Credit: Courtesy of Chris Mondak
Born in Venezuela, raised in Illinois, and now residing in Boston, composer and bassist Chris Mondak has studied with bass luminaries such as Cecil McBee, Dave Holland and Larry Gray and performed with the likes of Shelly Berg, Melanie Charles, Dave Douglas, Wayne Escoffery, Wycliffe Gordon, Jeff Hamilton, Jesus Molina, Matt Savage and Marvin Stamm.

Recently, Art Mondak, Mondak’s 90-year-old grandfather who lives in Middleburg Heights, asked Mondak to revamp his 1955 composition “Be Honest with Yourself.” Mondak gave it a go and included it on his new album, Eternal Youth, which came out earlier this month.

Mondak has performed locally at the Bop Stop and at the Winchester and says he hopes to return to town for another performance in the near future.

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This article appears in May 8-14, 2019.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.