Last Updated on 07/09/2024 by Arun jain
Sergio Mendes earned a permanent place in international pop as the faucet between Brazilian music and the wider world. He had excellent stage presence, an expert bandleader’s skills and musical standards. He also had A&R savvy and a crossover instinct for finding potential hit songs and collaborating with musicians across generations.
Mendes brought the songs of major Brazilian songwriters – among them Antonio Carlos Jobim, Jorge Ben Jor and Carlinhos Braun – to audiences around the world, often in English translation. He also discovered American and British songs that could be doused with Brazilian rhythms. Their music chose gentleness over bite, and it sometimes sought a shade of easy listening or a more processed American pop sheen. However, while he spent most of his career in the United States, his foundation in Brazilian music remained strong.
Here, in chronological order, are 10 worthy songs from Sergio Mendes’ vast catalog. listen Spotify Or Apple Music (or via YouTube links on each song title).
Sergio Mendes,’Oba-là-lFrom’ (1961)
Mendes thought he was on his way to a career in jazz on his 1961 debut album, “Dance Moderno,” which mixed Brazilian songs and American jazz standards. It opens with “Oba-là-là”. Joao GilbertoUpbeat bossa nova with crisp chords and zigzagging solos accompanied by Mendes’ piano.
Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’66,’But what nothing(1966)
Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’66 was the lineup that would bring Mendes hits in the 1960s, with women’s voices carried by Brazilian rhythms. The band’s international success featured the irresistible melody of the Ben Zor song “Mas Que Nada”. The lyrics, in Portuguese, praise the deep Afro-Brazilian tradition of samba. But Mendes’ finger-snapping version, with lead vocals from Lani Hall, also uses thick, bluesy piano chords to add a touch of New Yorkan boogaloo. He reworked the song over and over again for decades—all the way through EDM update this year – But his first survives.
Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’66,’Constant rain‘ (1967)
Another Ben Zor song, the original “Chove Chuva” received English lyrics by Norman Gimbel, which turns the prayer into a post-breakup lament. Bossa Nova takes on hearty handclaps and a vintage 1967 touch: the instrumental hook dazzles the sitar.
Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’66,’The Fool on the Hill(1968)
Brazil ’66 transformed — and softened — the contemplative Beatles song “Magical Mystery Tour” about a lonely, unfocused sage. Mendes’ version features waltzing verses, a bossa nova chorus, Cush’s orchestral arrangement, a new countermelody and smiley, nonchalant vocals – and scored the Grammy-winning, international hit.
Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’66,’the wilderness(1970)
Mendes recorded Gilberto Gil’s “Viramundo” (“Wanderer”), a song that gloats about an outsider traveling forever, while Gil was in exile from a military dictatorship in Brazil. With Brazil ’66, Mendes turns it into a percussive samba parade, busy with triangles and cowbells and topped by call-and-response female voices.
Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’77,’A tropical country(1971)
This party-hearty version of Ben Jor’s “Pace Tropical” captures the spirit of all things Brazilian tropical. Mendes’ two-fisted piano, a horn section and very loose tambourine play hint at gospel and soul, while the guitars have wah-wah psychedelia. Meanwhile, the singers feel like they might burst into laughter at any moment.
Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’77,’Fisherman’s Promise(1972)
Mendes briefly shied away from American pop crossover attempts to tap into Brazilian music with his album “Primal Roots”. In “Promise of a Fisherman (Promesa de Pescador)” he explores the mystical core of Dorival Cammy’s song, using only its chorus. It begins with eerie whistling, followed by a tight processional chant for percussion and women’s voices that invokes Imanja, the Yoruba-Brazilian god of the sea; Churchy organ chords confirm that it is a ritual.
Sergio Mendes,’Magellanha(1992)
On his album “Brasilero”, Mendes once again triumphantly returned to Brazilian music (and won a Grammy Award for World Music). She teamed up with brilliant Bahian songwriter and producer Carlinhos Brown for Brown’s song “Magalenha,” a tribute to Afro-Brazilian women’s work and enjoyment of a day in the sun. It’s all percussion and vocals, with Brown’s lead vocals answered by a whooping (yet accurate) backup chorus over a stunning sambaregi beat.
Featuring Sergio Mendes India.Arie,’Timeless(2006)
The “Timeless” album was Mendes’ bridge to hip-hop and neo-soul, produced by William of Black Eyed Peas, with guests including Erykah Badu and Q-Tip. It includes a hip-hop remake of “Mas Que Nada”. But the update in “Timeless,” written by Mendes and sung by India.Aria, is less compelling. It’s a pop bossa nova with jazzy chord changes and soulful lyrics. Mendes’ electric piano offers a smooth, darting counterpoint like India. Arie asserts that “Kindness is timeless/Love is so easy to give.”
Sergio Mendes featuring Naina Holly and Carlinhos Brown,’Imorio(2010)
Reuniting with Brown, Mendes reworked the 1980s song written by João Donato and Gil, with new lyrics in English and some rapping in Portuguese from Brown. It merges funk and samba, tossing in bits of Brazilian standards (including “Mas Que Nada”) and letting Mendes slip into key changes before returning to some modern-jazz piano improvisation and an upbeat chorus.
Post Sergio Mendes: 10 Essential Songs appeared first New York Times.