The Unfolding
The Unfolding (2026) is the second album by Brazilian guitarist and composer Matheus Wendt. Moving between modern jazz and world music, the album brings together nine original tracks that highlight the maturation of his musical language and a contemporary approach shaped by ongoing sound exploration.
The album continues Matheus’s collaboration with Pedro Saul (piano and Rhodes), Felipe Schütz (double bass), and João Bauken (drums), a lineup that has accompanied him since his debut album and has solidified through the work developed over the past few years.
The full album is available on Bandcamp as well as on all major streaming platforms.
||| Credits
Matheus Wendt – electric and acoustic guitar
Pedro Saul – piano and Rhodes
Felipe Schütz – double bass
João Bauken – drums
All compositions by Matheus Wendt
Produced by Matheus Wendt
Recorded at Tec Áudio Studio, Porto Alegre
December 17–18, 2025, and January 16, 2026
Recorded by Antonio Flores and Artur Wais
Mixed by Antonio Flores
Mastered by Marcos Abreu
Artwork by André Giacomin
Photography by Gabriela Cunha
Graphic design by Lídia Brancher
Prólogo: Labirinto Imaginário
The composition that opens the album draws on the impressionism found in the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Divided into two parts, the piece explores tension and a range of harmonic and melodic textures. It is highly sectional, structured to evoke the feeling of being lost in a labyrinth — or within one’s own imagination.
Mar Aberto
Mar Aberto emerges as the starting point of the album, opening a path toward a new future. The composition is a tribute to the work of Allan Holdsworth, exploring rhythmic and formal possibilities through displaced accents and varied groupings, creating a constant sense of movement and openness.
Keith
Keith is a composition dedicated to one of my favorite pianists of all time, Keith Jarrett. It is a simple and sincere tribute to one of the musicians I have listened to most throughout my life. It is also a piece in which we explored a variety of timbral textures during our time in the studio.
Dança dos Ventos
The composition emerges from harmonic studies of Pinocchio, by Wayne Shorter, combined with the idea of a simple and repetitive melody. The music unfolds in a hypnotic and cyclical manner, while the title Dança dos Ventos references The Rite of Spring, by Igor Stravinsky, evoking a ritualistic character and a sense of continuous movement.
Can We Stay Together?
Can We Stay Together? is a simple and effective ballad — perhaps the most fitting way to describe the piece. It moves between the form and vocabulary of the Great American Songbook, the ballads of Wayne Shorter, and the compositions of Tom Jobim.
The Unfolding
The composition emerges from a vamp that establishes a dense and deep sonority. The melody underwent several transformations before reaching its final form, exploring the tensions and paths that unfold over this harmonic foundation. The introduction references the aesthetic of Debussy, seeking a more open and impressionistic sound derived from the harmonic material of the theme itself. The final section presents a contrapuntal passage composed during my undergraduate studies.
The piece had already been in development during the same period in which the compositions for my first album were written. For this reason, the title The Unfolding emerges as a continuation of Long Story Short, expanding and unfolding the sonic language presented in that work.
Street Lights
Street Lights emerged from a reference to pianist Herbie Hancock, especially his composition I Have a Dream. The piece was written in a single day, but underwent subtle harmonic and formal revisions over time, always preserving its original structure. It is a straight ahead composition, with a simple and direct theme designed for improvisation.
A Torre do Relógio
A Torre do Relógio was initially conceived as a ballad, but over time it evolved and gained more movement. It was the last piece to enter the album, only two weeks before the recording session. At first, I did not believe it would fit alongside the other pieces due to its simplicity, but in the end, it is precisely this quality that makes it so beautiful and contemplative, allowing the theme to speak for itself without the need for solos or embellishments.
Espelho Mágico
Espelho Mágico is a harmonically complex composition in which I explored different ideas and paths I had been studying at the time. At the same time, modern harmony blends with elements of traditional jazz standards, bringing together past, present, and future. The title Espelho Mágico is a tribute to the great poet from Rio Grande do Sul, Mario Quintana, author of a book with the same name.