 Still Ahead at the 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival 201 (Part1)
Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Still Ahead Orchestra directed by Vince Mendoza featuring Terence Blanchard, Peter Erskine & Miles Evans Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Still Ahead Orchestra directed by Vince Mendoza, featuring Terence Blanchard, Peter Erskine & Miles Evans
The friendship of arranger/composer Gil Evans and legendary trumpet player Miles Davis resulted in a collaboration of iconic recordings that are now staples of jazz -- Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain. In 2011, the Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Still Ahead Orchestra appearances will be the first events in the year-long celebration of Gil Evans’ 100th Birthday on May 13, 2012. Conductor: Vince Mendoza Additional musicians from the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra: Christian Marrero, Adam O’Farrill, Tree Palmedo, Enrique Sanchez, trumpets; Anthony Fung, Kevin Mixon Jr., field drum, tambourine Vince Mendoza has been at the forefront of the jazz and contemporary music scene as a composer, conductor and recording artist for the last 20 years. He has written scores of compositions and arrangements for big band, extended compositions for chamber and symphonic settings while his jazz composing credits read like a “who's who” of the best modern instrumentalists and singers in the world today. His early solo albums on Blue Note Records, Start Here and Instructions Inside, were critical triumphs that featured such artists as John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Ralph Towner, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine and others. Start Here was voted one of Jazziz Magazine's 'Top Picks' and Mendoza was recognized as 'Best Composer/Arranger' by Swing Journal's critics poll in Japan. His CD Epiphany features his compositions played by the London Symphony Orchestra. His newest CD of chamber music Blauklang was nominated for a Grammy award. According to All About Jazz Mendoza “daringly expands the vernacular by including elements of abstract impressionism, romanticism and a highly unorthodox palette to position him as the clear and natural successor to the late Gil Evans.” Mendoza is the Music Director and Chief conductor of the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra, the only full time symphonic jazz orchestra in the world. He is frequently seen working with the Metropole Orchestra at concerts, festivals and recordings with the likes of Elvis Costello, Herbie Hancock, the Brecker Brothers, Vicente Amigo, Joe Lovano, and Ivan Lins; and with repertoire of composers as diverse as Bernstein, Stravinsky, Ellington, Josef Zawinul and Ennio Morricone. In addition, he appears frequently as a guest conductor with orchestras throughout Europe, the U.S., Japan, Scandinavia, and the U.K. Mendoza's arranging has appeared on many critically acclaimed projects that include dozens of albums with song writing legends such as Björk, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Bobby McFerrin and Joni Mitchell. He has four Grammy awards and 16 nominations. He was the orchestral voice behind the score to Lars van Trier's Dancer in the Dark featuring Björk, as well as the orchestrations on her CD titled Vespertine, and the orchestral CDs of Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now and Travelogue. Mendoza has also written commissioned compositions and arrangements for the Turtle Island String Quartet, the Debussy Trio, the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the Metropole Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, West Deutsche Rundfunk and the BBC. His music was featured at the Berlin Jazz Festival. He has performed major works at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals. |
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