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
One Note Samba
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Built upon a single note
Other notes are bound to follow
But the root is still that note
Now this new one is the consequence
Of the one we've just been through
As I'm bound to be the unavoidable consequence of you
And talk and talk and just say nothing
Or nearly nothing
I have used up all the scale I know
And at the end I've come to nothing
Or nearly nothing
And I came back to my first note
As I must come back to you
I will pour into that one note
All the love I feel for you
Everyone who wants the whole show
Re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do
He will find himself with no show
Better play the note you know
Everyone who wants the whole show
Re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do
He will find himself with no show
Better play the note you know
The song “One Note Samba” by Sérgio Mendes is a simple yet profound piece about the beauty of simplicity and the power of love. The first verse speaks of a new samba built upon a single note, with other notes bound to follow. The root is still that note, just as the root of the song's message is the importance of staying grounded and focusing on what truly matters. The second verse talks of people who can talk and talk but say nothing, and the singer's realization that he has used up all the scale he knows and come to nothing - or nearly nothing. The second half of the verse reveals the solution: returning to the first note and pouring all the love one feels into it, just as the singer must come back to his love.
The final verse repeats the message: for those who want the whole show (referring to the complex and showy musical performances common in samba), they will find themselves with no show. Better to play the note you know, the simple and heartfelt one, and pour all your love into it. The song is a reminder to stay grounded, simplify, and focus on what truly matters - love.
Line by Line Meaning
This is just a little samba
This is a small and simple type of music
Built upon a single note
Created using only one musical note as the foundation
Other notes are bound to follow
Additional notes will be added to create variation and complexity
But the root is still that note
The single note continues to provide the foundation for the music
Now this new one is the consequence
The addition of new notes creates a sequence and progression
Of the one we've just been through
It builds on the ideas and notes that came before it
As I'm bound to be the unavoidable consequence of you
Just like the notes build on each other, we are connected and our actions have consequences
There's so many people who can talk
Many people have the ability to speak
And talk and talk and just say nothing
They can go on and on without actually saying anything meaningful
Or nearly nothing
Their words may have little substance or significance
I have used up all the scale I know
I have exhausted my knowledge and creativity in this area
And at the end I've come to nothing
Despite my efforts, I have not achieved much
Or nearly nothing
It may feel like my work has little value or impact
And I came back to my first note
Returning to the original idea or theme
As I must come back to you
Just as the music returns to the root note, I am drawn back to you
I will pour into that one note
I will channel all my emotions and feelings into that one idea or relationship
All the love I feel for you
My deep admiration and affection for you
Everyone who wants the whole show
Those who want to experience everything
Re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do
The musical notes of the scale
He will find himself with no show
They will be disappointed to discover that not everything can be experienced
Better play the note you know
It is more important to focus on what you know and do it well than to chase after everything else
Contributed by John J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
david
on Waters of March (Les Eaux de Mars) - French Version
haaaaaaaaaaaaaa