THE WEST-COAST JAZZ SUPREMO DETAILS HER FAR-FROM-TRADITIONAL APPROACH ON NEW RELEASE ECHOLOCATION
By Andrew Daly
NEWS + NOTES
AS A 40-YEAR-OLD mainstay of the New York City jazz scene, Ava Mendoza has been around the block a time or three. But that doesn’t mean she lacks passion. “Music is my religion,” she says, “It’s important to me to be around people who are devoted to it.”
But Mendoza isn’t only a disciple of jazz. Hell, she doesn’t even consider herself a true “jazz musician.” Growing up in Southern California, she was exposed to everything from Latin American to classical music before latching onto off-kilter alternative sounds, including Black Flag and Sonic Youth.
With influences taken from so many genres, it’s fair to wonder what’s kept Mendoza interested enough in jazz to release her latest creation, Echolocation, with the help of bassist Devin Hoff under the moniker Mendoza Hoff Revels. “Devin and I met in Oakland,” she says. “We’ve had one foot in punk and one in jazz. So we talked about this imaginary four-piece, formed it, and started writing music. It progressed from there.”
The duo’s punk-meets-jazz roots are smeared all over Echolocation’s eight tracks, but Mendoza’s fretwork carries the load. “I love alternative tunings,” she says. “I love interesting chord voicings and finding ways to use open strings for resonance. I like to use
