Former A&M Records executive Derek Taylor captured the sound of Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 in a few well-chosen phrases in his liner notes to the group's first album for the label. Taylor raved about its “delicate blend of piano jazz, subtle Latin undertones, breezy minor chords, danceable rhythm, gentle laughter and a bit of sex”.
With all that going on, how could he miss it?
Mendes, who died on Thursday, September 5, aged 83, had the kind of career that artists dream of. He had huge success in the 1960s fronting Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, who had three top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. But Mendes' success didn't end when the group's fortunes eased . He enjoyed periodic returns and periods of rediscovery for decades to come.
He had a major comeback in 1983 with the Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil power ballad “Never Gonna Let You Go,” which reached the top five of the Hot 100. He enjoyed another breakthrough in 2006 when his album Eternalwhich he co-produced with will.i.am, reached No. 44 on the Billboard 200 and received a pair of Grammy nods. (The album featured guest artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Justin Timberlake.) In 2012, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for a song he wrote for the film Rio.
Mendes won a Grammy for Best World Music Album for his 1992 album Brasileiro and two Latin Grammys for Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album for Bom Tempo and Eternal. In 2005 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Latin Recording Academy.
In 1966, Mendes came to the attention of Herb Alpert, co-founder of A&M Records, and one of the best-selling artists of the 1960s. Alpert produced the group's first three albums, all of which went gold. Alpert also took Brasil '66 on tour with him and even penned an enthusiastic recommendation that appeared on the back cover of their debut album: “One afternoon recently, a friend called me to ask if I wanted to hear a new band. From the first note I smiled like a child who had just found a new toy.” This album stayed on the Billboard 200 for over two years (a rarity in those days) and was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012.
Alpert was a close friend of Mendes for nearly 60 years. “Sergio Mendes, my brother from another country, died quietly and peacefully,” Alpert said in a statement Friday. “He was a true friend and extremely talented musician who brought Brazilian music in all its iterations around the world with elegance and joy.” (Another link between the two musicians: Lani Hall, to whom Alpert has been married since 1973, was one of the two singers in Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66.)
The group's sound was cool, yet warm and confident. Still, it was a new sound in 1966, so new that A&M took no chances and provided parenthetical vocal spellings for five song titles on the album, including “Mais Qu Nada (Ma-sh Kay Nada).” This accent play may seem graphic in an age when Bad Bunny gives acceptance speeches at general audience awards shows in Spanish, but, hey, baby steps. One generation paves the way for the next.
The group's music often appeared on “lounge music” pop compilations from the 1960s, which were the forerunners of today's “yacht rock” pop compilations from the 1970s and 1980s. Some people, it seems, can enjoy pop music only if they make fun of it. (But they're listening, so I'll take it.)
Here are 10 Mendes tracks that will remind you of his greatness or give you a good place to start exploring this talented and innovative musician.
I wrote the liner notes for a CD compilation, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66-86, released in 1987 amid A&M's 25th anniversary celebration. This piece draws some material from those notes.
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“Acode” (2008)
Hot 100 peaks: TO
From the album: Encanto
Notes: This track, featuring Brazilian singer Vanessa Da Mata, appeared Encantowhich was Mendes' second album co-produced with will.i.am. Encanto over Bulletin boardon the Jazz Albums chart and peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard 200. This song, which Mendes co-wrote with Da Mata, received a Latin Grammy Award for Best Brazilian Song (Portuguese Language).
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“One Note Samba/Spanish Flea” (1966)
Hot 100 peak: NA
From the album: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
Notes: The idea of Brasil '66 came from the worldwide popularity of Brazilian music in the early 60s. Songs composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim, including “Desafinado” and “The Girl From Ipanema”, were big pop hits and Bossa Nova became an international craze. This witty pairing of “One Note Samba,” composed by Jobim, and “Spanish Flea,” which Alpert had included on his megahit 1965 album Whipped cream & other delicaciessaluted both of these men, who were so instrumental in Mendes' career. Listening to “Spanish Flea,” made iconic by its use on the 1960s game show The dating gamewill make boomers smile.
