Maria Mendes band ft. John Beasley

Maria Mendes is a born jazz singer. For her new album Close To Me she explored another genre, the fado from her motherland, with a surprising, fresh result. ‘It’s not fado’, she emphasizes. ‘I used its music and poetry, but I’ve made my own interpretation, with new arrangements.’ In this way she treated the works of Portuguese greats such as Carlos Paredes en Amália Rodrigues. Additionally, she composed her own pieces in the spirit of the genre from her motherland. Because even though Maria has been living in The Netherlands for years, she originates from Portugal, where fado is embedded in the soul of the nation.

Special guest at the BIMHUIS is American pianist John Beasley, who has performed with an awe-inspiring list of music Icons including Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Dianne Reeves, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan and James Brown.

What’s immediately striking about Maria Mendes is her purity of tone and her graceful, lyrical phrasing. Her voice brings together all her backgrounds: classical music, jazz, fado and latin. She studied in New York, Brussels, Rotterdam and Porto, among other places. She has been praised by greats such as Quincy Jones and Hermeto Pascoal.

‘Singer Maria Mendes flies on her vocals in sparkling scats. She darts about with her flexible voice, with impeccable timing. No matter where she will turn, she knows how to do with her crystal clear, wordless singing. Even when she sings lyrics she knows how to connect her sentences with majestic flourishes’ (NRC Handelsblad).