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Sérgio Mendes

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(Redirected fromSergio Mendes)
Not to be confused withSergio MéndezorSergio Mendoza.

In thisPortuguese name,the first or maternalfamily nameisSantosand the second or paternal family name isMendes.
Sérgio Mendes
Sérgio Mendes in 2016
Sérgio Mendes in 2016
Background information
Birth nameSérgio Santos Mendes
Also known asSantos Sergio
Born(1941-02-11)February 11, 1941(age 83)
Niterói,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
OriginRio de Janeiro,Brazil
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Bandleader
  • pianist
  • composer
  • arranger
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)Piano
Years active1961–present
Labels

Sérgio Santos Mendes(Brazilian Portuguese:[ˈsɛʁʒjuˈsɐ̃tuzˈmẽdʒis];born February 11, 1941)[1]is a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his bandBrasil '66.He has over 55 releases and is known for playingbossa nova,often crossed withfunk.[1]He was nominated for anOscarforBest Original Songin 2012 as co-writer of the song "Real in Rio" from the animated filmRio.[2]

Mendes, a Brazilian musician, is primarily known in the United States, where his albums were recorded and where most of his touring took place.

Mendes is married toGracinha Leporace,who has performed with him since the early 1970s. Mendes has collaborated with many artists through the years, including theBlack Eyed Peas,with whom he re-recorded in 2006 a version of his breakthrough hit "Mas que Nada".

Biography

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Early career

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Mendes was born inNiterói,Brazil,[3]the son of a physician. He attended the localconservatorywith hopes of becoming a classical pianist. As his interest injazzgrew, he started playing in nightclubs in the late 1950s just asbossa nova,a jazz-inflected derivative ofsamba,was emerging. Mendes played withAntônio Carlos Jobim(regarded as a mentor) and many U.S. jazz musicians who toured Brazil.

Mendes formed the Sexteto Bossa Rio and recordedDance Modernoin 1961. Touring Europe and the United States, Mendes recorded albums withCannonball AdderleyandHerbie Mannand played at theCarnegie Hall.Mendes moved to the U.S. in 1964 and cut two albums under the group name Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65 withCapitol RecordsandAtlantic Records.[3]

Mendes became full partners with Richard Adler, a Brooklyn-born American who had previously brought Bossa Trés plus two dancers, Joe Bennett and a Brazilian partner, to appear onThe Ed Sullivan Showin 1963. He was also accompanied by Jobim; Flavio Ramos, andAloísio de Oliveira,a record and TV producer from Rio who used to be a member ofCarmen Miranda's backing groupBando da Lua.The Musicians Union only allowed this group to appear on one TV show and make one club appearance (Basin Street East) before ordering them to leave the U.S. When the new group Brasil '65 was formed,Shelly Manne,Bud Shankand other West Coast musicians got Mendes and the others into the local musicians union. Adler and Mendes formed Brasil '65, which consisted ofWanda SáandRosinha de Valença,as well as the Sergio Mendes Trio. The group recorded albums for Atlantic and Capitol.

Brasil '66

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Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66

All of Mendes' jazz albums for Atlantic Records, throughNesuhiandAhmet Ertegun,had low sales. Richard Adler suggested that Mendes and the group sing in English, as well asPortugueseas Mendes had demanded, and Adler sought new English-based material such as "Goin' Out of My Head"byTeddy RandazzoandBobby Weinstein.In order to sing these songs properly in English, Adler suggested that the group find two American female singers who would sing in both English and Portuguese. Adler called his friend Jerry Dennon andA&M RecordsfoundersHerb AlpertandJerry Moss,and arranged for an audition for Mendes' new group, which was dubbed "Brasil '66.'" Alpert and Moss signed Mendes and his group to A&M Records.[3]Adler then went to the Ertegun Brothers at Atlantic Records and sought to have them release Mendes from his Atlantic Jazz contract. Ahmet agreed to allow him to record albums under the name "Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66" with A&M. Mendes was not at this meeting, only Adler and Ahmet Ertegun. Alpert took over as producer for the A&M albums, and the group became a huge success with their first single, "Mas que Nada",by writerJorge Ben.

The first album on A&M wasHerb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66,an album that went platinum based largely on the success of the single "Mas que Nada" (aJorge Bencover) and the personal support of Alpert, with whom Mendes toured.

The original lineup of Brasil '66 was Mendes (piano), vocalistsLani Hall(later Alpert's wife) and Sylvia Dulce Kleiner (Bibi Vogel[pt;it]) (1942 - 2004), Bob Matthews (1935 - 2022) (bass), José Soares (percussion) and João Palma (1943 - 2016) (drums).John Pisano(1931 - ) played guitar. This new lineup then recorded two albums between 1966 and 1968 (including the best-sellingLook AroundLP), before a major personnel change for its fourth albumFool on the Hill.[1]

Mendes often changed the lineup. Vocalist Kleiner (Bibi Vogel) was replaced byJanis Hansen,who in turn was replaced byKaren Philipp.Veteran drummerDom Um Romãoteamed withRubens Bassinito assume percussionist duties.Claudio Slonjoined the group as drummer in 1969, and went on to play with Mendes for nearly a decade. Sebastião Neto took over on bass andOscar Castro-Nevestook on guitar. These changes gave the group a more orchestral sound than before. In the early 1970s, lead singer Hall pursued a solo career and became Alpert's second wife.[1]Some accounts claim that Mendes was upset with Alpert for years for "stealing" Hall away from his group.[citation needed]

