专访 Ava Mendoza | 遵从自己的情感与心境
2026-5-20
在过去十二年间，明天音乐节已发展成为深圳重要的实验和前卫音乐平台之一，始终致力于支持那些游离于主流之外的艺术家。而在今年，UPEE 与明天音乐节进行合作，带来阵容中五组音乐人专访。
以吉他为核心，Ava Mendoza 将自由爵士、摇滚质感与拉美原生韵律相融，打破流派边界，在演奏中传递细腻的情绪与文化底色。而本周她即将亮相明天音乐节，带来开幕演出，UPEE 有幸邀请 Ava Mendoza 进行一期专访，一同探寻她跨文化的音乐之路与创作表达。
UPEE：您小时候的成长环境伴随着安第斯民乐和拉丁美洲音乐，而在后来的历程里你经历了正统严苛的爵士与古典音乐培养体系，你认为这两种不同的类型的音乐是怎么影响你现在的音乐语言的？
Ava：我正统的音乐学习体系偏向西方体系——年少学习古典吉他，之后研习演奏爵士乐，同时也组建乐队玩摇滚乐。我从欧美音乐视角建立起音乐根基，识读标准乐谱，通晓西方和声体系，对于节拍、节奏变速的理解也都源自西方音乐理论，我的演奏经历里，大约百分之八十五都是和西方音乐人合作完成的。
但我的生活里一直萦绕着安第斯地区的民间音乐，我也时常前往玻利维亚探望亲友。在我看来，玻利维亚以及安第斯诸多地区有着浓厚的非西方文化特质，当地聚居着大量原住民，以克丘亚族与艾马拉族为主，绝大多数民间音乐都诞生于原住民族群之中。
这里的音乐有着截然不同的节拍逻辑与重音排布，不再将和声视作核心，更注重旋律不断重复所营造的独特意境；当地的管乐演奏奔放热烈、音量十足，以西方乐理标准来看甚至略带音准偏差。我从小便由衷喜爱并接纳这类音乐特质，只是早年很难清晰说出其中缘由。
除此之外，安第斯地区的音乐与自然紧密相连，当地诸多节庆都围绕农耕节气展开，诸如太阳节、月亮节、十字架节等专属节日，都搭配着特色鲜明的民俗乐曲。我始终认同音乐应当贴合时节、融入自然。
同时，大量安第斯音乐还饱含民族抗争与精神反抗的内核，像 Inti Raymi、Killa Raymi、Fiesta de la Cruz 等音乐人及团体的作品皆是如此。而新兴民谣运动的诸多作品，例如 Atahualpa Yupanqui、Savia Andina、Los Kjarkas、Inti Illiimani 等人的创作，虽不完全归属安第斯本土曲风，却与其渊源颇深，这类音乐都包含他们的历史精神。
我本身就是两种音乐文化融合下的创作者，我的音乐创作，也正是汲取融合了东西方两大音乐体系的演奏技法与精神内核。
I learned to play music from my basically occidental training– playing classical guitar music when I was young, later studying and playing jazz and of course playing in rock bands. So I learned music from a western (i.e. from the USA and Europe) perspective – I can read standard notation, I have an understanding of western harmony. The way I talk about meter and metric modulation comes from western music. Probably 85% of my playing experience comes from playing with western musicians.
But my whole life my family listened to lots of Andean music, and would visit family in Bolivia. And I would say that in many ways Bolivia and parts of the Andes are not occidental. There’s a huge indigenous population, mainly Quechua and Aymara where my family is. A lot of the folk music comes form those populations. And so the concept of meter and rhythm accents is different, there’s less emphasis on “harmony”, there’s more emphasis on the magic that happens from repetition, there are wind and brass instruments played really hard, loud and “out of tune” by western standards. And I grew up loving and valuing all of that without being totally able to articulate it.
Then there’s the relationship to nature – there are lots of festivals in the Andes around the crop/planting cycle, and a lot of specific music takes place at those – Inti Raymi, Killa Raymi, Fiesta de la Cruz. So music having a close relationship to seasons and nature is something I believe in. And then there’s the politics. A lot of Andean music has to do with indigenous resistance or resistance values. Like Atahualpa Yupanqui, Savia Andina, Los Kjarkas, Inti Illiimani. Or with social resistance, like all the Nueva Cancion music– Violeta Parra, Victor Jara, etc… not exactly from the Andes but very related to Andean music. And that was all in deep resistance to right wing leaders.
