Sérgio Mendes | New Music And Songs | Sérgio Mendes About Sérgio Mendes For most of the second half of the '60s, Sergio Mendes was the top-selling Brazilian artist in the United States, charting huge hit singles and LPs that regularly made the Top Five. His records with his group, Brasil '66, regularly straddled the domestic pop and international markets in America, getting played heavily on AM radio stations, both rock and easy listening, and he gave his label, A&M, something to offer light jazz listeners beyond the work of the company's co-founder, Herb Alpert. During this period, he also became an international music star and one of the most popular musicians in South America. Born the son of a physician in Niteroi, Brazil, Mendes began studying music at the local conservatory while still a boy, with the intention of becoming a classical pianist. He was living in Rio de Janeiro as the bossa nova craze hit in the mid- to late '50s, and at age 15, he abandoned classical music in favor of bossa nova.

Mendes began spending time with other young Brazilian musicians in Rio de Janeiro, absorbing the musical ferment around him in the company of such figures as Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. Their company was augmented by the periodic visits of American jazz giants such as Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Byrd, Paul Winter, Roy Eldridge, and Herbie Mann. Mendes became the leader of his own group, the Sexteto Bossa Rio, and was heard with them by many visiting musicians. He made his first recording, Dance Moderno, in 1961 on the Philips Records label. By 1962, Mendes and his band were playing at Birdland in New York in an impromptu performance with Cannonball Adderley (who was officially on the bill). Mendes and Adderley cut an album together for Capitol Records that was released later that year. His early music, represented on albums like Bossa Nova York and Girl from Ipanema, was heavily influenced by Antonio Carlos Jobim, on whose recording Mendes worked.

Mendes liked what he had found on his visit to New York and in 1964, he moved to the United States, initially to play on albums with Jobim and Art Farmer, and formed Brasil '65 the following year. The group recorded for Capitol without attracting too much notice at first. In 1966, however, Mendes and his band -- renamed Brasil '66 -- were signed to A&M Records and something seemed to click between the group and its audience. The group, consisting in its first A&M incarnation of Mendes on keyboards, Bob Matthews on bass, João Palma on the drums, Jose Soares as percussionist, Lani Hall (aka Mrs. Herb Alpert and A&M's co-founder) on vocals, and Janis Hansen on vocals, was successful upon the release of its first album for the label, with its mix of light jazz, a bossa nova beat, and contemporary soft pop melodies.

Their self-titled debut LP rose to number six nationally, propelled by the presence of the single "Mas Que Nada." Their second album, Equinox, yielded a trio of minor hits, "Night and Day," "Constant Rain (Chove Chuva)," and "For Me," but their third, Look Around, rose to number five behind a number three single of the group's cover of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill," and an accompanying hit with "Scarborough Fair," based on the Simon & Garfunkel version of the folk song. Crystal Illusions, from 1969, featured a version of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and the hit single "Pretty World." Depending upon one's sensibilities, these covers -- especially "Fool on the Hill" and "Scarborough Fair" -- were either legitimate, internationalized pop versions of the originals, or they were "elevator music." During this period, Mendes also made several recordings for Atlantic Records separate from his A&M deal, principally aimed at a light jazz audience, and several of them in association with Jobim.

Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Hubert Laws, and Claire Fisher were among the jazz figures who appeared on these records, which never remotely attracted the same level of interest or sales as his records with Brasil '66. Mendes successfully walked a fine line between international and domestic audiences for most of the late '60s until the end of the decade. Ye-Me-Le was notably less successful than its predecessors, and its single, "Wichita Lineman," was only a minor hit. Mendes seemed to lose his commercial edge with the turn of the decade, and his next two A&M albums: Stillness, a folk-based collection that contained covers of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" and Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth," and Primal Roots, an album of traditional Brazilian music, failed to make any impression on the charts whatsoever. The group moved to the much smaller Bell Records label in 1973, and then Mendes jumped to Elektra for his first official solo album, Sergio Mendes.

