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
Emorio
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ê-emoriô
Emoripaô
Emoriô deve ser
Uma palavra nagô
Uma palavra de amor
Um paladar
Emoriô deve ser
Alguma coisa de lá
O Sol, a lua, o céu
Pra Oxalá
The lyrics to Sergio Mendes feat. Carlinhos Brown & Nayanna Holley's song "Emorio" speak of a word or concept called "Emoriô" that seems to have a special significance. The repeated refrain of "Ê-emoriô, Emoripaô" suggests that this is something important and possibly even sacred. The lyrics suggest that Emoriô is a Nagô word, referring to the Yoruba people and their language, and that it is connected to love and pleasure. The mention of Oxalá, the Yoruba god of creation, suggests that Emoriô may have spiritual or divine connotations.
The song's rhythms and instrumentation evoke the Afro-Brazilian traditions of the Northeast region, where Yoruba heritage is particularly strong. The use of percussion instruments like the atabaque and berimbau, as well as the call-and-response vocals, give the song a ritualistic quality. The lyrics reinforce this sense of cultural and spiritual continuity, suggesting that Emoriô is part of a larger legacy handed down from previous generations.
Overall, the song seems to be celebrating the richness and complexity of Afro-Brazilian culture, particularly the Yoruba traditions that have contributed so much to Brazilian music and spirituality. The repeated refrain and catchy melody make the song easy to sing along to, while the underlying message of cultural pride and continuity makes it a meaningful expression of identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Ê-emoriô
Expressing excitement and joy in anticipation of discovering what Emoriô means
Ê-emoriô
Repeating the excitement and joy felt in discovering Emoriô
Emoripaô
Adding an energetic flair to the previous lines, creating a lively and upbeat atmosphere
Emoriô deve ser
Contemplating the meaning of Emoriô and acknowledging that it is a mysterious word
Uma palavra nagô
Speculating that Emoriô could be a Nagô word, referring to a specific African ethnic group's language
Uma palavra de amor
Hypothesizing that Emoriô could mean 'a word of love', indicating that it has an emotional significance
Um paladar
Surmising that Emoriô could be referring to taste or flavor, suggesting that it stimulates the senses
Emoriô deve ser
Continuing to ponder the meaning of Emoriô, acknowledging that it is likely something exotic or rare
Alguma coisa de lá
Positing that Emoriô could be something from a distant and unknown place, further emphasizing its enigmatic nature
O Sol, a lua, o céu
Suggesting that Emoriô could be associated with natural elements such as the sun, moon, and sky, hinting at its celestial quality
Pra Oxalá
Concluding that Emoriô is important enough to be offered to Oxalá, a deity in the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOAO DONATO, GILBERTO GIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ShakShak1999
2010 FIFA World cup game got me here. Sergio Mendes is a legend and this song is great.
@rogueplaguex6791
Same bro
@thatygrazy
Linda música parabéns pelo trabalho 👏👏👏🇧🇷♥️
@arnolfugon9146
Sudáfrica
@victorlunalopez
FIFA world cup
South Africa 2010
Game
@vashroundtree1623
Thank you for adding this album one of my fav
@monihenn-arteenergiaeconsc4576
Maraaaaa!!! 💜💜💜
@thepremierleague4885
✌ & ❤
@escobar_armando1280
23.03.24
A
@FabioValenteOficial
Fabio Valente Oficial composer brazilian invites you to meet Bossa Nova Unpublished, among them: Yesterday´s Passion, Blindfolded, End of Autumn, among others, Enjoy and Share, Thank you