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Sergio Mendes celebrates life on new album; 'In The Key of Joy' / Remezcla
Posted At : March 4, 2020 12:00 AM
Sabor Do Rio," the latest single by Brazilian living legend Sérgio Mendes featuring Chicago rapper Common, is a great representation of the way he's made music throughout his six-decade-long career: it sounds like his version of Brazil, it finds its strength in collaboration, and, most importantly, it induces a state of sheer joy on listeners with every single note played or sung. This feeling has always been present in Mendes' music, but it's now the nucleus his latest album In The Key of Joy revolves around.
After releasing Love for Sale in 2016, Mendes, the multi-Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee from the southeast city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, returns with In The Key of Joy, continuing the eclectic, guest-heavy trajectory set off by his spectacular return to the international mainstream, Timeless. PHOTO: Katsunari Kawai
READ THE FULL Remezcla REVIEW
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After 60 years, Sergio Mendes is still writing, and now releases; 'In The Key Of Joy' / npr
Posted At : March 1, 2020 12:00 AM
In an over 60-year career Sergio Mendes has helped pioneer bossa nova and worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to will.i.am. His newest album is In The Key Of Joy. As a composer, producer, keyboardist and vocalist, Sergio Mendes helped pioneer the bossa nova movement and popularize Brazilian music globally with his band, Brasil 66. In his over 60-year career, Mendes has been one of the most explorative collaborators in world music, working with everyone from the Black Eyed Peas to jazz great Cannonball Adderley. His new album, In The Key Of Joy, is out now.
The record features the international range of collaborators that has become typical of his work: Everyone from American rappers like Common and Buddy to Colombian pop stars like Cali y El Dandee join Mendes on the record, alongside mainstays like Gracinha Leporace, Mendes' longtime partner in both music and marriage.
NPR's Leila Fadel spoke to Sergio Mendes about continuing to write joyful music after all these years, getting Joe Pizzulo and his daughter, Sophia, on the same album together and taking his time to enjoy each new release. ("I'm not a workaholic. I'm from Brazil," he jokes.) Listen in the player above and read on for highlights from the interview.
LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT
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Sergio Mendes to perform at Santa Barbara Film Festival / Variety
Posted At : January 7, 2020 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes is set to perform after the world premiere of "Sergio Mendes: In the Key of Joy" at the Santa Barbara Film Festival on Jan. 18. The Grammy award-winning Brazilian musician will perform three songs and participate in a Q&A at the Lobero Theater with director John Scheinfeld.
"Sergio Mendes: In the Key of Joy" includes interviews with Mendes, Herb Alpert, Carlinhos Brown, Harrison Ford, Lani Hall (lead singer of Brasil '66), Quincy Jones, John Legend, Gracinha Mendes (Sergio's wife and lead singer since 1971), Jerry Moss, Pele (soccer legend), Carlos Saldhana (Oscar-nominated filmmaker of Rio) and will.i. am.
Scheinfeld has made documentaries on subjects including John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, John Coltrane and many others.
SEE THE VARIETY PAGE
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Blue Note Jazz Club opens in Rio / uDiscover Music
Posted At : September 5, 2017 12:00 AM
New York's famous Blue Note jazz club has arrived in Rio. Its eighth location, and first in the Southern Hemisphere, opened last Thursday (31 August) in the affluent Lagoa neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The original club opened on West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village, New York, in 1981 and swiftly became a highly prestigious jazz location. The venue hosted concerts by Stevie Wonder and such now-departed fellow greats as Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. There are two other Blue Note clubs in the US, in Waikiki, Hawaii and Napa, California. In recent years it has expanded internationally, with two franchises in Japan, one in China, one in Italy and another in Slovakia. The Blue Note also has its own label dedicated to live recordings, Half Note Records.
