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
Slow Hot Wind
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A slow... hot wind...
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
A slow... hot wind...
There in the shade...
Like a cool drink waiting...
He sat with fire in his eyes just waiting...
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
There in the shade
Like a cool drink waiting...
He sat with fire in his eyes just waiting...
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
A slow... hot wind...
Hot wind...
Hot wind...
The lyrics to Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66's song Slow Hot Wind invoke the feeling of a hot, lazy day where time seems to stand still. The repetitive nature of the opening lines “ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh, a slow hot wind” creates a sense of languidness and relaxation, as if the listener is being lulled into a dreamlike state by the heat of the day. The next lines “there in the shade, like a cool drink waiting” suggest that despite the oppressive heat, there is an oasis to be found in the form of shade and refreshment.
The subsequent lines “He sat with fire in his eyes just waiting” create a sense of tension, suggesting that despite the relaxed atmosphere, there is an underlying passion or energy waiting to be unleashed. The lyrical imagery of a “slow hot wind” is evocative of the way in which the heat of the day seems to slow everything down, while at the same time creating a sense of discomfort and unease. The repetition of the phrase “hot wind” at the end of the song reinforces this sense of discomfort and intensity, leaving the listener with the impression that despite the languidness of the day, there is an underlying energy waiting to be unleashed.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Expressing the feeling of a breeze blowing gently and sensually
A slow... hot wind...
Describing a breeze that is soft and gentle, yet warm and enchanting
There in the shade...
Referring to a place of comfort or protection from the sun
Like a cool drink waiting...
Imagining someone or something that is refreshing and restorative
He sat with fire in his eyes just waiting...
Depicting a person with a passionate and intense gaze, possibly anticipating something
Hot wind...
Repeating the idea of a warm and sensual breeze
Writer(s): Henry Nicola Mancini, Norman Gimbel
Contributed by Aiden S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@David.Isaac.147
One of my favorite songs of all time. Has a James Bond-type vibe like few other songs do
@poloshirtsamurai
Bond is what I'm thinking myself.
@orchplayers
A PERFECT song for the heatwave we're getting right now. Actually - a perfect song any day of the year... Thank you for your incredible music, Mr. Mendes!
@barbaralangan9200
Lani Hall sings this song beautifully and impeccably. What a voice. What a gorgeous song!
@magnumatos
this is Brazil my people with all its elegance and mastery of the biggest tropical country in the world 🌅
@sylvannacancino8398
Thank you Mancini and Gimbel for this seductive masterpiece
@mariarosagomez4385
Una jovencisima Lani Hall con apenas 21 anios, vaya manejo de ese vozarron...maravillosa!!!
@tb1534
Just a beautifully performed song.
@RichArtLove
The song A Slow Hot Wind was written by Norman Gimbel and Henry Mancini and was first recorded and released by Johnny Hartman in 1964.
@alansenzaki4148
Classic.Beautiful!