The Chris Mondak Band Live in The Meadow

Born in Venezuela, raised in Illinois, and trained in Boston, Nashville composer and bassist Chris Mondak already has amassed vast experience in music.

Chris studied at the renowned New England Conservatory (B.M., 2020), working with bass legends Cecil McBee and Dave Holland. Prior to that, Chris trained with Larry Gray, and he was active in the Champaign Central HS music program, where he was a three-time Illinois all-state musician, receiving commendations from Essentially Ellington, Music for All, the Brubeck Institute, YoungArts, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Chris has played with Wycliffe Gordon, Dave Douglas,  Wayne Escoffery, Melanie Charles, Shelly Berg, Marvin Stamm, Jesus Molina, Jeff Hamilton, and Matt Savage. With an aggressive bass style, Chris has toured in the U.S., and has played in  Australia, Mexico and Panama, and toured twice in China. Chris has performed at venues such as Birdland, Bop Stop, Jazz at Lincoln Center-Shanghai, Carnegie Hall, Rudy’s, and Breezy’s.

Chris has written tracks for his CD Eternal Youth, and those of his jazz combos the Nextgen Jazz Quartet and West of Staley, and rock band NxT.  In 2019, Chris played with the Nextgen Jazz Quartet at the Hengqin Cup Jazz Competition in Zhuhai, China, and Chris’s composition “Always Smiling” received 1st place as the festival’s top original composition.Their newest album Glass Spheres hit the top 100 on Jazz WEek Chart and #17 on the NACC jazz radio chart for college and community radio stations.

Since arriving in Nashville in 2020, Chris has performed with Daniel LeClaire, Diana DeGarmo, Joe LoCasto, Troy Hanna, and his own jazz combos The Chris Mondak Band and Magnolia.