The 400-capacity club opened with a performance by the Brazil Jazz Stars, and there are confirmed bookings with an impressive list of notables. They include shows this week by Maceo Parker (7 and 8 September), Sergio Mendes (9 and 10) and dates in the coming weeks for Chick Corea & the Steve Gadd Band, Chris Botti, Hermeto Pascoal and Spyro Gyra.
READ THE FULL uDiscover Music ARTICLE
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Sergio Mendes set for Embarcadero Marina Park South with the San Diego Symphony / NBCSanDiego
Posted At : August 6, 2017 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes' musical influence covers over five decades. The pianist and composer of bossanova and Latin jazz has released 39 albums, and he's currently working on his 40th. The 76-year-old Brazilian icon doesn't let his age get in the way of touring or creating new music. Mendes spoke with NBCSanDiego - "It's a good place to return to," Mendes said. "You know, we travel a lot all over the world. I like the weather and it's where I got started at A&M Records. The music and the movies, I like it. There is no perfect city. Mendes plays Aug. 6 at the Embarcadero Marina Park South with the San Diego Symphony. I'm looking forward to our show in San Diego," Mendes continued. "I love outdoor concerts! We're going to do the show and come back ... We have touring next week, and I'm making a new record and a documentary" he said.
READ THE FULL NBCSanDiego ARTICLE
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Win tix to Sergio Mendes - Dimitriou's Jazz Alley show on KNKX - Seattle
Posted At : June 18, 2017 12:00 AM
ENTER TO WIN a pair of tickets to see three-time Grammy winner and Brazilian music legend Sergio Mendes: 50 Years - Celebration of Brazil '66 for Thursday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, Seattle.
One of the most internationally successful Brazilian artists of all time, producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist, Sergio Mendes has recorded more than 35 albums, has had an influence on the music industry for more than five decades, and continues to evolve.
ENTER TO WIN HERE at KNKX - Seattle Radio
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Sergio Mendes set for bergenPAC / Broadway World
Posted At : June 14, 2017 12:00 AM
Brazilian pianist Sergio Mendes is set for New Jersey's bergenPAC on Friday, October 18. Mendes made a mark in the worldwide music industry over five decades with his bossa nova-tinged jazz. He has recorded more than 35 albums, winning multiple Grammy Awards. The producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist continues to influence the music scene with his work on movie soundtracks, including the animated Rio films. Mendes started his career with 1961's Dance Moderno and the groups Bossa Rio and the Sergio Mendes Trio. He established himself over the next 20 years, but really found global stardom after performing "The Look of Love" at the 1968 Oscars. His group's version went Top 10, quickly followed by the hits "The Fool on the Hill" and "Scarborough Fair." Mendes added soul and funk to his jazz and pop, but always with a Brazilian rhythm.
SEE THE FULL Broadway World PAGE
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Sergio Mendes and Brasil 2017 set for Folsom's Harris Center / Capital Public Radio
Posted At : January 27, 2017 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes began his career as a jazz and bossa nova pianist making a decent living in Brazil. After a trip to New York, where he performed with some of his jazz heroes, everything changed. "There was a bossa nova concert at Carnegie Hall in November 1962," recalls Mendes. "That's the first time I came to the United States and met Dizzy [Gillespie] and Stan Getz and that's when I did my album with Cannonball Adderley, and that's when I said I want to come back here!" Mendes and Brasil 2017 perform at the Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom on Saturday, January 28.
READ & LISTEN TO THE Capital Public Radio SEGMENT
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Sergio Mendes band set for Redondo Beach PAC / Easy Reader
Posted At : December 8, 2016 12:00 AM
In a week or so, Sérgio Mendes and his wife, Gracinha, will board an airplane for Brazil, but in the meantime they're both preparing for tomorrow's concert at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. As with any performer whose heyday was nearly half a century ago, Sérgio Mendes isn't a name that rings a lot of bells among young people. However, from the middle 1960s through the end of the decade, Sérgio Mendes and Brasil ‘66 had several soft pop Top 40 hits, including "The Look of Love" and "Fool on the Hill." But the song that pushed the group into the limelight was called "Mas que Nada," composed by Jorge Ben, and it was the first track on the album "Herb Alpert Presents Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ‘66."