He relaunched his recording career two years later with Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 to little avail, and then, after a five year layoff from the public eye, Mendes returned to A&M in 1982. His 1983 comeback album, Sergio Mendes, was his first Top 40 album in nearly a decade-and-a-half, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go," which hit number four. Since then, Mendes has had limited chart success with the single "Alibis" and the LP Confetti. He remained a popular figure internationally, even when his record sales slumped in America, as evidenced by the fact that his entire A&M catalog (and much of his Atlantic work) from the '60s has been reissued on CD in Japan. Indeed, his popularity in the rest of the world, versus America, was even the basis for a comic vignette in one episode of the television series Seinfeld. During the '90s, Mendes performed with a new group, Brasil '99, and more recently, Brasil 2000, and has been integrating the sounds of Bahian hip-hop into his music.

In 1997, A&M's British division released a remastered double-CD set of the best of Mendes' music from his first seven years on the label. Most of Mendes' back catalog was reissued as the 21st century dawned, and in 2006, Concord Records released Timeless, his first album of newly recorded material in eight years. A mere two years later, Encanto appeared, including co-productions from will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas. A third album on Concord, Bom Tempo, was released in 2010. After appearances at numerous festivals and a global tour, Mendes took a short break before beginning to record again. He signed to Sony's revived OKeh imprint and cut a completely new set of songs in Los Angeles, Salvador and Bahia, with a host of special guests and old friends that included John Legend, will.i.am. and many Brazilian artists including Carlihnos Brown, with whom he cut the first single, "One Nation," issued on The 2014 Fifa World Cup Official Album: One Love, One Rhythm. Mendes' album Magic, was released in September.

~ Bruce Eder, Rovi Sergio Mendes | Biography & History | AllMusic google+ Artist Biography by Bruce Eder For most of the second half of the '60s, Sergio Mendes was the top-selling Brazilian artist in the United States, charting huge hit singles and LPs that regularly made the Top Five. His records with his group, Brasil '66 , regularly straddled the domestic pop and international markets in America, getting played heavily on AM radio stations, both rock and easy listening, and he gave his label, A&M, something to offer light jazz listeners beyond the work of the company's co-founder, Herb Alpert . During this period, he also became an international music star and one of the most popular musicians in South America. Born the son of a physician in Niteroi, Brazil, Mendes began studying music at the local conservatory while still a boy, with the intention of becoming a classical pianist. He was living in Rio de Janeiro as the bossa nova craze hit in the mid- to late '50s, and at age 15, he abandoned classical music in favor of bossa nova.

Mendes began spending time with other young Brazilian musicians in Rio de Janeiro, absorbing the musical ferment around him in the company of such figures as Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto . Their company was augmented by the periodic visits of American jazz giants such as Stan Getz , Dizzy Gillespie , Charlie Byrd , Paul Winter , Roy Eldridge , and Herbie Mann . Mendes became the leader of his own group, the Sexteto Bossa Rio , and was heard with them by many visiting musicians. He made his first recording, Dance Moderno , in 1961 on the Philips Records label. By 1962, Mendes and his band were playing at Birdland in New York in an impromptu performance with Cannonball Adderley (who was officially on the bill). Mendes and Adderley cut an album together for Capitol Records that was released later that year. His early music, represented on albums like Bossa Nova York and Girl from Ipanema, was heavily influenced by Antonio Carlos Jobim , on whose recording Mendes worked.

Mendes liked what he had found on his visit to New York, and in 1964 he moved to the United States, initially to play on albums with Jobim and Art Farmer , and formed Brasil '65 the following year. The group recorded for Capitol without attracting too much notice at first. In 1966, however, Mendes and his band -- renamed Brasil '66 -- were signed to A&M Records and something seemed to click between the group and its audience. The group, consisting in its first A&M incarnation of Mendes on keyboards, Bob Matthews on bass, João Palma on drums, Jose Soares as percussionist, Lani Hall (aka Mrs. Herb Alpert and A&M's co-founder) on vocals, and Janis Hansen on vocals, was successful upon the release of its first album for the label, with its mix of light jazz, a bossa nova beat, and contemporary soft pop melodies.

