Pianist, Vocalist Mendes, Bassist Lira Bring Brazil To Branford Jazz

Written by Victor Amatori, Branford Parks & Recreation Program Supervisor Branford Jazz

Pianist and vocalist Isabella Mendes and bassist Flavio Lira have been collaborating since 2017. They each continued to pursue careers in music and the duet has gained international recognition at musical festivals nationwide. They have performed as a duo and jointly in trio, and larger ensembles with world renowned artists.

On Thursday, July 21, they will bring their energetic and beautiful Brazilian music to the streets of Branford from 6:30-8:30 p.m., on the Branford Town Green as part of the jazz series.

Isabella Mendes is a singer-songwriter, pianist, composer, and educator whose work is rooted in Brazilian jazz and bossa nova.

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she began her training as a classic pianist at age six, Mendes also composed her own music and participated in various competitions, concerts, and master classes until the age of fifteen, when she moved to the United States and began jazz and vocal studies while attending the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, Connecticut.

She continues to write and compose music. Her album “Blame Destiny”, was released in 2017- and has developed her own unique sound informed by not only her classical training but also her jazz, bossa nova, Brazilian and pop influences. She performs regularly throughout Connecticut with the Bossa Nova Project- a group of rotating musicians founded by Isabella- and as a member of Sambeleza, a trio that performs Brazilian Jazz. Her personal and professional goals include collaborating and connecting with a diverse group of performers and musicians, advocating for women in the arts, and bringing people together through their mutual love of creating and sharing music.

Isabella also bring musicians together through her private music studio IMMusic, where she teaches private voice and piano lessons to children and adults, as well as develops workshops that she has brought to schools and other community organizations. The school is based in Hamden, Connecticut, where Mendes has been recognized as a “Hamden Notable” for excellence in music.

Hailing from Brazil, bassist Flavio Lira has been pictured as a very active, eclectic musician with varied styles which have never restricted him. Since his beginning to music, Flavio has performed with groups ranging from Popular Samba to Classical Chamber Music.

In 2013, Flavio moved to Boston, and during this stage of his journey, Flavio kept developing the passion for his own musical roots, as well as working with different musical traditions of the world, such as Jazz, Caribbean music and others.

As part of his most recent project, Flavio has released the album “Coffee Gold Sugar Cane”, a rhythmic fusion of Brazilian grooves, Cuban clave, Colombian folkloric and jazzy chords.

“Being part of the Branford Jazz Festival means to share our beautiful Brazilian music with the community, bringing joy through music,” said Mendes.