READ THE FULL Easy Reader ARTICLE
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Sergio Mendes' 'Mas Que Nada' gets a Phil N Good remix: billboard exclusive premiere
Posted At : November 12, 2016 12:00 AM
Fifty years ago, Sergio Mendes released a cover version of "Mas Que Nada" with his band Brasil '66. Mendes' sped-up, more aggressively danceable take on the Jorge Ben Jor track became perhaps the definitive reading of the song. Now, celebrating five decades of Brazilian dance, DJ Trio Phil N Good, known for their remixes, have revived the Mendes version, keeping its essence but playing all the instruments from scratch (including a great percussion descarga at the end) and giving the song a contemporary sound and vibe. Made up of DJ Hapa (co-founder of Scratch DJ Academy LA and host of Feel Good Sound on DASH Radio), J Rythm (Another Dirty Night on DASH Radio) and rising producer/DJ, Dirty D, Phil N Good also brought in T Lopez on vocals.
SEE THE Billborad PAGE
SEE THE Yahoo Finance PAGE
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Sergio Mendes set for Yoshi's - Oakland / The Mercury News
Posted At : November 4, 2016 12:00 AM
Singer-composer-keyboardist Sergio Mendes burst out of Brazil amid the bossa nova craze in the 1960s and quickly became one his homeland's biggest and most influential stars. He's since released more than 30 albums that incorporate pop, contemporary jazz and Brazilian sounds. His latest release, "Magic," dropped in September, featuring collaborations with John Legend, Janelle Monae, will.i.am, and others. Mendes will showcase the album during four shows Nov. 4-5 at Yoshi's in Oakland.
SEE The Mercury News PAGE
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Sergio Mendes leads 2017 'Festival of the Arts Boca' event bill / SouthFlorida.com
Posted At : October 25, 2016 12:00 AM
On Monday, the Festival of the Arts Boca announced that bossa nova king Sergio Mendes and lanky, animated cat Pink Panther will lead the 2017 bill of concerts, films and author appearances in Boca Raton. Tickets will go on sale midnight Tuesday, Nov. 1, for the March 2-12 festival of top-tier thinkers and performers, with admission ranging from $9.99 to $125 per show at FestivalBoca.org. The 75-year-old Mendes and his rechristened band Brasil 2017 will close out the showcase March 12 at Mizner Park Amphitheater. Mendes, an epitome of 1960s cool who pioneered a brand of bossa-nova-jazz fusion, is touring the 50th anniversary release of "Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66." Alpert and his wife, Brasil '66 lead singer Lani Hall, performed at the festival in 2015.
READ THE FULL SouthFlorida.com ARTICLE
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50 Years of Brasil 66 at the Hollywood Bowl / LA Daily News review
Posted At : August 20, 2016 12:00 AM
The Hollywood Bowl was festive on Friday night, the first of two sold out evenings celebrating "Sergio Mendes & 50 Years of Brasil '66." As if celebrating the keyboard-playing 75-year-old Brazilian bandleader wasn't enough, the evening was also a celebration of the Rio Olympics and that city's festive Carnival. Complete with Brazilian singers, drummers and colorful dancers in the dazzling outfits we've all come to know. Mendes, his band of five musicians including three drummers and percussionists and his two traditional female vocalists, were joined by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by Thomas Wilkins, and guests that included his lifelong trumpeter buddy Herb Alpert and his wife Lani Hall, who was the lead singer on all the wonderful Brasil '66 hits during their ‘60s heyday, as well as jazz vet Diane Reeves, who sang with Mendes in the early ‘80s.
