Long Story Short
Long Story Short (2024) is the debut album from the brazilian guitarist and composer Matheus Wendt. Moving through modern jazz and world music, the album features eight compositions of his own, which reflect his references within his musical trajectory.
The project was developed in 2023 as part of Matheus's graduation project in Popular Music at UFRGS, leading to the recording of the album, which features Felipe Schütz, João Bauken, and Pedro Saul.
The full album is already available and can be accessed on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms.
||| Credits
Matheus Wendt - Electric and acoustic guitar
Felipe Schütz - Double bass
João Bauken - Drums
Pedro Saul - Piano and rhodes
All compositions by Matheus Wendt
Produced by Matheus Wendt
Recorded at Tec Áudio studio, Porto Alegre
on November 6, 7, and December 16, 2023
Recorded by Antonio Flores and Artur Wais
Mixed by Antonio Flores
Mastered by Marcos Abreu
Pictures by Mafe Gonçalves and Caio Kolling
Videos by Caio Kolling
Graphic design and illustrations by Gabriel Sacks and Lídia Brancher
The Light Within
Composed in 2021, this is the first of the compositions featured on the album. This song was a turning point for me, as through its composition, I found the sound I was searching for, one that reflected my personality. From there, it set the direction for the other compositions included on the album.
Into A Dream
This was the first song I composed with the title in mind before even starting the composition. "Into A Dream" comes from the memory of watching the movie "The Wizard of Oz" synchronized with the album "The Dark Side of the Moon" by the British band Pink Floyd. Drawing from the sensations evoked by both the album and the movie, I attempted to express musically what I imagined to be a somewhat chaotic and strange yet reflective dream.
Sonhador
"Sonhador" is a song that I began composing in February 2021 but was only finalized in June 2023. The idea was to create a song with just four chords, while the melody would be simple to understand and assimilate, developing gradually over time, almost meditatively. It evokes the feeling of drifting through the clouds, like a dreamer.
Old Tale
As the composition process of the songs progressed, I still felt that a song in 3/4 was missing. From there, I began composing "Old Tale," which was finished in just one day, on March 9, 2022. For this song, João Bauken brought his musical influences to the drums, infusing the rhythm with the south-american rhythm of chamamé, playing in an ambiguous manner between 6/8 and 3/4 time signatures.
A Ponte
Playing a ballad has always been incredibly challenging and carries a great sense of responsibility for me. This composition doesn't feature solos in its structure, allowing the music and its atmosphere to take center stage. I tried to incorporate various open string chords on the guitar, reminiscent of the voicings used by Joni Mitchell, capturing a bit of the feeling I had when listening to her.
Long Story Short
The swing feel of the album's composition arises from two Wayne Shorter songs, "The Big Push" and "Lost." The A section of the song uses a structure similar to that of "The Big Push," incorporating two pairs of chords followed by a modal progression. Meanwhile, the B section brings a structure similar to the B section of "Lost," using a pedal bass with chromatic triads played over it.
"Long Story Short" is a simple way to summarize my journey up to this point and how all my influences led me to create this work. For these reasons, I chose to name the album after the song.
A Grande Queda
The title "A Grande Queda" is inspired by its dark ambiance, drawing from J.R.R. Tolkien's book "The Fall of Gondolin." Musically, it's a slow 12-bar groove, influenced by Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti" and the ballads "Infant Eyes" and "Fall." Additionally, this composition showcases my harmonic inspiration from Toninho Horta.
Joni
During 2020, I was on the lookout for new things to listen to and ended up discovering the musical work of Joni Mitchell. Instantly, I fell in love with all of that mysterious, melancholic sound full of sensations and feelings so complex.Of all the influences that shape my work, Joni Mitchell's stands out the most in this song, hence the simple homage to her in its title.