Mendes is married to Gracinha Leporace who regularly performs vocals for her husband and can also be heard on his 2006 version of the song Mas Que Nada with the Black Eyed Peas.
Early career
The child of a physician in Niterói, Brazil, Mendes attended the local conservatory with hopes of becoming a classical pianist. As his interest in jazz grew, he started playing in nightclubs in the late-1950s just as bossa nova, a jazz-inflected derivative of samba, was taking off. Mendes played with Antônio Carlos Jobim (whom he regarded as a mentor) and many U.S. jazz musicians who toured Brazil.
Mendes formed the Sexteto Bossa Rio and recorded Dance Moderno in 196. Touring Europe and the United States, Mendes recorded albums with Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann and played Carnegie Hall. Mendes moved to the U.S. in 1964 and cut two albums under the name Sergio Mendes and Brasil '65 with Capitol Records and Atlantic Records.
Brasil '66
When sales were tepid, he replaced his Brazilian born vocalist Wanda de Sa with the distinctive voice of Chicago native Lani Hall (who learned Mendes' Portuguese material phonetically), switched to Herb Alpert's A&M label, and released Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, an album that went platinum based largely on the success of the single "Mas Que Nada" (a Jorge Ben cover) and the personal support of Alpert, with whom Mendes toured regularly.
The original lineup of Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 was Mendes (piano), vocalists Lani Hall and Janis Hansen, Bob Matthews (bass), Jose Soares (percussion), and Joao Palma (drums). John Pisano guested as guitarist. This lineup recorded three albums between 1966-1968 (including the best-selling Look Around LP), before there was a major personnel change for their fourth album Fool on the Hill.
Karen Philipp replaced Hansen as the second female vocalist, while veteran drummer Dom Um Romão teamed with Rubens Bassini to assume percussionist duties. Sebastiao Neto was the new bassist and Oscar Castro-Neves the guitarist. This lineup had a more orchestral and big band sound than their predecessors. Most significantly, in the early 1970s, lead singer Hall pursued a solo career and became Alpert's second wife. Some accounts claim that Mendes was upset with Alpert for years for "stealing" Hall away from his group.
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 the Oscar-nominated Burt Bacharach and Hal David song The Look of Love on the Academy Awards telecast in April 1968. Brasil '66's version of the song quickly shot into the top 10, peaking at #4, and eclipsing Dusty Springfield's version from the soundtrack of the movie, Casino 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". From 1968 on, Mendes was arguably the biggest Brazilian star in the world, enjoying immense popularity worldwide and performing in venues as varied as stadium arenas and the White House, where he gave concerts for both Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.
Middle career
Mendes' career in the U.S. stalled in the mid-1970s, but he remained very popular in South America and Japan. His two albums with Bell Records in 1973 and 1974, followed by several for Elektra from 1975 on, 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 like Stevie Wonder, who wrote Mendes' R&B-inflected minor hit, "The Real Thing".
In 1983, he rejoined Alpert's A&M records and enjoyed huge 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 by Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller, equalled the success of his 1968 single "The Look of Love" by reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it also spent four weeks atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart. In 1984, Mendes worked with singer Lani Hall again.
By the time Mendes released his Grammy-winning Elektra album Brasileiro in 1992, he was the undisputed master of pop-inflected Brazilian jazz. The late-1990s lounge music revival brought retrospection and respect to Mendes' oeuvre, particularly the classic Brasil '66 albums. His stature in his native Brazil is reflected by "Cantor de Mambo", a song by fellow Brazilians Os Mutantes, which they regularly dedicate to Mendes in concert.
Later career
Timeless features a wide array of neo-soul and alternative hip hop guest artists, most prominently will.i.am and the Black Eyed Peas. It was released February 14, 2006 by Concord Records.
The album features the Black Eyed Peas, Erykah Badu, Black Thought, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, India.Arie, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Q-Tip, Stevie Wonder and Pharoahe Monch.
The 2006 re-recorded version of "Mas que Nada" with the Black Eyed Peas had additional vocals by Gracinha Leporace (Mendes' wife); a version that is included on his album Timeless. In Brazil, the song is pretty well-known for being the theme song for the local television channel Globo's Estrelas.
The Black Eyed Peas' version also contains a sample of their 2004 hit "Hey Mama". The re-recorded song became popular on many European charts. On the UK Singles Chart, the song entered at #29 and rose to and peaked at #6 on its second week on the chart.
Official website of Sérgio Mendes: http://www.sergiomendesmusic.com
Berimbau
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O amor que lhe quer seu bem
Quem diz muito que vai, não vai
Assim como não vai, não vem
Quem de dentro de si não sai
Vai morrer sem amar ninguem
O dinheiro de quem não dá
É o trabalho de quem não tem
Mas se um dia ele cai, cai bem.
Capoeira me mandou
Dizer que ja chegou
Chegou para lutar
Berimbau me confirmou
Vai ter briga de amor
Tristeza camará
The lyrics to Sérgio Mendes's Berimbau is a reflection on what it means to be a good person, the importance of loyalty, and the power of love. The first two lines state that a virtuous person does not betray the love that is meant for their own good. Furthermore, the following lines discuss how actions always speak louder than words - those who talk a lot about their intentions seldom follow through with them. The next line emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself and expressing their love genuinely. In contrast, those who keep their emotions bottled up will die without ever experiencing love.
