Originally from Brazil but based in Austin and New York, multi-instrumentalist Eli Menezes has scored a ton of notches on his guitar neck, working with R&B stars Lauryn Hill and Faith Evans, jazz cats Leni Stern and Abraham Laboriel, hip-hoppers Trey Songz and Common, and none-of-the-above-ers Richard Bona and Meshell Ndegeocello. In between his production and performance gigs, Menezes found time to record a solo album. Alongside his regular backing trio of bassist Matthew Weatherly, drummer Daniel Watson, and trumpeter Sam Howden, Menezes premieres its first single “Lea’s Lullaby,” dedicated to his mother, at Monks. – Michael Toland