jarrett or Winton Marsalis, but as well from fellow colleagues and friends doing a lot for the modern/actual jazz scene worldwide: Alfredo Rodríguez, Pascal Schumacher, Jef Neve, Monk’Estra, Jasper Somsen Trio, Anat Cohen, Cecile McLorent Salvant, Stefano Bollani, João Paulo Esteves da Silva...
What is your all time favourite album and why?
I guess the one that always makes me dream and puts me in a state of mesmerising beauty, a performance I can witness and music I can discover all over again with its incredible poetic orchestral layers is Maria Schneider’s album “Concert in the Garden”. Luciana Souza’s voice used as an instrument is an inspiration on how well the human voice can blend in with all the other horns. Maria Schneider’s music is a God gift to the world! I have a story to share with you: in one of my visits to Brazil, I’ve jumped out of Pedra Bonita, the famous cliff where you can do hang gliding. I have done that due to Maria Schneider’s piece “Hang Gliding” (from the album “Allégresse”), because when I’ve listened to her orchestra playing this song live, it made me want to live that moment and feel the inspiration she felt when herself did the hang gliding in the same exact place I did.
Who has caught you attention recently that we should be listening out for?
Teus Nobel Liberty Group’s
Click to hear music from Close To Me on JazzTracks
