New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Lindsay Mendez & Marco Paguia Official Website) Singer
Lindsay Mendez and Pianist/Band Leader
Marco Paguia Prep Debut Jazz Vocal Album
An Eclectic Mix of Popular Songs, Reimagining Tracks from Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Fiona Apple, The Cars, Joni Mitchell,
John Legend and more
Concert at (le) Poisson
Rouge Set for May 18th; Birdland Set for July 21st
Singer
Lindsay Mendez and pianist/band leader
Marco Paguia have confirmed the release of 'This Time', their debut jazz vocal album. The 13-song collection offers an eclectic mix of songs, reimagining tracks from popular music, and blending elements of jazz, soul & rock into the familiar setting of an acoustic piano trio and vocalist. Their reinterpretations include well-known tracks by Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Fiona Apple, The Cars, Joni Mitchell,
John Legend and more - this is an elegant, sophisticated, utterly modern project, as
Mendez and Paguia deliver an album that showcases not only their skill as performers but their undeniable musical chemistry.
The album will be available digitally as of May 28th, and will also be on-sale in the lobby of the Gershwin Theatre in New York, where
Mendez will soon take over the lead role in Wicked.
A NYC performance to celebrate the digital release of THIS TIME has been confirmed for May 18th at (le) Poisson
Rouge (details below). Broader brick-and-mortar distribution will coincide with a July 21st CD release concert at Birdland in NYC.
Lindsay Mendez &
Marco Paguia
THIS TIME CD Release Show - Saturday, May 18
(le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street NYC
6:30 doors, 7:30 show
$15 advance tickets, $20 at the door
TICKETS HERE: https://www.lepoissonrouge.com/lpr_events/lindsay-mendez-marco-paguia-may-18th-2013/
Lindsay Mendez, vocals
Marco Paguia, piano
Chris Tordini, bass
Tommy Crane, drums

THIS TIME TRACK LISTING
1. Ordinary People (John Legend)
2. Us (Regina Spektor)
3. Fast As You Can (Fiona Apple)
4. No One (Alicia Keys)
5. A Case of You (Joni Mitchell)
6. Just What I Needed (The Cars)
7. Them Changes (Buddy Miles)
8. Lilac Wine (James H. Shelton)
9. As (Stevie Wonder)
10. All My Days (Alexi Murdoch)
11.
Brandy Alexander (Feist & Ron Sexsmith)
12. Freedom of the Road (Martin Sexton)
13. Sittin' in the Middle (Raul Midón)
Watch a clip of the band, live at Birdland, here: https://vimeo.com/34544200
About the Album:
Lindsay Mendez and
Marco Paguia met in 2010 working on a Broadway show. A gig at Joe's Pub in NYC came their way on short notice.
Lindsay and
Marco had been discussing collaborating and the timing and opportunity seemed perfect. With only a week to put together a show, they searched for common musical influences. "Ella, Sarah, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone... these were the singers that I always wanted to emulate,"
Lindsay remembers. At first, they gravitated to a more traditional jazz vocal approach. "We worked our way through standards,"
Marco recalls, "swinging and going for a more straight-ahead thing. At that time, we had been mutually checking out the
Ella Fitzgerald & Oscar Peterson record Ella and Oscar, and thought this to be a good inspiration and jumping off point for us."
As they worked through the set they incorporated more pop songs. "We had a couple of
Beatles songs on our wish list, along with a few standards that I always love to sing," says Lindsay. With his trio,
Marco had an arrangement of "
Money" from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. "The arrangement wasn't intended to be sung, but
Lindsay jumped right in with great ease and enthusiasm," he says. "It's not a simple song to sing, especially with the kind of energy, interplay, and freedom I wanted the band to have. But
Lindsay nailed the odd meter thing, and sang it effortlessly and soulfully, like the arrangement was always meant to be sung." From that moment they knew that there was something in this collaboration that needed further exploring.
"As much as we tried to emulate the greats, it felt self-conscious and unoriginal to do so," says Lindsay. "What we found most satisfying as artists was singing and playing material that felt like us." As they started gigging more around the city, their repertoire consisted mostly of pop songs, while still keeping true to the spirit of improvisation associated with a jazz rhythm section. "Being able to bring songs from so many different kinds of artists and genres is so freeing,"
Marco says. "It was important to us to have material that could connect with a broader audience, young and old. And I wanted to be in a musical environment where we could reimagine songs in a unique way."
Now, 3 years later, their catalogue spans over many different styles and artists. At times the music will swing, rock, be soulful or folky, with the occasional torch song thrown in. Their debut album covers music from
Regina Spektor, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, John Legend, Alicia Keys, The Cars, Alexi Murdoch, Raul Midón,
Martin Sexton, Fiona Apple,
Buddy Miles, and Feist. In February 2013 they went into Sear Sound in NYC with bassist Pete Donovan, drummer Tommy Crane, and co-producer Dean Sharenow, and recorded THIS TIME.
Based in NYC, they have since performed at some of the city's great music venues such as Joe's Pub, Birdland, and most recently at Lincoln Center as part of the 2013 American Songbook series.
About the Artists:
LINDSAY MENDEZ is a singer and actor, seen and heard both on and off the Broadway stage. This summer,
Lindsay will assume the starring role of Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked at the Gershwin Theater. She starred as Rose Fenny in the Second Stage Theater production of Dogfight, recently receiving an Outer Critics Circle nomination as well as a
Drama League nomination. Recent Broadway appearances include in the revival of Godspell at Circle in the Square, and Everyday Rapture, starring Sherie Rene Scott. Lindsay's concert credits span across the U.S., including performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, The Kennedy Center, The
Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, The
Orange County Performing Arts Center, and (le) Poisson Rouge.
Lindsay was featured on New York City Christmas, a benefit album for Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP).
MARCO PAGUIA is an accomplished pianist & music director highly sought after for his versatile music making. Marco's experience as a composer includes the short films Resolve, Remember, How to Act Around Cops (New York and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals). A recognized pianist as well,
Marco was a finalist for the American Pianists' Association Cole Porter Fellowship, and has released a trio album called Small Hours. Highlights of his theater music directing career include the Broadway production Everyday
Rapture and music supervisor of the Tony-award winning
Peter and the Starcatcher.
LINDSAY MENDEZ vocals
MARCO PAGUIA piano
PETE DONOVAN bass
TOMMY CRANE drums
Produced by LINDSAY MENDEZ & MARCO PAGUIA
Co-Produced by DEAN SHARENOW
Engineered and Mixed by DEAN SHARENOW
Recorded February 1-3, 2013 at Sear Sound in New York City
Assistant Engineer KEVIN HARPER
Mixed at Steel Cut Audio in Brooklyn, NY
Mastered by SCOTT HULL at Masterdisk in New York City
Art Direction + Photography ERIC RYAN ANDERSON
Design + Layout ANDREW SHEPHERD
Music arrangements by MARCO PAGUIA
Visit their website at LMandMP.com