SEE THE FULL LA Daily News PAGE
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Sergio Mendes celebrates his band and the Rio Olympics at the Hollywood Bowl / Los Angeles Times
Posted At : August 15, 2016 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes had come to the Hollywood Bowl as both an ambassador and a celebrant. The headlining act in a program of Brazilian music titled "An Olympic Carnival," the keyboardist and bandleader from Rio de Janeiro was representing his hometown as it hosts the Summer Games. And he was marking the 50th anniversary of Brasil '66, the group with which he broke out in the United States doing lightly samba-fied renditions of pop hits like "Fool on the Hill" and "The Look of Love." "Most people in my band, they were not born [then]," Mendes, 75, said with a laugh as he gestured toward his current accompanists. Yet it was in a different role - as Cupid - that Mendes provided the most meaningful moment in Friday's concert.
READ THE FULL Los Angeles Times STORY
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Sergio Mendes still working his magic after 50 years / San Francisco Chronicle Q&A
Posted At : July 15, 2016 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes knows how to get people moving. For more than five decades, the Brazilian producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist has kept fans around the world on their toes with his bossa nova-inspired takes on songs like "The Look of Love," "Mais Que Nada" and "Daytripper." He's winning over new ones too, thanks to his Oscar-nominated work on the soundtracks for the animated films "Rio" and "Rio 2." This year, he celebrates the release of his breakthrough debut, "Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66." Mendes also headlines Festival Napa Valley, performing at Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga on Wednesday, July 20. Mendes, 75, spoke to us from his home in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles County).
READ THE FULL San Francisco Chronicle Q&A
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Seattle! Listen to KIXI and win tickets to Sergio Mendes at Jazz Alley
Posted At : June 24, 2016 12:00 AM
KIXI welcomes three-time Grammy winner and Brazilian music legend, Sergio Mendes as he celebrates 50 years of Brazil '66. Sergio Mendes' influence on the music industry has spanned five decades and continues to evolve through new collaborations and mediums. Producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist, he is one of the most successful Brazilian artists of all time,
And KIXI wants you to enjoy his live performance in the intimate setting of Jazz Alley!
Listen to KIXI's Dan Murphy on Monday, June 27 – Friday, July 1 at 4pm. When you hear the Cue-To-Call be our 15th caller at 866.880.KIXI (5494) and you'll win a pair of tickets. And complete this form for an extra chance to WIN!
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'50 years of Brasil 66' tour plays Chicago - City Winery / nwitimes.com
Posted At : June 8, 2016 12:00 AM
t was half a century ago that Sergio Mendes formed the unique Brasil ‘66. With that group, Mendes blended the sounds of jazz, Bossa Nova and other Latin musical genres, capturing the attention of the American music-loving public. This year, Mendes is touring with his band of musicians and singers to celebrate that milestone. "Welcome to 50 years of Brasil ‘66," Mendes said, during a recent appearance at City Winery in Chicago, as he greeted audience members to his special anniversary show. The concert began with the rhythmic "Magalenha" with "Pretty World" and "The Girl from Ipanema" featured in the opening segment. Mendes, who performed his signature keyboards throughout the show, also sang along with his group, which includes his wife Gracinha Leporace and Katie Hampton as vocalists.
READ THE FULL nwitimes.com ARTICLE
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Noise11 marks Sergio Mendes - Brasil 66, 50th Anniversary
Posted At : May 30, 2016 12:00 AM
In 1966 after seven relatively unsuccessful albums on Capitol and Atlantic Brazilian bandleader Sergio Mendes auditioned for Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss' new label A&M. Alpert not only liked what he heard, he also wanted to produce. A deal was struck for Mendes to record under the name Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 and (as they say) the rest was history. With Alpert know at the controls, Mendes recorded his first album for A&M ‘Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66'. It sold over one million copies.