Though his early singles with Brasil '66 (most notably "Mas que Nada" ) met with some success, Mendes really burst into mainstream prominence when he performed theOscar-nominated "The Look of Love"on theAcademy Awardstelecast in April 1968. Brasil '66's version of the song quickly shot into the top 10,[3]peaking at No. 4[4]and eclipsingDusty Springfield's version from the soundtrack of the movieCasino Royale.Mendes spent the rest of 1968 enjoying consecutive top 10 and top 20 hits with his follow-up singles "The Fool on the Hill"and"Scarborough Fair".[3][failed verification]From 1968 on, Mendes was arguably the biggest Brazilian star in the world[1]and enjoyed immense popularity worldwide, performing in venues as varied as stadium arenas and theWhite House,where he gave concerts for presidentsLyndon B. JohnsonandRichard Nixon.[1]The Brasil '66 group appeared at theWorld ExpoinOsaka, Japanin June 1970.

Middle career

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Mendes' career in the U.S. stalled in the mid-1970s, but he remained popular in South America and Japan. His two albums withBell Recordsin 1973 and 1974 followed by several forElektrafrom 1975 on such as "Brasil '88",found Mendes continuing to mine the best in American pop music and post-Bossa writers of his native Brazil, while forging new directions in soul with collaborators likeStevie Wonder,who wrote Mendes' R&B-inflected minor hit "The Real Thing".

In 1983, he rejoined Alpert's A&M records and enjoyed success with a self-titled album and several follow-up albums, all of which received considerable adult contemporary airplay with charting singles. "Never Gonna Let You Go",featuring vocals byJoe Pizzuloand Leeza Miller,[3]equalled the success of his 1968 single "The Look of Love" by reaching No. 4 on theBillboardHot 100chart; it also spent four weeks atop theBillboardadult contemporary chart.[4]In 1984, he recorded theConfettialbum, which had the hit songs "Olympia", which was also used as atheme song for the Olympic Gamesthat year, and "Alibis" which reached #5 on the A/C chart and #29 on the Hot 100.[3]The 1980s also saw Mendes working with singerLani Hallagain on the song "No Place to Hide" from theBrasil '86album, and as producer of her vocals on the title song for theJames BondfilmNever Say Never Again.

By the time Mendes released his Grammy-winning Elektra albumBrasileiroin 1992, he was the undisputed master of pop-inflected Brazilian jazz. The late-1990slounge musicrevival brought retrospection and respect to Mendes' oeuvre, particularly the classic Brasil '66 albums.

Later career

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Sérgio Mendes 2008

Timelessfeatures a wide array ofneo-soulandalternative hip hopguest artists, includingthe Black Eyed Peas,Erykah Badu,Black Thought,Jill Scott,Chali 2naofJurassic 5,India.Arie,John Legend,Justin Timberlake,Q-Tip,Stevie WonderandPharoahe Monch.It was released February 14, 2006 byConcord Records.[1]

The 2006 re-recorded version of "Mas que Nada"with the Black Eyed Peas had additional vocals byGracinha Leporace(Mendes' wife); this version is included onTimeless.In Brazil, the song is also well known for being the theme song for the local television channel Globo's Estrelas. The Black Eyed Peas' version contains a sample of their 2004 hit "Hey Mama".The re-recorded song became popular on many European charts. On theUK Singles Chart,the song entered at No. 29 and peaked at No. 6 on its second week on the chart.

He makes an appearance dancing along for one of the segmentsPharrell Williams' 24 hour of happy.

Mendes served as co-producer on the soundtrack albums for two animated films about his homeland: 2011'sRioand its 2014sequel.

Discography

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Main article:Sérgio Mendes discography

Awards

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Academy Awards

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Year Category Work Result
2011 Best Original Song "Real in Rio" Nominated

Grammy Awards

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Year Category Recipient Outcome
1969 Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Fool on the Hill Nominated
1993 Best World Music Album Brasileiro Won
2007 Best Urban/Alternative Performance "Mas que Nada"featuringBlack Eyed Peas Nominated
"That Heat" featuringErykah Baduandwill.i.am Nominated
2011 Best Contemporary World Music Album Bom tempo Nominated
2015 Best World Music Album Magic Nominated

Latin Grammy Awards

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Year Category Recipient Outcome
2005 Lifetime Achievement Award Himself Won
2006 Record of the Year "Mas que Nada"featuringBlack Eyed Peas Nominated
Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album Timeless Nominated
2008 Best Brazilian Song "Acode" featuringVanessa da Mata Nominated
2010 Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album Bom Tempo Won
Gracinha Leporaceand Mendes, 1971

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefgEder, Bruce."Sergio Mendes Biography"atAllMusic
  2. ^"The 84th Academy Awards | 2012".Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.October 7, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 25,2021.
  3. ^abcdefgLarkin, Colin(1997)."Mendes, Sergio".The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music.London: Virgin in association with Muze. p. 850.ISBN978-1-85227-745-1.OCLC925311730– via Internet Archive.
  4. ^abWhitburn, Joel(1996).The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits,6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
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