About Madre Vaca

Madre Vaca translates to Mother Cow. From the udder of the Mother Cow flows the milk of creativity - music, painting, song, dance and all the arts.

Madre Vaca Records is a composer-led collective and record label based in Jacksonville, Florida. We create and release adventurous music that blurs the boundaries between jazz, classical, and narrative storytelling — from chamber-like suites and free-jazz improvisations to full-scale psychedelic rock operas.

We champion artists who value originality, risk, and storytelling through sound. Every Madre Vaca release is grounded in live performance, deep composition, and high-fidelity recording — music that invites listeners to wander beyond the ordinary.

Madre Vaca is also our in-house ensemble: a rotating group of composers and improvisers who collaborate on the label’s flagship projects. Out of sound, they weave fantasies, nightmares, seductions, and hallucinations. Listen at your own risk.

History

Madre Vaca began in 2005, when four Jacksonville teenagers — recording engineer JeanCarlo Mendez, drummer/composer Benjamin Shorstein, pianist Jonah Pierre, and guitarist Jarrett Carter — started recording experimental improvisations using a milk-crate equipment rack and pawn-shop microphones. The gear was modest; the curiosity was limitless.

Those early sessions planted the seed for what would become Madre Vaca Records — a home base for creative musicians exploring the edges of composition and improvisation.

Madre Vaca Records

Executive Producer
Benjamin Shorstein

Producers
Jarrett Carter | JeanCarlo Mendez

Engineers
JeanCarlo Mendez | John Medico | Jim DeVito | Dan Moore | Moe Ricks (Rest in Peace)

Writers
Charlie Shuck | Jennifer Shorstein

Visual Art Director
Andre Gruber

Photography
Charlie Shuck | Nicole Nissim Shorstein

Featured Artists on the Label
Madre Vaca | Ulysses Owens Jr. | The Andre Gruber Trio | Bold City Contemporary Ensemble | Steve Cohn Trio | Rebecca Shorstein | Lucia Luque | Marcelo Balat | Backdoor Stompers | Charlie Shuck | Jennifer Shorstein

Madre Vaca Composer Collective

Founding & Core Members
Jarrett Carter (guitar) | JeanCarlo Mendez (engineer) | Thomas Milovac (bass) | Jonah Pierre (piano) | Benjamin Shorstein (drums)

Musicians & Collaborators
Juan Rollan (saxophone) | Steve Strawley (trumpet) | Lance Reed (trombone) | Ty Christian (violin, bass) | Andre Gruber (guitar) | Abigail Gruber (violin, viola) | Daniel Shorstein (bass) | Molly Sweet (clarinet) | Monica Pasquini (voice) | Rebecca Shorstein (voice) | Milan Algood (percussion, drums) | Mike Emmert (woodwinds) | Eric Riehm (saxophone) | John Medico (percussion)

(Historical inspirations: Franz Schubert, J.S. Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Chick Corea)