The final two lines discuss the correlation between money and work, and how those who withhold their generosity rob others of opportunities to earn an honest living. The song moves on to discuss Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that is both beautiful and dangerous. The lyrics personify Capoeira and mention that it has arrived and is ready to fight. The final lines confirm that there will be a fight for love and that it will be a sad one. Overall, the lyrics of Berimbau inspire listeners to reflect on their own values and the importance of honesty, loyalty, and love.
Line by Line Meaning
Quem é homem de bem não trai
A man of good character does not betray the love that seeks his good.
O amor que lhe quer seu bem
Love wants what is best for him.
Quem diz muito que vai, não vai
One who talks too much of doing, never does it.
Assim como não vai, não vem
Just as he does not go, he does not come.
Quem de dentro de si não sai
Whoever does not come out from within oneself will die without having loved anybody.
Vai morrer sem amar ninguém
He will die without loving anyone.
O dinheiro de quem não dá
The money of those who do not give.
É o trabalho de quem não tem
Is the hard work of those who do not have.
Capoeira que é bom não cai
Capoeira, when it is good, does not fall.
Mas se um dia ele cai, cai bem.
But if one day it falls, it falls well.
Capoeira me mandou
Capoeira sent me a message.
Dizer que já chegou
To tell that it has arrived.
Chegou para lutar
It arrived to fight.
Berimbau me confirmou
The Berimbau confirmed it to me.
Vai ter briga de amor
There will be a fight of love.
Tristeza camará
Companions, sadness is here.
Contributed by Carter A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Erik Schiskin
No need to miss out my friend!
The lyrics (by Vinicius de Moraes) are as follows:
He who is a good man, does not betray
The love that he wants to be well
He who says a lot that he’ll go, won’t go
And just as he won’t go, he wont come
He who inside doesn't come out
Will die without loving anyone
The money of those who won’t give
Is the job of those who have none
Capoeira that is good, doesn't fall
And if one day it falls, it falls well!
Chorus:
Capoeira sent me
to say that he’s arrived
He’s arrived to fight
Berimbau confirmed to me
There will be a fight over love
sadness, comrade…..
Rudy Anduze Jr.
Translation Berimbau/Consolation
Whoever is a man of good won't cheat
A love that wishes him well
Whoever keeps saying that they'll go, won't go
And since they don't go, they do not arrive
Whoever, from within themselves, does not leave
Will die without loving anyone
The money of those who do not give
Is the work of those who do not have
A capoeira that is good, will not fall
But if one day it drops by, it would be well!
Capoeria sent me
To say it had already arrived
It had arrived to fight
Berimbau comfirmed to me
There'll be a fight of love
Sadness, my friend
If I didn't have love (if I didn't have love)
If I didn't have this ache (if I didn't have this ache)
And if I didn't have suffering (and if I didn't have suffering)
And if I didn't have weeping (and if I didn't have weeping)
It would be best for everything to end (it would be best for everything to end)
I loved, I loved so much
What I suffered because of love
Nobody else has suffered
I wept, I lost my peace
Yet what I know
Is that no one has ever had more
More than I have had
Capoeria sent me
To say it had already arrived
It had arrived to fight
Berimbau comfirmed to me
There'll be a fight of love
Sadness, my friend
https://lyricstranslate.com
Evie Susianto
Quem é homem de bem
Não trai
O amor que lhe quer
Seu bem
Quem diz muito que vai
Não vai
Assim como não vai
Não vem
Quem de dentro de si
Não sai
Vai morrer sem amar
Ninguém
O dinheiro de quem
Não dá
É o trabalho de quem
Não tem
Capoeira que é bom
Não cai
E se um dia ele cai
Cai bem
Capoeira me mandou
Dizer que já chegou
Chegou para lutar
Berimbau me confirmou
Vai ter briga de amor
Tristeza, camará
Lupis EM
Timeless que hermoso disco 😍
Felicidades maestro
ツƤΣTRUSKI Z
I can’t understand what they’re saying but this song makes me sooo happy 😊
Multiads
That's music 🎶
Multiads
Love 💞 from India
Ricardo Sampaio
But i Understand , i'm brazilian hahhaah 😂😂
Erik Schiskin
No need to miss out my friend!
The lyrics (by Vinicius de Moraes) are as follows:
He who is a good man, does not betray
The love that he wants to be well
He who says a lot that he’ll go, won’t go
And just as he won’t go, he wont come
He who inside doesn't come out
Will die without loving anyone
The money of those who won’t give
Is the job of those who have none
Capoeira that is good, doesn't fall
And if one day it falls, it falls well!
Chorus:
Capoeira sent me
to say that he’s arrived
He’s arrived to fight
Berimbau confirmed to me
There will be a fight over love
sadness, comrade…..
곰순이
나도!
jchendrix
Thank you Sergio, I listened to this song today and I smiled 😀🌎⚽
blackcosmos
'Timeless' is such an appropriate title for this entire project. There are so many wonderful gems. Will I Am + Sergio Mendez made pure magic on this entire album ✨
Di trower
I loved this many years ago. Just as good now!