So I’m a hybrid of course, and I’d say my own music draws from the technique and values of both places.
UPEE：你时常作为乐手参与其他团体或乐队的创作与演奏，而同时你也作为创作者以自己的名义进行发行。我们好奇在这两种形式和身份里，你创作的状态会有什么不同吗？
Ava：当和不同音乐人合作，能激发出我截然不同的创作状态，合作搭档的风格与特质，会自然而然划定创作的方向与边界。
演奏他人创作的作品时，我会优先思考如何让整首作品呈现出最佳效果，同时在演奏中融入我自己喜爱且心仪的吉他演绎方式。
而创作、演绎属于我自己的音乐时，我能完全遵从自己的想法发挥。
I feel collaborations always bring out a different side of you depending on who your partners are. Your collaborators’ personalities give you certain parameters, a box to work within.
When I play other people’s music, I’m thinking how can I make this the best music possible overall, and also play things on guitar I like and want to hear.
When I write or play my own music, I’m doing whatever I want.
UPEE：你的音乐兼具自由爵士的气质和摇滚乐的底色，跳脱于听众对于“流派”的框架之外。听众也似乎可以感受到，你的创作更多基于挖掘你对于吉他这一配器的理解。我们好奇，作为一名乐手，你是如何探索出自己的演奏个性的？
Ava：过去二十年间，我沉浸在充满鲜活生命力的本土音乐氛围之中，慢慢打磨出属于自己的风格。最先是在加州奥克兰，后来定居纽约，再跟着乐团奔赴世界各地巡演交流，在这一路的音乐实践与交流碰撞之中，我的演奏风格也逐步成型、日渐成熟。
I developed my style by participating in the music around me that felt alive. I’ve done that for the last twenty years, first in Oakland, CA and then in NYC, all over the place on tour with collaborators internationally, and my style has developed as a product of that.
UPEE：与此同时，你也会在一部分作品中进行演唱。你会如何形容人声在你作品里的位置？
Ava：我的所有音乐创作，核心都是为了烘托情绪、传递情感与心境。有些曲目仅凭一把吉他就足以完整表达思绪；而还有一部分作品，需要依靠歌词与人声。我首先是一名吉他演奏者，其次才是演唱者。多年来我一直以职业吉他手的身份参与各类演出合作，而演唱这件事，是为了更好地诠释我自己创作的歌曲而存在。
All of my music is about setting a mood or getting a feeling across. Sometimes all I need is the guitar. And sometimes I need words and vocals. I’m a guitarist first and a singer second, like I have been a working guitarist for hire for many years, but as a singer I just do it in the service of my own songs.
UPEE：在这部分作品中包含英文与西语两种语言的创作，而西班牙语是你的第二语言，我们好奇用西语创作对你而言有带来什么特别的感受吗？
Ava：用西班牙语创作，会让我的编曲节奏呈现出别样的质感，这门语言本身就蕴藏着丰富独特的韵律创作空间。西班牙语不是我的母语，我用西语遣词造句会更加简洁质朴，也正因如此，我会比使用英语创作时，更用心地打磨歌词的吐字节奏与韵律排布。
Spanish brings out a bit of a different side rhythmically in my writing because I find that it has really different possibilities. Since it’s my second language I have a simpler way with words in Spanish, but then I end up playing around with the words’ articulation and rhythm more than I would in English.
UPEE：对于即将在明天音乐节进行表演有什么期待？
Ava：这次我的演出时长为一小时，整场表演会融合吉他演奏、人声演唱与电子音效编排。
除此之外我没有过多预设，因为这是我第一次来到中国深圳演出，更是第一次踏足亚洲舞台！我满心期待登台演出、与大家交流相知，静候所有惊喜！
My set will be an hour long guitar, voice and electronics extravaganza.
Other than that, I don’t know what to expect, because I’ve never played in Shenzhen, China, or even anywhere in Asia before! Very exciting, and I’m really looking forward to playing and connecting. Surprise me!