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“Bim-Bom” (1967)
Hot 100 peaks: TO
From the album: Equinox
Notes: This sparkling gem was taken from the group's second album, released in the spring of 1967. João Gilberto composed the song around 1956. It is considered one of the first bossa nova songs. Listening to this version, it's easy to hear Brasil '66's influence on Manhattan Transfer or even Finneas looking for cover ideas for Billie Eilish.
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“Real in Rio” (2011)
Hot 100 peaks: TO
From the album: TO
Notes: Mendes received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song in 2012 for this delightful song from the film Rio, which combines elements of samba, carnival and hip-hop. Mendes composed the tune with Carlinhos Brown. Siedah Garrett wrote the lyrics. This was the year there were only two nominees in the category, the lowest number in Oscar history. “Real in Rio” lost to “Man or Muppet” by The Muppetsthe only song from a Muppet movie to ever win an Oscar.
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“The Look of Love” (1967)
Hot 100 peaks: Number 4
From the album: Look around
Notes: A great song can be interpreted in many ways. Dusty Springfield reached No. 22 on the Hot 100 in November 1967 with a slow, soulful version of this Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic, which she had sung on the movie soundtrack. Casino Royalebut this cleverly organized version of the cover was even more successful. It reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 after Mendes and Brasil '66 performed it at the Oscars in April 1968 (where it was nominated for Best Original Song). Janis Hansen sang lead, making this one of the few key Brasil '66 songs where Lani Hall wasn't fronting. Fergie and will.i.am appeared on the new version that launched Mendes' 2008 album, Encanto.
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“Like a Lover” (1967)
Hot 100 peaks: TO
From the album: Look around
Notes: Alan and Marilyn Bergman co-wrote this haunting, hypnotic ballad, which features the kind of romantic lyric they just don't write anymore: “How I envy a cup that knows your lips.” The song was included on the B-side of a top 10 hit – “The Look of Love”. “Like a Lover”, an English version of “O Cantador”, has been recorded by Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Dianne Reeves, Al Jarreau and Natalie Cole, among others.
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“So Many Stars” (1967)
Hot 100 peaks: TO
From the album: Look around
Notes: The Bergmans also wrote this great song, which was also the B-side of a top 10 hit – “The Fool on the Hill”. “So Many Stars” has been recorded by great singers such as Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Barbra Streisand and Natalie Cole. This storefront for Lani Hall shows that it is owned by this company.
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“Pretty World” (1969)
Hot 100 peaks: No. 62
From the album: Crystal Illusions
Notes: The Bergmans also wrote this song. The song features an upbeat arrangement and a flower-power lyric (“nothing to make but breakfast and love”) that mark it unmistakably as a product of the 60s. But it also includes that timeless and endearingly romantic invitation: “We're going to hang a little sign that just says, Heaven, Population: 2.” The song is a gem of simplicity and understatement.
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The Fool on the Hill (1968)
Hot 100 peaks: Number 6
From the album: Fool on the Hill
Notes: The group's glowing cover of “The Fool on the Hill” borrows liberally from Bacharach's style and suggests what might have happened if Bacharach had produced the Beatles. The song earned Brasil '66 a Grammy nod for Best Contemporary Pop Performance, Vocal Duo or Group – where it rivaled The Beatles' “Hey Jude.” (None won. The award went to Simon & Garfunkel's “Mrs. Robinson.”) Surprisingly, this was Brasil '66's only Grammy nod. (Mendes received five additional nods as a solo artist.) Mendes performed the song at the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute concert in 2015, when Paul McCartney was the honoree.
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“Mais Que Nada” (1966)
Hot 100 peaks: No. 47
From the album: Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66
Notes: This song was originally written and recorded in 1963 by Portuguese composer Jorge Ben. Mendes' version topped the Hot 100 for eight weeks in 1966, opening America's ears to Latin rhythms. (The title was often misspelled “Mas Que Nada”). The song hit the Hot 100 the same month future Latin music star Gloria Estefan turned nine, which shows you how early she was in the game. A new version of the song by Eternalwith The Black Eyed Peas, received a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance and a Latin Grammy nod for Record of the Year.
