Item Description

Vinícius Mendes is a saxophonist, flautist, composer, improviser and researcher from the inland state of Minas Gerais in Brasil, known not only for its wealth of minerals and mining activities, but for its deep musical traditions founded by such pioneers as Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges.

Having graduated from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, one of the most important centres of excellence in Brasil, with a BA in Popular Music and an MA in Music, Mendes continued to research Improvisation in Free Jazz and in Brasilian Popular Instrumental Music at the university.

In 2014, Vinícius released his first instrumental work at the Savassi Jazz Festival, and one year later he recorded the album NAU – a heady mix of free jazz and traditional Brasilian music, and something of a prelude to Macunaísmo Tardio, the album he recorded Volume One of in 2021 with Volume Two following in 2022 and one that is finally available in full via Sonar Kollektiv’s sub-label Notes On A Journey. Macunaísmo Tardio is a perfect release for the label, masterminded by Jazzanova’s Jürgen von Knoblauch, which concerns itself with shedding light on criminally overlooked masterpieces.

This album is, without a doubt, one of these. The LP features original compositions by Mendes himself, as well as fresh arrangements of Brasilian classics from Lucca Noacco, Toninho Horta and a stunning version of the evergreen dance floor classic Aldeia de Ogum by Joyce Moreno.