Vince Mendoza

Vince Mendoza
Background information
Born	(1961-11-17) November 17, 1961 Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, pop
Occupation(s)	Composer, arranger, conductor
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Blue Note, Transparent, Geffen, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Joni Mitchell, Michael Brecker, Björk
Website	www.vincemendoza.net

Vince Mendoza (born November 17, 1961) is an American music arranger, conductor and composer.

Mendoza was born in Connecticut and studied guitar as a child, influenced by classical music, soul and jazz. He then took up the trumpet, which he continued to play at Ohio State University, where he participated in the Jazz Ensemble and the Concert Band. He graduated in 1983 with a degree in music composition.^[1] He did his graduate studies in composition at the University of Southern California.

He was signed to Blue Note Records, with whom he released Start Here and Instructions Inside. His compositions have been featured by Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker and Charlie Haden. Mendoza has frequently provided arrangements for their work, as well as for Randy Brecker and Peter Erskine.

He has produced and arranged for singers as diverse as Robbie Williams, Björk, Elvis Costello, and six Grammy Award winning albums, Travelogue, Both Sides Now with Joni Mitchell, Some Skunk Funk, Brown Street, El Viento and 54. From 2005 to 2013 he was chief conductor of the Dutch Metropole Orchestra.^[2]

Discography

As leader

• Start Here (World Pacific, 1990)
• Instructions Inside (Manhattan, 1991)
• Sketches (ACT, 1994)
• Vince Mendoza (2 Steps, 1994)
• Epiphany with the London Symphony Orchestra (Sony BMG, 2006)
• Blauklang (WDR/ACT, 2008)
• Nights on Earth (Art of Groove, 2011)

As arranger and conductor

With the Metropole Orchestra

• Bart van Lier – Twilight (Koch Jazz, 1998)
• Elvis Costello – Live with the Metropole Orkest – My Flame Burns Blue (DG, 2006)
• Trijntje Oosterhuis – The Look of Love – Burt Bacharach Songbook (Blue Note, 2006)
• Trijntje Oosterhuis – Best of Burt Bacharach Live (Blue Note/EMI, 2009)
• El viento: The Garcia Lorca Project (ACT, 2009)
• Jim Beard – Revolutions (Sunnyside, 2009)
• 54 featuring John Scofield (EmArcy, 2010)
• Chris Minh Doky / Larry Goldings / Peter Erskine – Scenes from a Dream (Red Dot Music, 2010)
• Fast City – A Tribute to Joe Zawinul (BHM Productions, 2010)
• Al Jarreau – And the Metropole Orkest Live (Concord, 2012)

With the WDR Big Band Cologne

• Randy Brecker w/Michael Brecker – Some Skunk Funk – Live a Leverkusener Jazztage (BHM/Telarc, 2005)
• Joe Zawinul – Brown Street (WDR/Intuition, 2006)
• Chano Domínguez – Soleando (Jazzline, 2015)

Other works(with at least three credits)

• The Ohio State University Jazz Ensemble – Music to Clean the Garage By (Not on label, 1981) and Ozone Park (OSUJE, 1983) M. wrote and arranged several tracks, also plays trumpet (and flugelhorn and piano on the first)
• Peter Erskine – Transition (Passport Jazz, 1986/Denon, 1987) wrote five tracks and co–produced album
• Peter Erskine – Motion Poet (Denon, 1988) arranged most tracks, provided three compositions
• Yellowjackets – Greenhouse (MCA, 1991) arr. and cond. three tracks
• Jimmy Haslip – Arc (GRP, 1993) plays also keyboards on three tracks
• Al Di Meola – World Sinfonia – Heart of the Immigrants (Mesa/Rhino, 1993) string section for four tracks
• Björk – Selmasongs (One Little Indian, 2000)
• Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now (Reprise, 2000)
• Björk – Vespertine (One Little Indian, 2001)
• Joni Mitchell – Travelogue (Nonesuch, 2002)
• Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill (Verve, 2009) string arrangements
• Nils Landgren with Janis Siegel, Bochumer Symphoniker – Some Other Time – A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein (ACT, 2016)

As instrumentalist

• Rickie Lee Jones – Flying Cowboys (Geffen, 1989) plays trumpet on one track
• John Abercrombie – Animato (ECM, 1990) trio with Jon Christensen, Mendoza on synthesizers
• Peter Erskine – Big Theatre (Ah Um, 1996) plays trumpet

References