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
Put A Little Love Away
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You had no answer
The music finds you
A sad and lonely dancer
Somehow you lost it
What everybody's looking for
But yesterday is dead and gone
Tomorrow's at your door
Better put a little love away
Everybody needs a penny for a rainy day
Put a little love away
Keep a loving thought in mind
Someone's gotta leave
Somebody's gotta stay behind
Put a little love away
Two people sharing
One tear too many
Look around for miracles
And, no, you don't find any
I've seen it coming
But what am I supposed to do
Just take a closer look around
And simply say to you
Better put a little love away
Everybody needs a penny for a rainy day
Put a little love away
Keep a loving thought in mind
Someone's gotta leave
Somebody's gotta stay behind
Put a little love away
The song starts by telling a story about someone who was confronted with a question but did not have an answer. This person is then described as a "sad and lonely dancer", a metaphor that suggests they are struggling to find their place in the world. The song suggests that this person has lost something that everyone is looking for, and that they need to find a way to move beyond their past and look towards the future.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "put a little love away" several times. This is meant to be taken literally as well as figuratively. The song is encouraging people to save a little bit of love for later, as if it were a currency that could be spent when times get tough. It's also suggesting that people should keep love at the front of their minds and use it as a tool to navigate through difficult situations.
Line by Line Meaning
He asked a question
Someone posed a query
You had no answer
You were unable to respond
The music finds you
Melodies attract you
A sad and lonely dancer
A sorrowful individual who dances alone
Somehow you lost it
You mislaid something important
What everybody's looking for
The thing that everyone desires
But yesterday is dead and gone
The past is over
Tomorrow's at your door
The future is approaching
Better put a little love away
It is advisable to store some affection for later
Everybody needs a penny for a rainy day
Everyone requires savings for turbulent days
Put a little love away
Put some love to the side
Keep a loving thought in mind
Remember to maintain kind and affectionate notions
Someone's gotta leave
Somebody has to depart
Somebody's gotta stay behind
Someone must remain in the same location
Put a little love away
Store some love for the future
Two people sharing
Two individuals collaborating
One tear too many
A significant amount of tears shed
Look around for miracles
Search for wonders in your surroundings
And, no, you don't find any
Unfortunately, you are unable to locate any
I've seen it coming
I predicted the outcome
But what am I supposed to do
However, what is the appropriate course of action?
Just take a closer look around
Simply analyze your surroundings more attentively
And simply say to you
And straightforwardly communicate to you
Contributed by Evan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joe Theredant
Great song. Never get's old!
David Trumper
I remember this playing on the radio many times as a young lad. I loved it then and love it still just like all the songs on the 'Love Music' album. Bonnie Bowden was a true inspiration as vocalist in the footsteps of Lani Hall and Karen Phillips. Sergio Mendes loves forever in our musical hearts. Many thanks.
gpatricknavarro
Bonnie Bowden - beautiful voice.
marlon Patalagsa
it's sooo good listening to this kind of music never tire of listening to them
Zailex Amoroso
wgka na maligo.
arnborj6
+marlon Patalagsa You got that right!
Peace!
:-)
Anna Maria Malig
soothing to my ears..i love the voice of Bonnie
Verda Seelbinder
I love 💕 all your music 🎶💗
Mr Sergio Mendes.
Mez Stoli
Magical. I can’t find this version on Spotify :(
Jerry Mariano
I never stop falling in love with this.