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
Photography by Caio Kolling
Videos by Caio Kolling
Graphic design and illustrations by Gabriel Sacks and Lídia Brancher
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, especially drawing from Looking Glass as a reference. It explores rhythmic and formal possibilities through displaced accents and different groupings, creating a constant sense of movement and openness. Some of the harmonic ideas in the piece also dialogue with the musical language of the great saxophonist and composer Joe Henderson.
Keith
Keith is a composition in tribute to one of my favorite pianists of all time, Keith Jarrett. The piece explores simple melodic motives that echo his solo piano work, incorporating elements of gospel and folk music. It is a sincere homage to one of the musicians I have listened to most throughout my life.
Prólogo: Labirinto Imaginário
The composition is divided into two parts: Prólogo and Labirinto Imaginário. As a whole, it draws references from the impressionism found in the music of Debussy and Ravel. Prólogo is the first section, a solo guitar piece in which I explore open strings as a way of creating tension within the chords. Labirinto Imaginário is a guitar and piano duo, seeking different harmonic and melodic textures. The piece is structured in a way that creates the feeling of being lost in a labyrinth, or within one’s own imagination, and it is from this sensation that the title emerges.
Dança dos Ventos
The composition arose from harmonic studies of Pinocchio by Wayne Shorter, combined with the idea of a simple and repetitive melody, reminiscent of United. The music develops 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 best way to define the piece. It moves between the form and vocabulary of the Great American Songbook, the ballads of Wayne Shorter, such as Infant Eyes, and the compositions of Tom Jobim.
The Unfolding
The composition is built around a vamp that establishes a dense and profound atmosphere, with references to passages from The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky and Ascent by Lyle Mays. The melody underwent several transformations before reaching its final form, exploring the tensions and pathways that unfold over this harmonic foundation. The introduction references Debussy’s aesthetic, seeking a more open and impressionistic sound derived from the harmonic material of the theme itself. The final section features a contrapuntal passage that dialogues with Slink by Lyle Mays; this section was originally composed during my undergraduate studies in a counterpoint class.
This composition had already been in development during the same period in which the pieces from my first album were written. For this reason, the name The Unfolding comes 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 small harmonic and formal revisions over time, always preserving its original structure. I experimented with playing it in 3/4 for a period, but eventually returned to its initial format. It is a fully straight ahead composition, with a simple and direct theme designed for improvisation.
A Torre do Relógio
A Torre do Relógio was initially composed as a ballad, but over time I decided to shift it into 3/4, giving the piece more movement and life. The work references certain compositions and the style of pianist Aaron Parks. It was the last piece to enter the album, only two weeks before the recording session, as I initially doubted whether it would fit alongside the others, due to its entirely triadic and simple harmony. Yet it is precisely this simplicity that makes the piece 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, uniting past, present, and future. The title Espelho Mágico is a tribute to the great poet from Rio Grande do Sul, Mario Quintana, who wrote a book with the same name.