Sergio Mendes interpreted modern contemporary hits with a Latin feel and created his own catalogue of hits by other people but with his own sound. The Beatles ‘The Fool On The Hill', Simon & Garfunkel's ‘Scarborough Fair' ‘Burt Bacharach's ‘The Look of Love', Otis Redding's ‘Sitting On The Dock of the Bay' and Buffalo Springfield's ‘For What Its Worth' didn't sound like covers. They were reinterpretations. READ FULL Noise11 ARTICLE & WATCH VIDEOS
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Sergio Mendes set to headline Ventura Music Festival / KCLU: Radio
Posted At : April 16, 2016 12:00 AM
Legendary pop and jazz musician Sergio Mendes will headline at the Ventura Music Festival on July 22nd. The concert is called Sergio Mendes; A Celebration of 50 years of Brasil 66, and it will celebrate the group's amazing legacy of pop/jass/bossa nova music. Mendes has more than 50 albums to his credit, was nominated for an Academy Award for one of his songs, and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame. With his band Brazil ‘66, Mendes soared to the top of the US pop charts during the mid-1960s with covers of songs by Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach, and Jimmy Webb. The songs featured a rhythmic Latin percussion foundation that percolated beneath the soaring crystalline vocal harmonies of Lani Hall and Janis Hansen. The arrangements, first by Mendes and later by Dave Grusin, included ethereal woodwinds, string sections, and keyboards that combined to create a style blending Brazilian bossa nova and American and British pop into a hybrid that was tremendously successful. Applauded for its rhythmic complexity, high production values, and intriguing vocals, after the heyday of the 1960s, Mendes attempted several updated versions of Brazil ‘66, including Brazil 77, and Brazil ‘99, had a major hit single in 1983 with "Never Let You Go," and pursued his jazz leanings.
SEE THE KCLU: Radio PAGE & LISTEN TO SEGMENT
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Sergio Mendes continues 50th anniversary tour in Philippines
Posted At : February 15, 2016 12:00 AM
Brazilian bossa nova and jazz star Sergio Mendes will be performing in the Philippines on March 12 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as part of his world tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the album that launched him to worldwide fame.
Mendes was already a musician touring the US and Europe when he released "Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66," his first album with a new group that featured two female vocalists who sang in English and Portuguese. The album was a big hit, with songs that integrated Latin jazz and bossa nova with elements of American pop music. Among these were covers of the Beatles' "Day Tripper," Little Anthony and the Imperials' "Going Out of My Head," the folk song "Scarborough Fair," and the now-classic "Mas Que Nada." In 2011, the groundbreaking album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. More recently, Mendes has worked with the Black Eyed Peas on a new version of "Mas Que Nada." Other contemporary stars he has collaborated with include Jill Scott, India Arie, Justin Timberlake, Erykah Badu, John Legend and Will.i.am. In 2005, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammys. SEE GMA PAGE
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Sergio Mendes set to play Musical Instrument Museum / Phoenix New Times
Posted At : October 31, 2015 12:00 AM
Over the past century, no one musical style has entranced multiple cultures of fans quite like bossa nova, and since the form began to take hold back in the late '50s in Brazil and then into the U.S., there has been no name more synonymous with the musical art form than bossa nova legend Sergio Mendes. In his 55th year as a recording artist, the three-time Grammy Award winner is not slowing down. His unquenchable passion for collaborations with new, younger artists and mixing of other musical genres into the ever-growing melting pot of bossa nova is keeping him young at heart.
"I'm still here. I'm still doing what I love to do, which is to perform, make records," Mendes says quite plainly. "I feel very lucky and very blessed that I'm still doing it. Next year will be 50 years of [Mendes' band] Brazil 66. You can never think about the future; I never did, anyway." Mendes is set to play Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix tonight.
READ THE FULL Phoenix New Times ARTICLE
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Sergio Mendes brings Magic to this year's Seoul Jazz Festival / Korea JoongAng Daily
Posted At : May 19, 2015 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes, 74, a Brazilian pianist and composer with the spirit of jazz deep in his bones, actually grew up around classical melodies. His first foray into music started when he began learning the piano, but he became captivated upon encountering jazz as a teenager. Mendes describes the beauty and improvisation of the genre and being able to feel freedom in the compositions as "magical." Magic seems to be the singer's favorite word. It was the title of his latest Sony/Okey CD release.