Their self-titled debut LP rose to number six nationally, propelled by the presence of the single "Mas Que Nada." Their second album, Equinox , yielded a trio of minor hits, "Night and Day," "Constant Rain (Chove Chuva)," and "For Me," but their third, Look Around , rose to number five behind a number three single of the group's cover of the Beatles ' "Fool on the Hill" and an accompanying hit with "Scarborough Fair," based on the Simon & Garfunkel version of the folk song. Crystal Illusions , from 1969, featured a version of Otis Redding 's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and the hit single "Pretty World." Depending upon one's sensibilities, these covers -- especially "Fool on the Hill" and "Scarborough Fair" -- were either legitimate, internationalized pop versions of the originals, or they were "elevator music." During this period, Mendes also made several recordings for Atlantic Records separate from his A&M deal, principally aimed at a light jazz audience, and several of them in association with Jobim .

Art Farmer , Phil Woods , Hubert Laws , and Claire Fisher were among the jazz figures who appeared on these records, which never remotely attracted the same level of interest or sales as his records with Brasil '66 . Mendes successfully walked a fine line between international and domestic audiences for most of the late '60s until the end of the decade. Ye-Me-Le was notably less successful than its predecessors, and its single, "Wichita Lineman," was only a minor hit. Mendes seemed to lose his commercial edge with the turn of the decade, and his next two A&M albums: Stillness , a folk-based collection that contained covers of Joni Mitchell 's "Chelsea Morning" and Stephen Stills ' "For What It's Worth," and Primal Roots , an album of traditional Brazilian music, failed to make any impression on the charts whatsoever. The group moved to the much smaller Bell Records label in 1973, and then Mendes jumped to Elektra for his first official solo album, Sergio Mendes .

He relaunched his recording career two years later with Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 to little avail, and then, after a five-year layoff from the public eye, Mendes returned to A&M in 1982. His 1983 comeback album, Sergio Mendes , was his first Top 40 album in nearly a decade and a half, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go," which hit number four. Since then, Mendes has had limited chart success with the single "Alibis" and the LP Confetti . He remained a popular figure internationally, even when his record sales slumped in America, as evidenced by the fact that his entire A&M catalog (and much of his Atlantic work) from the '60s has been reissued on CD in Japan. Indeed, his popularity in the rest of the world, versus America, was even the basis for a comic vignette in one episode of the television series Seinfeld. During the '90s, Mendes performed with a new group, Brasil '99 , and more recently, Brasil 2000 , and has been integrating the sounds of Bahian hip-hop into his music.

In 1997, A&M's British division released a remastered double-CD set of the best of Mendes ' music from his first seven years on the label. Most of Mendes ' back catalog was reissued as the 21st century dawned, and in 2006, Concord Records released Timeless , his first album of newly recorded material in eight years. A mere two years later, Encanto appeared, including co-productions from will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas . A third album on Concord, Bom Tempo , was released in 2010. After appearances at numerous festivals and a global tour, Mendes took a short break before beginning to record again. He signed to Sony's revived OKeh imprint and cut a completely new set of songs in Los Angeles, Salvador, and Bahia, with a host of special guests and old friends, including John Legend , will.i.am. , and Brazilian artists such as Carlinhos Brown , with whom he cut the first single, "One Nation," issued on One Love, One Rhythm: The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album . Mendes ' album Magic was released in September. The Salute to Sergio Mendes!

Born: February 11, 1941 (Niteroi, Brazil) All Music Guide has this to say about Sergio Mendes: A pianist, composer and bandleader inextricably linked to the bossa nova craze of the 1960s, Sergio Mendes was born on February 11, 1941 in Niteroi, Brazil. After rising to prominence as the leader of the Bossa Nova Trio, he settled in the United States in 1964 and worked on recordings by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Art Farmer. A year later Mendes formed Brasil '65, the first incarnation of the group rechristened several months later as the more famous Brasil '66. In addition to Mendes, Brasil '66 -- once marketed as "a delicately mixed blend of pianistic jazz, subtle Latin nuances, John Lennon/Paul McCartney style, some Henry Mancini, here and there a touch of Burt Bacharach, cool minor chords, danceable upbeat, gentle laughter and a little sex" -- comprised vocalist/percussionist Jose Soares, bassist/vocalist Bob Matthews, drummer Jao Palma and singer Janis Hansen.

