Bio

BIOGRAPHY

SIMON MENDOZA was born in the city of Maturin, in the Venezuelan Northeastern state Monagas on March 24th of 1972. Son of Vladimir Mendoza a Professional Musician, Simon started his musical studies at 5 years old. After a few years of Classical Piano, Musical Theory and Solfege he made his first steps into Venezuelan Folk and pop Music and Jazz under the guidance of his father and venturing in the music stage playing at many different venues and events as keyboardist of his Fathers’ band.

In 1987 he moved to the Venezuelan Capital Caracas, where he successfully completed High School and there he started a musical group with his borthers playing from rock covers to Venezuelan folk and pop. While in Caracas he continued studying Jazz with the famous Venezulan Pianist Francisco “Kiko” Alvarado. During this time, the broad background aquired allowed Simon to become the Musical Director of the famous composer and songwriter Neiffe Peña, touring around Venezuela and having his first professional recording at his 19 years of age.

Simon continued expanding his musical career making small home productions, jingles for Radio and Television, touring with musicians and artists from the Caracas musical scene, all of it while finishing up his undergraduate university studies of Odontology at the Venezuelan Central University (Universidad Central de Venezuela). It is in 1996 that Simon has the chance to audit and be accepted for private tutoring by the famous and world renown Jazz Pianist Junior Romero. During this period he was highly motivated to persue advanced Jazz studies, but the culmination of his undergraduate degree took a toll on his musical carreer having to postpone his musical activities for a brief period.

Simon completed his undergraduate studies in the Venezuelan Central University (Universidad Central de Venezuela) majoring as a Medical Doctor in Odontology in the year 2000, where after a brief pause working in odontology, he decided to experiment again with music, forming part of the band Antologia and The Maturin Jazz Quartet alongside his harmony professor and sax player Esteban Zambrano.
Around September of 2003 Simon decides to travel to the beautiful country of Trinidad and Tobago to study english as a second language. A few months after his arrival he met with the Venezuelan percussionist Joel Perez and starts playing with the newly formed band Gravitay. He starts again building a name and a reputation within the musical circles around the island playing alongside various artist of the Caribbean scene like the famous Jazz guitarist Michael Boothman from Trinidad, the saxophonist Arturo Tappin from Barbados, the flautist and singer Michelle Henderson from Dominica, the Trumpetist Etienne Charles and the Pan Virtuoso Liam Teague also from Trinidad.
In the Local Scene he has collaborated as a producer in different recordings among them the Raymond Edwards project with the E-Major band, mixing and producing some of the album tracks. He has also been part of the Cut and Clear Crew the backup band of Rapso group “3CANAL” where he currently works as arranger, keyboardist and musical director."