This year's Seoul Jazz Festival kicks off Saturday. The lineup includes Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and many more. Provided by the organizer Whenever he goes on tour, Mendes says he takes a so-called "magical journey," in which he shows the "history of Brazil and today's Brazil through his various songs." He calls it the "magic" of his life and says it is what his fans in Korea will see during his concert at the upcoming Seoul Jazz Festival. This year's event kicks off on Saturday and runs through May 25 at Olympic Park in eastern Seoul.
READ THE FULL Korea JoongAng Daily ARTICLE
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Sergio Mendes plays the Abu Dhabi Festival / The National
Posted At : March 19, 2015 12:00 AM
Sérgio Mendes hasn't even arrived in the UAE yet – where the Brazilian bossa nova legend will make his regional debut at the Abu Dhabi Festival On Friday, March 20 – but he's already gearing up for a return visit next year. "I was having dinner with John Legend the other night," he says nonchalantly, "and he said he was going over to play the Dubai Jazz Festival – that's something I'd like to do next year". Mendes was reportedly America's best-selling Brazilian artist in the 1960s, scoring a run of hits kick-started by his 1966 cover of Jorge Ben's now-standard Mas Que Nada.
READ THE FULL National INTERVIEW
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Sergio Mendes receives 2015 GRAMMY Nomination for - Magic
Posted At : December 4, 2014 12:00 AM
On Friday the 57th Annual Grammy Awards revealed it's winners. and Crossover Media Artists and Projects received 12, 2015 Nominations: including Sergio Mendes latest: Magic, in the Best World Music Album category.
In a career that spans more than half a century, Sérgio Mendes is an old hand at creating a unique sonic blend that electrifies a mass global audience. His knack for delivering hit after hit has made him the most successful Brazilian musician of his time. A grand conceptualizer, his well-polished talents as a pianist, composer, bandleader, vocalist and producer make him a truly singular artist. With Magic, his debut recording for the storied OKeh label, he triumphs once again, delivering a timely update on the infectious mix of Brazilian rhythms and contemporary styles from his homeland, the U.S. and elsewhere that make the Mendessound instantly recognizable.
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Sergio Mendes endears himself to Filipino audience / Inquirer.net review
Posted At : November 29, 2014 12:00 AM
It is not often that a musician will get to reach the ripe age of 70 and still be a crowd-drawer. Only a handful of artists are known to belong to this special class, and Brazilian music icon Sergio Mendes is one of them. Mendes, a legend at the age of 73, shows no signs of slowing down, as evident in his performance during his one-night concert in Manila last November 15, 2014 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Bringing to the country his arsenal of equally great musicians in the form of Brasil 2014 band, they lit up the concert stage with their signature Bossa Nova and Latin Jazz groove that captured and enthralled the audience for hours.
READ THE FULL Inquirer.net REVIEW
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Sergio Mendes - Magic / The Aquarian Weekly review
Posted At : November 5, 2014 12:00 AM
I was 15 in 1966 when one of my very few non-rock ‘n' roll albums became essential. It was called Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 and I wore that sucker out. I had a little $10 toy record player. This guy my mom was dating, Arnie The Window Washer, bought it for me along with a few albums. That was one of them. I guess you can say it was the first world-music album I ever heard.
Samba, baby.
Brazil has its charm. Death metal band Sepultura comes from its jungles. Samba, though, comes from the city, Rio de Janeiro in particular. Aah Rio, playground for the wealthy…nude beaches…gambling…carnaval… bossa nova…salsa…Antonio Carlos Jobim…and Sergio Mendes.
48 years after that groundbreaking album comes Magic (Okeh) and Mendes, with the help of Janelle Monae, Will.i.am, John Legend, Milton Nascimento and Seu Jorge, has fashioned a modernistic take on a musical tradition that started in the 1860s.