Most importantly, the group also featured vocalist Lani Hall, the wife of musician and A&M Records cofounder Herb Alpert, who released their debut Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 and watched it rise into the Top Ten on the strength of the hit "Mas Que Nada." Equinox followed the next year, spawning the minor hits "Night and Day," "Constant Rain (Chove Chuva)" and "For Me." 1968's Look Around rocketed Brasil '66 to the Top Five, while Fool on the Hill reached the Top Three, launching the hit title track (a Beatles cover) as well as a smash rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair." A cover of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" highlighted 1969's Crystal Illusions, which also notched the minor hit "Pretty World." Apart from a rendition of "Wichita Lineman" which garnered some airplay, 1969's Ye-Me-Le fared poorly, barely cracking the Top 75; after 1971's Stillness met with virtually no commercial response, Mendes changed the group's name to the more forward

-thinking Brasil '77, but to little avail -- after the chart failure of 1972's Primal Roots, the band's long association with A&M ended, and they moved to the Bell label for 1973's Love Music.

By 1975's Sergio Mendes -- his first solo effort -- he had moved to Elektra; after re-launching the backing unit with 1977's Sergio Mendes and the New Brasil '77, Mendes dropped from sight for several years, re-signing to A&M in the early 1980s. Also titled simply Sergio Mendes, his 1983 A&M comeback was his first Top 40 smash in close to 15 years; the single "Never Gonna Let You Go," which featured vocalists Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller, was his biggest hit to date, reaching the number four position on the U.S. charts, and the track "Rainbow's End" also received considerable airplay. Despite the Top 40 success of the single "Alibis," the 1984 follow-up Confetti did not fare as well as its predecessor, and Mendes again disappeared. At the dawn of the 1990s, he formed the new Brasil '99; as the decade progressed, he began exploring Bahian hip-hop.

-- Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide In Ruy Castro's book, he says regarding Sergio Mendes, "In the mid-fifties, while still in short pants, he caught the ferry in Niteroi to go to the Lojas Murray (Murray record store) and hear his idols' records for free: Stan Kenton, who was still the craze, and a young pianist named Horace Silver. [. . .] In order to make some pocket money he formed a trio with his friend Tião Neto, also from Niteroi, who played the double bass, and a rotating cycle of percussionists. The three played at all sorts of dances--only they played jazz, which nobody could dance to. When they were asked to play waltzes at graduation dances, the only one they knew was "Lover", by Rodgers and Hart.

After all of this, Sergio Mendes, who was already an accomplished pianist, thought it child's play when some idiot threw firecrackers under his piano at Bottles (bar) during a verse of "All The Things You Are." Around 1960, he started leading impromptu jazz and bossa nova jams on Sunday afternoons at the Little Club, which served as rites of initiation for hundreds of Rio teenagers and many amateur musicians. The jams were good business for everyone." And from another section of the book: "There was another important person in the audience: Dave Cavanaugh, president of Capitol Records. In the weeks that followed, he recorded two albums with Sergio Mendes and the group Brasil '65. Mendes felt that those records would set them on their way, and got in touch with Nesuhi Ertegun, president of Atlantic Records and someone who used to frequent the Lane (club) in Rio.

At Atlantic, he recorded other albums with Brasil '65, one of them with arrangements by people with ties to bossa nova, like Clare Fischer, or merely with a wide scope of experience, like Bob Florence--but neither one of them did much for Dori Caymmi and Edu Lobo's songs, which Sergio was introducing. He still hadn't hit upon the formula he wanted; his albums continued to sound like a trio from the Lane expanded with string or brass instruments, but a trio from the Lane nevertheless. Guitarist Rosinha de Valença and drummer Chico Batera also returned at the end of 1965, and Sergio Mendes brought over guitarist-composer Marcos Valle, his breathtakingly beautiful wife, Ana Maria, and drummer João Palma to replace them. With the implosion of The Beatles the following year, Sergio Mendes became the greatest influence on the pop market.

