Fuensanta & Ensamble Grande

Fuensanta & Ensamble Grande

(MX, IT, TR, LV, UK, PT, KR, IL)

Few European cities can compare with the melting pot complexion of Amsterdam, where the music scene seems to perpetually draw fascinating musicians from all corners of the world. That cosmopolitan makeup not only makes Fuensanta Méndez’s Ensamble Grande possible, but it explains the richness of the music the singer and bassist conjures. Fuensanta, who writes the music, plays double bass, and sings, moved from her native Mexico in 2015 to study at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and in the years since she has developed this remarkable band, which includes members from Turkey, Latvia, Scotland, South Korea, Italy, Portugal, and Israel. That blend fits the leader’s aesthetic perfectly, as her folk-rooted tunes are stretched and pulled by global forces, all meticulously pitched and balanced in a blend that never feels like world music mash-up despite all of the varied ingredients. The band features some of the strongest voices in the city’s jazz scene, including trumpeter Alistair Payne who played in the band led by one of Ensamble Grande’s drummers, Sun Mi Hong, at Jazzfest Berlin 2022. While there are judiciously applied improvisations wending through the group’s performances, each musician is dedicated primarily to forging a genuine ensemble sound to support, complement and accent Fuensanta’s gorgeous singing, which reveals an elastic sense of phrasing and a generous melodic warmth. That commitment of a unified sound is mirrored by the four backing vocalists, whose harmonies limn the leader’s lines with natural ease.