Mendes-pianist, composer, bandleader, vocalist, producer-rides herd over his large international cast recorded in California, Salvador and Rio. He's a master melodist. Genre-wise, be it hip-hop, funk, soul, pop, balladry or folk, he's always stamped it with a singular devotion to his legendary Brazilian predecessors. So just as his 1984 Confetti became the Olympic Games anthem that year, and his Pele served as the soundtrack to the biopic of a legendary soccer player, Magic contains the closing "One Nation," used at the World Cup this year.
And that's just the tip of a particularly deep iceberg. You would be doing yourself a favor by putting a little Magic in your life. Mendes is forever.-Mike Greenblatt
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Sergio Mendes to perform with Spokane Symphony / Spokesman-Review interview
Posted At : October 30, 2014 12:00 AM
Few artists have experienced a career as long and varied as Sergio Mendes'. The Cuban-born Mendes, who performs some of his classics with Washington's Spokane Symphony this weekend, was one of the main artists to bring his country's traditional bossa nova to the States, where it became a huge success in the 1960s.
"Bossa nova became a worldwide phenomenon because of the songs, because of the melodies," the pianist said from his home in Los Angeles. "For me, at the end of the day, it's the great songs that I still love, and that's what we bring to the people when we do a show."
What's most notable about Mendes' recent career trajectory, however, is the list of younger collaborators he's racked up. In 2006, he released an album called "Timeless," which flirted with pop, R&B and hip-hop and featured appearances from Justin Timberlake, Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott and the Black Eyed Peas. Mendes' newest record, this year's Magic, follows a similar template, with John Legend, Janelle Monae, Seu Jorge and the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am.
"Luckily, my music speaks to two generations – the parents that listened to Brasil '66, and now their kids who listened to ‘Timeless,' " Mendes said. "So there's a whole new generation who comes to see my show, and it makes me very, very happy." READ THE FULL Spokesman-Review INTERVIEW.
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Sergio Mendes - Magic / Blogcritics.org Review
Posted At : October 22, 2014 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes, arguably the man most responsible creating the groundswell for Brazilian pop music and jazz in the U.S. back in the day (certainly one of the prime movers), makes his debut recording for the Okeh label with the newly released Magic. At age 73, the pianist, composer, with more than 50 albums to his credit, is still going strong. If the new album is any indication, he still has the magic.
Collaborating with an extensive roster of talent-musicians, composers, producers, old hands and new voices, Brazilian and North American-he has put together a baker's dozen tunes that add a contemporary vibe to the familiar Mendes sound. The music is recognizably Sergio Mendes, but it is Mendes with an eye to what music needs to be in 2014. So, in addition to what you might expect, you also get him working with will.i.am, the freshman3 and Cody Wise on "My, My, My, My Love" for a vital new sound, and with Janelle Monae on a jazzy "Visions of You" and John Legend on "Don't Say Goodbye" a more typically Mendes sound, but with an English lyric and even a hint of scat. READ THE FULL Blogcritics.org REVIEW.
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Sergio Mendes - Magic / The Desert Sun interview
Posted At : October 2, 2014 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes says his first "magical encounter" happened during his first trip to the United States in 1962 after sitting in with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley at New York's Birdland jazz club.
Now 73, Mendes has shaped his five-decade career around such unexpected collaborations, performing across genres with musicians from North and South America. He continues on his latest album, Magic, which features contributions by John Legend, will.i.am and Janelle Monae, along with Brazilian artists including Milton Nascimento and Carlinhos Brown.
"Now I'm the old guy working with the young people," Mendes says with his signature smile. "But the same pleasure I had with Cannonball, (this) gives it to me now." READ THE FULL Desert Sun INTERVIEW.