At the end of 1965, he had decided to experiment with a new formula for the group, then called Brasil '66, and hired two femal vocalists to sing in English; he switched the rhythmical ingredients around, eliminated every last vestige of jazz influence, and created a comination of samba, pop, and bossa nova; and began to use the more dance-oriented themes that young Brazilian composers offered him. [. . .] In 1966, Mendes released several hit singles and the LP Look Around. In 1968, Brasil '66 had already sold four million singles of "Fool on the Hill"--more than The Beatles had sold of their own recording. [. . .] In just two years, from 1966 to 1968, the group had already played in hundreds of American cities, toured the whole of Europe (sometimes playing in two countries on the same day), Australia and the Far East, particularly Japan, where they played twenty-seven cities on each tour--at a minimum of two Japanese tours per year.

At first, Sergio Mendes was opening several shows for Frank Sinatra, but shortly afterward, he wasn't opening shows for anyone." 50 Years Before Rio 2016, Bossa Nova Had The World Swaying :: Music :: Features :: rio 2016 :: Paste 50 Years Before Rio 2016, Bossa Nova Had The World Swaying From Brasil '66 to Rio '16: Brazilian Culture Through the Decades Share Tweet Submit Pin In August, all eyes with be on Rio and Brazil as it hosts the 2016 Summer Olympics. Before we visit our next Olympic showcase, though, let’s travel back in time to Brasil ‘66. For the “in crowd”, Brazilian music had been a U.S. sex symbol for years. Beginning in the 1933 with the Fred Astaire film Flying Down To Rio, it was employed in movie party scenes, played in swank nightclubs, and a staple in the record collections of the single set. Need an amorous mood? Cue samba. But bossa nova went further than samba ever did.

The genre—which means “new beat”— was the innovation of guitarist-vocalist João Gilberto and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim. It featured a suffusion of syncopated riffs atop a foundation of samba. In Brazil, bossa nova became the sound of the upscale population. Unlike samba, with its harmonic layers and shading, bossa nova narrowed the beat to Gilberto’s catchy guitar—a day pared down to nocturnal breezes. Gilberto juxtaposed his languid instrumental riffs, with a poetic vocal style free of vibrato. He mixed classical influences with the cool jazz which was the rage in the U.S. ( Click here for Paste’s list of the top 10 bossa nova tracks of all time.) Bossa nova’s height in Brazil coincided with a U.S. listener shift from impersonal bebop to the cool jazz of Miles Davis, Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan. That year, Gilberto’s track “Manhã de Carnaval” was a hit on the soundtrack album for the film Orfeu Negro, marketed stateside as Black Orpheus. College jazz deejays and audiences took note.

But, the first bossa nova album in the U.S., João Gilberto’s 1961 release O Amor, o Sorriso e a Flor (sold as Brazil’s Brilliant João Gilberto in the States), was a flop. Through President John F. Kennedy’s Good Neighbor program, U.S. acts toured Latin America. Jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd heard bossa nova for the first time while touring Brazil in 1961. Byrd, his drummer Buddy Deppenschmidt and bassist Keter Betts bought Gilberto’s first two albums, and began “woodshedding” the style. When they returned to Washington, The Charlie Byrd Trio played bossa nova tunes at the Showboat Lounge. Betts begged Byrd to record a bossa nova album. The leader relented. On February 13, 1962, the combo, led by tenor saxophone star Stan Getz, cut Jazz Samba at D.C.’s All Souls Unitarian Church. Where Gilberto’s first disc had failed with U.S.

buyers, the Getz-led single “Desafinado” reached the Billboard pop charts for 16 weeks, charting as high as number 15. In an erasure of the companion artists, Getz won a “Best Solo Jazz Performance” Grammy for the single. Jazz Samba is the only jazz album to go number one on Billboard’s pop chart. Major record labels rushed to emulate it. Herb Alpert, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, and Elvis Presley all recorded bossa nova songs. Eydie Gormé’s smash Blame it on the Bossa Nova launched another fad—bossa nova as a dance. In early 1963, jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, whose 1959 album Time Out was the first million-selling jazz album in the U.S., released Bossa Nova U.S.A. in 1963. The album spent 15 weeks on Billboard’s charts. Sergio Mendes was a pianist. He played with Antônio Carlos Jobim, Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann.

