Christian Mendoza Group
Joachim Badenhorst: tenor sax, clarinets
Ben Sluijs: alto sax, flute
Christian Mendoza: piano
Brice Soniano: double bass
Teun Verbruggen: drums
Joachim Badenhorst: tenor sax, clarinets
Ben Sluijs: alto sax, flute
Christian Mendoza: piano
Brice Soniano: double bass
Teun Verbruggen: drums
CD Arbr'-en-Ciel
http://www.dewerfrecords.be/nl/catalogus/arbr-en-ciel
Listen/Buy on iTunes
Pianist and composer Christian Mendoza seized a commission from the Festival of Flanders (OdeGand festival 2008) as an opportunity to compose new music for a new ensemble, putting together some of the best musicians of the Belgian scene. It turned out to be a thrilling meeting between driven personalities with strong points of view.
The compositions draw from diverse influences, going from open forms within a contemporary free improv language, to complex rhythmical structures. After the first rehearsals, there was a clear desire from the band members to continue, and they presented themselves to the European contest “Templin Jazz d’Avignon” (France). They won the “Grand Prix du Jury”, which opened the doors for recording their first CD, “Arbr’-en-Ciel” (Werf 092).
The result offers music where each individual draws lines of varied colors in a more or less fixed frame, seeking after a balance between composition and improvisation. Seeking after freedom within forms, sometimes predefined, sometimes open, but always within a collective memory of a vast tradition embracing all sorts of music: jazz, free jazz, classical music, contemporary classical, traditional music, acoustic, electronic music, …
In that way, each concert can take various forms: from minimal landscapes to hectic chaos, from complex rhythms to the purity of a simple song….always trying to capture the music of the moment.
http://www.dewerfrecords.be/nl/catalogus/arbr-en-ciel
Listen/Buy on iTunes
Pianist and composer Christian Mendoza seized a commission from the Festival of Flanders (OdeGand festival 2008) as an opportunity to compose new music for a new ensemble, putting together some of the best musicians of the Belgian scene. It turned out to be a thrilling meeting between driven personalities with strong points of view.
The compositions draw from diverse influences, going from open forms within a contemporary free improv language, to complex rhythmical structures. After the first rehearsals, there was a clear desire from the band members to continue, and they presented themselves to the European contest “Templin Jazz d’Avignon” (France). They won the “Grand Prix du Jury”, which opened the doors for recording their first CD, “Arbr’-en-Ciel” (Werf 092).
The result offers music where each individual draws lines of varied colors in a more or less fixed frame, seeking after a balance between composition and improvisation. Seeking after freedom within forms, sometimes predefined, sometimes open, but always within a collective memory of a vast tradition embracing all sorts of music: jazz, free jazz, classical music, contemporary classical, traditional music, acoustic, electronic music, …
In that way, each concert can take various forms: from minimal landscapes to hectic chaos, from complex rhythms to the purity of a simple song….always trying to capture the music of the moment.