Bio
The Count: Eduardo Mendoza (Director, guitar, singer)
Before moving to Canada, Eduardo Mendoza was a professional musician in
Cuba for sixteen years. A singer, composer, and arranger, Eduardo
travelled all over Cuba performing as the lead singer in several bands,
appearing on radio and television, and recording CD’s. He has composed
more than 60 songs—many of which are known in his native Cuba. He does
all the arrangements for the band and composed most of the numbers.
Following a performance at the Jubilee Theatre in Summerside, The
Guardian called Eduardo "one of the definite highlights," adding, "you
know you're good when you get your audience singing along to stuff they
don't even understand." Eduardo plays guitar and violin. He and his wife
moved to Charlottetown from Gatineau in 2006.
The Cuban Cocktail: Mark Carr-Rollitt (percussion), Jack Wedge (bass),
Jonathon Holmes (drums), Jessica Willis (saxophone), Jonathon White
(trumpet), Jenna MacDonald (back-up vocals), and Tamara Gough (back-up
vocals)
Mark Carr-Rollitt has a passion for traditional, world beat, jazz,
classical, and blues music forms. He has studied classical and flamenco
guitar, and African, Latin, Baltic, and Gypsy rhythms. Before making the
Island his home, he played flamenco guitar and percussion in Toronto.
Prior to adding a little picante spice to the Cuban Cocktail, Mark was a
member of the Island group, The Knot, and has played with Tanya Davis
and Scott Parsons.
Jack Wedge is a self-taught musician who—in addition to playing
electric bass in the band—plays guitar, piano and drums. Jack, a
self-proclaimed “gigantic nerd,” has been playing and composing
music for X years. Prior to joining the Cuban Cocktail, he played with
Negative Zero. You will always catch Jack seriously “getting down”
to the Cuban beats.
Jonathon Holmes has to be the hardest working, most versatile drummer
on PEI. When he’s not adding an Afro-Cuban beat to The Count and the
Cuban Cocktail, he’s rocking it out with local band, Fugato. Jonathon
lays down the rhythms that’ll have you on the dance floor in no time.
Jessica Willis is the “mad scientist” in the group—she’s has
her Honours Degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Her musical
background lies with jazz and funk and she has received various awards
across Canada for outstanding soloist. Island born and raised, she has
been playing the saxophone for more than 9 years. She has taken every
opportunity to sit in with expert musicians in order to give the Cuban
Cocktail that extra pizzazz.
Jonathon White grew up playing trumpet in Charlottetown and has a
Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from St. FX and a Bachelor of Music
Education from UPEI. He has always loved playing jazz and Latin music so
it is fitting he found such a grooving band to play with. In addition
to making his living as a music teacher, Jon plays trumpet with the
military—allowing him to play in front of thousands of people and
travel across Canada and to Europe.
As a former musical-theater actress and flute player in her youth,
Jenna MacDonald is a long-time music lover who has always sung as if no
one were listening. She has always loved to sing along to choirs and
others and she brings a pretty voice and a lot of fun to “the
Cocktail”.
Tamara Gough has played and sung in a few Island bands like Groove
Gurus and Fugato. Maybe you’ve caught her singing at one of many
fundraising events such as Baraka or the Mayflower event. Tamara
graduated in 2004 from UPEI with a BA and a major in music. You can’t
miss her—she’s the one with the sweet voice and the great moves.
Thanks,
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