In 1961, his Sexteto Bossa Rio recorded Dance Moderno. Mendes moved to the U.S., where he cut two albums for Atlantic Records with a band named Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘65. Like Gilberto’s first U.S. efforts, the records failed. U.S. producer Richard Adler got Mendes’ group an audition for trumpeter Herb Alpert, who had founded A&M Records after the success of his own Latin act, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Adler suggested Mendes hire two women vocalists who could sing in English and Portuguese, and that they cover U.S. hit records. Mendes got out of his Atlantic contract by updating the name of the group to Brasil ‘66, and A&M signed them to a deal. Alpert produced the newly aligned band’s first single, “Mas Que Nada.” Their first album on A&M was titled Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66. Through Adler and Alpert’s considerable connections, Brasil ‘66 was booked on the leading U.S. variety shows. The debut album peaked at number four on the pop charts; radio airplay was ubiquitous.

They performed at both the Johnson and Nixon White Houses. Brasil ‘66’s soothing sound became synonymous in the U.S. with romantic comedies, spy films, soft drink and cigarette ads, and easy living. By this time, “The Girl From Ipanema by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz, was a global sensation recorded by or performed live by myriad stars, including Frank Sinatra. Today, music historians and critics consider it the most widely covered song in the world—second only to the Beatles ’ “Yesterday.” Bijan C. Bayne is a cultural critic and the author of Elgin Baylor: The Man Who Changed Basketball. He is @bijancbayne on Twitter Fool on the Hill (Remastered) by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 on Apple Music 9 Songs Album Review Having hit upon another smash formula — cover versions of pop/rock hits backed by lavish strings, a simplified bossa nova rhythm, and the leader's piano comping — Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 produced two more chart-busting singles, again turning to the Beatles for sustenance with the title track (number six) and Simon & Garfunkel for "Scarborough Fair" (number 16).

But again, the bulk of the album was dominated by Brazilians, and by one in particular: the hugely gifted Edu Lobo, whose dramatic "Casa Forte" and infectious "Upa, Neguinho" were the best of his four songs. The tracks were longer now, the string-laden ballads (arranged by Dave Grusin) more lavish and moody, and Lani Hall emerged as the vocal star of the band, eclipsing her new partner, Karen Philipp (although Hall is upstaged on "Lapinha" by future Brasil '77 member Gracinha Leporace). Even though he had become thoroughly embedded in the consciousness of mainstream America, Mendes still managed to have it three ways, exposing first-class tunes from little-known Brazilian talent, garnering commercial hits, and also making some fine records. Cultural note: the striking foldout cover art, depicting Brasil '66 at sunset seated on top of a nude woman, somehow made it past the uptight censors of the day and no doubt boosted sales; it was Mendes' highest-charting album at number three. ~ Richard S.

Ginell, Rovi Customer Reviews by x-raytech With the resurgence of Mendes' music, revamped in "Timeless" and now in "Encanto", this album should be requisite listening for new fans of his music. Sergio Mendes' Magical Brazilian Tour by ZARDOZ Terrific album! Not as "must have" as his earlier releases, Equinox, and Look of Love, but a real treasure nonetheless. This was truly a super group of musicians, and have been sorely missed for decades. Memories by stepbrown This Sergio Mendes album is a stirring of the heart and soul. Just grabs you and comforts you. Top Albums and Songs by Brasil '66 1. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 | Download Music, Tour Dates & Video | eMusic Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 Rate It! Avg: 4.0 (9 ratings) Born: Niteroi, Brazil Biography All Music Guide All Music Guide: For most of the second half of the '60s, Sergio Mendes was the top-selling Brazilian artist in the United States, charting huge hit singles and LPs that regularly made the Top Five.

His records with his group, Brasil '66, regularly straddled the domestic pop and international markets in America, getting played heavily on AM radio stations, both rock and easy listening, and he gave his label, A&M, something to offer light jazz listeners beyond the work of the company's co-founder, Herb Alpert. During this period, he also became an international music star and one of the most popular musicians in South America. Born the son of a physician in Niteroi, Brazil, Mendes began studying music at the local conservatory while still a boy, with the intention of becoming a classical pianist. He was living in Rio de Janeiro as the bossa nova craze hit in the mid- to late '50s, and at age 15, he abandoned classical music in favor of bossa nova. Mendes began spending time with other young Brazilian musicians in Rio de Janeiro, absorbing the musical ferment around him in the company of such figures as Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. Their company was augmented by the periodic visits of American jazz giants such as Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Byrd, Paul Winter, Roy Eldridge, and Herbie Mann.

