Mendes is married to the singer Gracinha Leporace who regularly performs vocals alongside Mendes and can 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 1961. 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 Brasil '65 group name 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 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
Empty Faces
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I see don't care
To ever know the love
You gave to me so much
When morning made our song
And now it seems so far
Oh what can't I mean for stars
So many things to know
When twilight seems to go
The long night just for dreams
You said to me again
Oh just say to me again
The calling for the sun
I can't believe you're gone
No never would we try
Our hands would dance away
Without the time to cry
Now I see the nighttime shadows
Breaking over dreams
That have no more to say
If time will pass
I'll wait for you until and then
I'll wait for you again
Then all I will ask of you
Is all you want to give
When twilight breaks the day
Come quickly now and stay
As long as we can try
Without the time to cry
Oh we ought to wait
Oh we ought to wait
Oh we ought to wait
The lyrics to Sérgio Mendes's song Empty Faces speak about the feeling of loneliness and being disconnected from the world after losing someone you loved. The world is seen as empty faces, people who don't care or show any interest in knowing the love that was given to the singer by their loved one. The memories of the past, the mornings when they made a song together, and the twilight of a beautiful day now seem distant and lost. The lyrics express the longing for the loved one to return, to hear their voice again, to be with them just like before. The singer refuses to let go of the memories and declares that they will wait for their loved one until they return, and they will try to remain strong without crying.
The lyrics of Empty Faces convey a powerful message about love, loss, and longing. The singer's voice is filled with emotion, which adds to the overall mood of the song. The lyrics are relatable and can help anyone going through a similar situation to cope with the pain of losing someone they love. The song is a beautiful tribute to the healing power of music and the memories that keep us connected to those we love.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the world is empty faces
The world is now comprised of people with vacant expressions who are indifferent to others.
That I see don't care
The people I encounter in the world seem to be cold and unfeeling.
To ever know the love
They cannot understand the love that someone might have shown them.
You gave to me so much
I, on the other hand, have experienced an abundance of love from you.
When morning made our song
Our love was most pronounced in the mornings.
And now it seems so far
But now it feels like a distant memory.
A song that means too much
Our love has a depth that perhaps others cannot comprehend.
So many things to know
There is much more to learn about love and life.
When twilight seems to go
As evening approaches, my thoughts turn to you.
The long night just for dreams
But at night, I dream of a time when we were together.
You said to me again
In my dreams, I hear your words of love and encouragement.
The calling for the sun
I long for the warmth and light of a new day.
I can't believe you're gone
It is difficult for me to accept that you are no longer with me.
No never would we try
We would never give up on each other.
Our hands would dance away
We used to hold hands and dance, lost in our love for each other.
Without the time to cry
We were too happy to waste our time crying.
Now I see the nighttime shadows
But now, I am haunted by the darkness of the night.
Breaking over dreams
The reality of my life now shatters the happiness of my dreams.
That have no more to say
My dreams are unable to give me any further solace.
If time will pass
Even though time will continue to flow.
I'll wait for you until and then
I will continue to wait for you.
I'll wait for you again
Because I know that our love will find a way back to me.
Then all I will ask of you
When we are reunited, all I will want is your love.
Is all you want to give
I will be content with whatever love you are willing to offer.
Come quickly now and stay
I urge you to return to be with me as soon as possible.
As long as we can try
We will continue to fight to keep our love alive.
Without the time to cry
Because our love is too precious to waste time crying over.
Oh we ought to wait
Despite the challenges we face, we should continue to hold onto our love.
Oh we ought to wait
We should wait for the right moment to reunite and be together again.
Oh we ought to wait
Our love is worth waiting for.
Contributed by Hannah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lynm6639
Beautiful Music. What's not to love about Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66. Always on my playlist while working.
@sergiopolo8915
Love Sergio Mendes, music love it AS SO MUCH!!! GREETINGS FROM SPAIN
@jamesrawlins735
FYI - the great Oscar Castro-Neves is the guitarist
@lydamonterrosalydamonterro3915
💓💓💓