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
Laia Ladaia
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laia, ladaia, sabatana, Ave Maria
Por amor andei, já
Tanto chão e mar
Senhor, já nem sei
Se o amor não é mais
Bastante pra vencer
Meu Senhor, uma oração
Vou cantar para ver se vai valer
Laia, ladaia, sabatana, Ave Maria
Laia, ladaia, sabatana, Ave Maria
Ó meu santo defensor
Traga o meu amor
Laia, ladaia, sabatana, Ave Maria
Laia, ladaia, sabatana, Ave Maria
Se é fraca a oração
Mil vezes cantarei
Laia, ladaia, sabatana, Ave Maria
Laia, ladaia, sabatana, Ave Maria
The lyrics of Sérgio Mendes's song Laia Ladaia speaks about a person who is on a journey to find love, but it seems like the journey has taken a toll on the individual. The lyrics speak about how the person has walked so much and even crossed oceans searching for love, but they are not sure if love is enough to conquer all the obstacles in its path.
The person turns to their faith and decides to pray, by singing a prayer in the form of music. The lyrics say that the prayer is directed towards the individual's god, asking for a divine intervention in their search for love. The person asks their "santo defensor" to bring them their love, and in the meantime, they will continue singing their prayer in the form of the Laia Ladaia refrain.
The song reflects the Brazilian culture of combining religion and music in their spiritual practices. Additionally, the lyrics also reflect the complexity of love and how it can be challenging to find and maintain it. The music video of the song has a Brazilian carnival theme, which is an integral part of Brazilian culture and often featured in Brazilian music.
Line by Line Meaning
Laia, ladaia, sabatana, Ave Maria
Repetitive melodic phrases chosen for their pleasant sound and rhythm.
Por amor andei, já
I have traveled far and wide for love.
Tanto chão e mar
Crossing many lands and oceans.
Senhor, já nem sei
I do not even know anymore, my Lord.
Se o amor não é mais
If love is no longer enough.
Bastante pra vencer
To overcome the challenges that lay ahead.
Eu já sei o que vou fazer
I already know what I am going to do.
Meu Senhor, uma oração
My Lord, a prayer.
Vou cantar para ver se vai valer
I am going to sing to see if it will help.
Ó meu santo defensor
Oh my holy defender.
Traga o meu amor
Bring back my love.
Se é fraca a oração
If my prayer is weak.
Mil vezes cantarei
I will sing a thousand times.
Writer(s): Ruy Guerra, Edu Lobo
Contributed by Victoria S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@andrefranciscodasilva7671
Top essa música!
@jmrodas9
Another of those fine songs that takes me back to earlier times in my life, as I had the Album and liked to listen to it, after finishing my studies whilst in the University, to relax after a busy day, attending classes, solving homework problems, and doing reports on practices. Very nice to remember those days.
@fifermcgee5971
This song takes me back to me youth. Am of the same vintage as Lani Hall, of course, Sergio is younger than we two,.
@cassandragreene3348
This takes me back.....loved this album! I was a huge fan of Sergio and Brazil 66 and Lani Hall.
@walterlopez4347
One of my favorites albums
Just listen to it and tell me if this album don't stay in your head
Is pretty good is music to enjoy life
@quickworks9720
I bought this when it first came out. One of my absolute favorites!!!
@walterlopez4347
@@quickworks9720 then u have good taste
@adolphlopez1462
I've might as well singing it by pronounce it in a hardest syllables. And it goes like this ",lllllllllllllllaaaahyyyyyyaaaaahllllaaaaahdddddaaaaaaahyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaahddddddaaaaayyyyyaaaaaaadddddddaaaaaahyyyyyyaaaaallllllllaaaaaaaddddddaaaaaaahyyyyyyyaaaah mmmmmaaaaahrrrrrrrrriiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaah.