Denzel Mendoza's AKA Illegal Son First EP & Tour!

Hello! My name is Denzel Mendoza, and I am an Undocumented Musician, Arranger, Composer, and Activist. I am a Filipino National, born in Singapore, raised in Las Vegas, NV, studied in New York City, NY and am currently based in Portland, OR.

Some of you reading this have probably seen me perform with the likes of Haley Heynderickx, The Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble, or even my involvement with the 3x Grammy Award-Winning John Daversa Big Band, to name a few. However, my most vulnerable and impassioned voice has belonged to my deeply personal project, Illegal Son.

Ilegal Son is not just music or notes written on paper meant to be read, but rather a story of one's life reflecting the hundreds of thousands of unheard voices like mine. To be Undocumented is to be voiceless, cast in shadows with no one to listen to. Still, I have created something, not just musically conceptual but a principle for everyone's understanding. Through Illegal Son, each note, each inflection, and each painful yell into my trombone is another voice screaming for help, and everybody needs to hear it.

I've never told anybody that I was Undocumented in my entire life, but it wasn't until the election of Donald Trump that I realized the true underbelly of this Nation. Moments after the election, I debuted Illegal Son to a room full of strangers, announcing that I was Undocumented and proud of it. This status is what I carry on my back every day. Before every performance, I tell my story and make sure that people know that I'm not just one single sad soul in this nation but one of many. It's surprising how many people come up to me after a performance to tell me they weren't aware that I was Undocumented in the first place.

My contribution isn't just New Music or reiterations of our musical icons, but rather stories of those unheard and unseen that continue to develop in real-time for those who have no idea that Undocumented Immigrants are here putting in the hours of labor, passion, struggle and effort into a better existence that may not ever happen. What I'm contributing to Illegal Son is recognition.

I've been too intimated to put my music out into the open for the longest time. It's incredibly vulnerable, but now I'm pushing myself to complete a task I should've done long ago! I will finally be recording Illegal Son's first EP and taking this project through the nation for my first tour as a bandleader!

The nerves and excitement are flowing as I work through this process. With your donation, the intimidation of creating an EP and taking Illegal Son across the country will benefit not just me and my bandmates but the message behind what it means to be Undocumented in America.

The donations used for Illegal Son's First EP & Tour will be used for the following:

If you're still reading, THANK YOU!!!

You can visit Illegal Son or follow me on IG: @Illegal_Son for more updates on the EP and upcoming Tour Announcement!

With so much love,

Denzel Mendoza