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
Festa
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sem rumo sem riso, sem vez
Sem passado a lembrar
Nem canção pra cantar
Mas é festa e a ordem do rei é cantar
E o canto calado sem voz
Pensamento no tempo a voar
Todo mundo rodando a dançar
Eu na roda, na dança e você
Você nem viu
Mas mesmo assim fui feliz
Fui criança na dança sem você
Com certeza o que é bom é pra dar
Não prometi
I can't wait
I've been waiting so long for this night
My songs they were meant for this night
If I find you alone
Then I'll know I was right
Take this time to remember
That once we were one
I can't take this time that you've gone
Please remember that once we loved
The carnival started today
And everyone lives for the sight
The children will dance all the day
And sing all night
Yes, the carnival started today
My arms will be looking for you
And maybe you'll reach for my hand
And if you do......
La, la, la, laia, la, la, la
La, lai, ala...
The lyrics of Sérgio Mendes's song Festa speak to the power of joy and celebration in the face of adversity. The opening lines describe people who are tired, voiceless, directionless, and without a past or a song to sing. Despite this bleak picture, however, the chorus asserts that "it's a party" and that the order of the king is to sing. Even those who are silenced in speech can find freedom and release through song, allowing their thoughts to soar through time.
The second verse shifts to a more personal narrative, with the singer finding happiness and childlike joy in the dance. It is suggested that the object of the singer's affection is absent or unresponsive, but that they are able to enjoy the celebration regardless. The bridge encourages listeners to remember a time when they were united, and pleads for that love to be reignited. The final chorus returns to the broader theme of the carnival, with children dancing and singing through the night.
Overall, the song Festa is about the transformative power of music and celebration. Even in difficult times, it is possible to find joy and meaning through communal festivities.
Line by Line Meaning
Tanta gente cansada, calada sem voz
There are many tired, voiceless people.
Sem rumo sem riso, sem vez
Without purpose, without laughter, without a turn.
Sem passado a lembrar
No memories to remember.
Nem canção pra cantar
No song to sing.
Mas é festa e a ordem do rei é cantar
But it's a party and the king's order is to sing.
E o canto calado sem voz
And the silent singing without a voice.
Pensamento no tempo a voar
Thoughts soaring through time.
A rua em festa e em mim
The street is celebrating and so am I.
Todo mundo rodando a dançar
Everyone is spinning and dancing.
Eu na roda, na dança e você
Me in the circle, dancing, and you.
Você nem viu
You didn't even notice.
Mas mesmo assim fui feliz
But even so, I was happy.
Fui criança na dança sem você
I was a child dancing without you.
Com certeza o que é bom é pra dar
Surely, what's good is meant to be shared.
Não prometi
I didn't promise anything.
I can't wait
I'm excited for this moment.
I've been waiting so long for this night
I've been anticipating this night for a long time.
My songs they were meant for this night
My songs were intended for this occasion.
If I find you alone
If I find you by yourself.
Then I'll know I was right
Then I'll know that I was correct.
Take this time to remember
Take this moment to reminisce.
That once we were one
That we were once united.
I can't take this time that you've gone
I can't handle the time that you've been absent.
Please remember that once we loved
Please remember that we once loved each other.
The carnival started today
The carnival began today.
And everyone lives for the sight
And everyone lives for the experience.
The children will dance all the day
The children will dance throughout the day.
And sing all night
And sing all night long.
My arms will be looking for you
My arms will be searching for you.
And maybe you'll reach for my hand
And perhaps you'll reach for my hand.
And if you do......
And if you do...
La, la, la, laia, la, la, la
La, la, la, laia, la, la, la
La, lai, ala...
La, lai, ala...
Contributed by John L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
watcher818
Your music will be here forever as the best. Amazing talent, especially the Brasil 66 edition. Love it!!
Charlet Estes
What Memories! And it is still fantastic music even 40-some years later.
Gerald Garrett
❤Beautiful