fred menendez official site

Fred Menendez, guitarist, mandolin player and Bahian composer, began his musical career at 13. By the time he was 14, he was already the soloist of the Electric Trio Top 69. At that time, to perform at Carnival demanded a solid knowledge of complex harmonies, style, skill, strength and subtlety. That changed in the 1980s with the arrival of electronic resources.

As an adolescent, Fred Menendez was still performing at the stages of Salvador - Bahia with musicians like Pepeu Gomes, Moraes Moreira, Luis Caldas, Armandinho, Aroldo Macedo, the family Tapajós, Novos Bárbaros and many others.

Deciding to be loyal to good music, Fred Menendez deepened his knowledge in the music of the mandolin, performing choro, samba, baião, rock, frevo and salsa with the same skill.

At the beginning of his career, Menendez was part of the revolutionary musical history of the family Macedo, which gave him a deep technical knowledge of his art. He received important lessons while he worked with Osmar Macedo, one of the parents of the musical float and the Bahian guitar.

Self-taught, Menendez is considered an excellent instrumentalist by fellow Bahian musicans. He recorded several independent instrumental music albums: Cadências, Fred Menendez Instrumental, 7 Notas, Outros Tons and Evolution, the latter with music performed with Bahian Guitar.

In Brazil, for many years, Fred Menendez has been playing at Salvador's carnival on top of musical floats. He was also involved the following projects: Terça da Boa Música, Pelourinho Dia e Noite, Música nas Esquinas, Concertos de Câmara, Projeto Doze e Meia and Expresso 2001. In festivals: Rumos do Itaú Cultural and Festival de Música Educadora FM. He also started an instrumental music project: Quintas Instrumentais and Música na Rua (Pelourinho/BA).

Abroad, for three years consecutive, Fred Menendez was invited to represent Brazil at the Ferrara Buskers Festival, one of the most important street music festivals in Europe, held in Ferrara (Italy). In 2005, Fred Menendez was chosenthe “top of the festival” among 250 musical participants of the event, and in 2006, he was again a record-breaker in sale of CDs. In 2007, besides the Ferrara Buskers Festival (20-26/08), Fred Menendez participated at the Chietinstrada Buskers Festival in Chieti (Italy), carrying out shows in the cities of Comacchio, Porto Garibaldi, Ligo degli Estense and Mirandola. In France, during tour in 1997, he did memorable shows bringing together a public of more than 10,000 people in Marseilles, at the "Fiesta des Suds".

Fred Menendez also attracts the attention of the youngest audiences, who are interested in his varied repertoire and in his category as instrumentalist. Like few of his generation, the musician is resisting the vulgarization of his work, always presenting a carefully selected repertoire.

• Ferrara italy Buskers festival 2006, 2007 2008 2009 2010 August

• Paris e Marseille France Fiesta des Suds 1997 November

• Mirandola Italy Buskers 2005, 2006, 2007 August

• Chieti Italy Buskers 2007 2008August

• Roccamontepiano Italy Buskers 2007 August

• Lido degli Estense Italy Buskers 2006, 2007 2008 August

• Comacchio Italy Buskers 2005, 2006, 2007 2008 2009 August

• Salvador Carnaval 2005, 2006, 2007 2008