Vince Mendoza
Olympians
A composer, conductor, and arranger, Mendoza continues to meld his musical passions -- from samba, flamenco, and tango to jazz, rock, R&B, and pop -- on Olympians, a reunion with the Dutch Metropole Orkest, the only full-time jazz and pop orchestra in the world. Affiliated with it since 1995, he was chief conductor between 1995 and 2004 and now serves as one of three. Olympians offers new performances of compositions Mendoza wrote over the years. He also enlisted guest soloists including singers Dianne Reeves and Cécile McLorin Salvant, saxophonists Chris Potter and David Binney, percussionist Alex Acuña, and late guitarist Ramón Stagnaro (playing charango).