* En anglais uniquement
A versatile, Grammy-winning arranger and composer,
Vince Mendoza is known for his sophisticated arrangements, which touch upon post-bop jazz, classical, and pop with crossover sensibilities. Emerging in the 1980s, he has garnered acclaim for his work with other artists, supplying arrangements for
Joni Mitchell,
Peter Erskine,
Sting,
Charlie Haden, and others. Along with his session work,
Mendoza spent over a decade as the chief conductor with the Dutch
Metropole Orkest, issuing albums with
Elvis Costello,
Al Jarreau, and
John Scofield. He has also recorded a number of albums under his own name, joining saxophonist
Joe Lovano for 1991's Instructions Inside, the
London Symphony Orchestra for 1999's
Epiphany, and the
WDR Big Band for 2017's Homecoming.
Born in 1961 in Norwalk, Connecticut,
Mendoza started out playing classical guitar and piano at age six. However, inspired by his love of jazz and soul music, he switched to trumpet in high school and eventually enrolled at Ohio State University. There, he studied composition, learned the drums and bass, and played in the various jazz and concert ensembles.
Mendoza then went on to finish his graduate studies in composition at the University of Southern California. Basing himself in Los Angeles, he found work in the many studios there, writing for television and movies. It was during this period that he also began making connections in the pop and jazz scenes, arranging on albums by drummer
Peter Erskine, bassist
Charlie Haden, singer/songwriter
Rickie Lee Jones, and others.
Mendoza quickly developed a reputation as an expert in blending acoustic and electric instruments, a sound he showcased on his 1990 debut, Start Here, which featured saxophonist
Joe Lovano and guitarists
John Scofield and
Ralph Towner. More similarly eclectic crossover albums followed, including 1991's Instructions Inside with
Lovano, saxophonist
Bob Mintzer, and trumpeter
Randy Brecker; 1993's
Sketches with saxophonist
David Liebman, drummer
Erskine, and the
WDR Big Band; and 1999's
Epiphany, which featured the
London Symphony Orchestra and a handful of jazz soloists, including
Lovano, trumpeter
Kenny Wheeler, and others.
In the late '90s,
Mendoza took on the role of chief conductor with the Dutch
Metropole Orkest. For roughly the next 20 years, he split his time between working in Los Angeles and Europe, arranging for such diverse artists as
Björk,
Chris Botti,
Joni Mitchell, and more. He also recorded a number of highly regarded albums with the
Orkest, including 2006's My Flame Burns Blue with
Elvis Costello, 2007's
The Look of Love: Burt Bacharach Songbook with
Trijntje Oosterhuis, and 2010's Fast City: A Tribute to Joe Zawinul. Also in 2010, the
Orkest released the full-length
54 featuring
John Scofield on guitar. The album earned
Mendoza a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for the album's leadoff track, "Carlos." In 2011, he released the solo album
Nights on Earth, followed two years later by
Perfect Vision: The Esquivel Sound, which marked the end of his tenure with the
Metropole Orkest.
Following his departure from the
Orkest,
Mendoza returned to his sophisticated solo and session work, supplying arrangements for
Andrea Bocelli,
Madeleine Peyroux,
Diana Krall, and many others. His own Homecoming arrived in 2017 and found him collaborating on original material with the
WDR Big Band. In 2019, he joined trumpeter
Terell Stafford, saxophonist
Dick Oatts, and the Temple University Studio Orchestra for the Grammy-nominated Constant Renaissance, which featured original pieces inspired by Philadelphia's rich jazz heritage.