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Sergio Mendes - Magic / Something Else review
Posted At : September 30, 2014 12:00 AM
In a career that spans five decades, bossa nova maestro Sergio Mendes apparently has no plans to slow down. After his worldwide breakthrough with his group Brasil '66, he continued recording hits featuring largely unknown singers. Timeless, his unlikely 2006 collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, introduced Mendes to a new generation. Since then, he has consistently released albums featuring a mixture of his signature bossa nova sound, R&B, and touches of hip hop.
Magic is no exception, as it largely continues where his last album Bom Tempo left off. While skewing heavily toward fellow Brazilian artists, Mendes also welcomes American artists such as John Legend, Janelle Monae and, in an encore appearance, will.iam. Overall, Magic casts a pleasant spell of jazz, soul, hip hop, and bossa nova that presents an overview of Mendes' signature sound. READ THE FULL Something Else! REVIEW.
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Sergio Mendes - Magic / Audiophile Audition review
Posted At : September 24, 2014 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes' association with the Brazilian samba and bossa nova is as close as the association of bikinis with Copacabana. From his very first LP Danco Moderno to the many others under the rubric of Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66 to The New Brazil '77 and now with his current release Magic, Sergio Mendes has kept the spirit of the music alive and has now brought it up to date.
READ THE FULL Audiophile Audition REVIEW
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Sergio Mendes - Magic / Gulf News review
Posted At : September 23, 2014 12:00 AM
On his new OKeh album - Magic, Sergio Mendes continues his mission of spreading the joy of Brazilian music to a global audience. Mendes doesn't indulge in nostalgia, but instead presents mostly new original material that blends contemporary styles with Brazilian rhythms. In true Sergio Mendes style, the album features accomplished singers from varied backgrounds, including John Legend, Milton Nascimento, and Sergio's wife Gracinha Leporace. This trend of collaboration dates back to the early 1960s, when he merged bossa nova with jazz. "I believe in the magic of the encounter," Mendes says, and "I like to do things that are kind of bold, fresh, and unique."
READ THE Gulf News REVIEW HERE
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Sergio Mendes on his early career / NPR All Things Considered: My Big Break
Posted At : September 14, 2014 12:00 AM
Sergio Mendes discusses his early experiences in music on the NPR: All Things Considered - "My Big Break" series. Born in Brazil, Sergio Mendes passion for music began by playing classical piano, but after hearing Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," things from then on were never quite the same. By perfecting a mix of Jazz and local Bossa Nova styles, Mendes formed a band that was truly original. Signed to A&M Records as Brazil '66, Their first track on their first album - Mas Que Nada, became a worldwide hit and made Sergio Mendes famous.
HEAR THE FULL NPR-ATC Interview HERE
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Sergio Mendes - Magic / Union Tribune review
Posted At : September 9, 2014 12:00 AM
Collaboration has been a major component of Sergio Mendes' five decade career. Mendes continues this trend on his latest Sony/Okeh album - Magic, which features John Legend, will.i.am and Janelle Monae, along with Brazilian artists such as Milton Nascimento and Carlinhos Brown.
Mendes sums up the album title: "I'm very curious and intuitive, and I also love to learn new things. I believe in the magic of the encounter… that is what my life has been about, and also this album."
READ THE FULL Union Tribune REVIEW HERE
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Sergio Mendes on Tavis Smiley
Posted At : September 4, 2014 12:00 AM
Sérgio Mendes is one of the most internationally successful Brazilian artists of all time. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, he has recorded more than 35 albums, is a three-time Grammy Award winner and an Oscar nominee (for music from the animated, 3-D feature film, Rio). His lates recording for Sony - Magic, spotlights the distinct talents of a large cast of both emerging and established Brazilian and North American musicians, vocalists, composers and producers. The eclectic line-up of multi-faceted collaborators underscores how Mendes has been so successful at forging fruitful partnerships since he emerged as a young jazz pianist in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1960s.
Tune in tonight! Thursday September 4 for Sergio Mendes on PBS: Tavis Smiley