Mendes became the leader of his own group, the Sexteto Bossa Rio, and was heard with them by many visiting musicians. He made his first recording, Dance Moderno, in 1961 on the Philips Records label. By 1962, Mendes and his band were playing at Birdland in New York in an impromptu performance with Cannonball Adderley (who was officially on the bill). Mendes and Adderley cut an album together for Capitol Records that was released later that year. His early music, represented on albums like Bossa Nova York and Girl from Ipanema, was heavily influenced by Antonio Carlos Jobim, on whose recording Mendes worked. Mendes liked what he had found on his visit to New York, and in 1964 he moved to the United States, initially to play on albums with Jobim and Art Farmer, and formed Brasil '65 the following year. The group recorded for Capitol without attracting too much notice at first. In 1966, however, Mendes and his band -- renamed Brasil '66 -- were signed to A&M Records and something seemed to click between the group and its audience.

The group, consisting in its first A&M incarnation of Mendes on keyboards, Bob Matthews on bass, João Palma on drums, Jose Soares as percussionist, Lani Hall (aka Mrs. Herb Alpert and A&M's co-founder) on vocals, and Janis Hansen on vocals, was successful upon the release of its first album for the label, with its mix of light jazz, a bossa nova beat, and contemporary soft pop melodies. Their self-titled debut LP rose to number six nationally, propelled by the presence of the single "Mas Que Nada." Their second album, Equinox, yielded a trio of minor hits, "Night and Day," "Constant Rain (Chove Chuva)," and "For Me," but their third, Look Around, rose to number five behind a number three single of the group's cover of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill" and an accompanying hit with "Scarborough Fair," based on the Simon & Garfunkel version of the folk song.

Crystal Illusions, from 1969, featured a version of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and the hit single "Pretty World." Depending upon one's sensibilities, these covers -- especially "Fool on the Hill" and "Scarborough Fair" -- were either legitimate, internationalized pop versions of the originals, or they were "elevator music." During this period, Mendes also made several recordings for Atlantic Records separate from his A&M deal, principally aimed at a light jazz audience, and several of them in association with Jobim. Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Hubert Laws, and Claire Fisher were among the jazz figures who appeared on these records, which never remotely attracted the same level of interest or sales as his records with Brasil '66. Mendes successfully walked a fine line between international and domestic audiences for most of the late '60s until the end of the decade. Ye-Me-Le was notably less successful than its predecessors, and its single, "Wichita Lineman," was only a minor hit.

Mendes seemed to lose his commercial edge with the turn of the decade, and his next two A&M albums: Stillness, a folk-based collection that contained covers of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" and Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth," and Primal Roots, an album of traditional Brazilian music, failed to make any impression on the charts whatsoever. The group moved to the much smaller Bell Records label in 1973, and then Mendes jumped to Elektra for his first official solo album, Sergio Mendes. He relaunched his recording career two years later with Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 to little avail, and then, after a five-year layoff from the public eye, Mendes returned to A&M in 1982. His 1983 comeback album, Sergio Mendes, was his first Top 40 album in nearly a decade and a half, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go," which hit number four. Since then, Mendes has had limited chart success with the single "Alibis" and the LP Confetti.

He remained a popular figure internationally, even when his record sales slumped in America, as evidenced by the fact that his entire A&M catalog (and much of his Atlantic work) from the '60s has been reissued on CD in Japan. Indeed, his popularity in the rest of the world, versus America, was even the basis for a comic vignette in one episode of the television series Seinfeld. During the '90s, Mendes performed with a new group, Brasil '99, and more recently, Brasil 2000, and has been integrating the sounds of Bahian hip-hop into his music. In 1997, A&M's British division released a remastered double-CD set of the best of Mendes' music from his first seven years on the label. Most of Mendes' back catalog was reissued as the 21st century dawned, and in 2006, Concord Records released Timeless, his first album of newly recorded material in eight years. A mere two years later, Encanto appeared, including co-productions from will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas. A third album on Concord, Bom Tempo, was released in 2010.

After appearances at numerous festivals and a global tour, Mendes took a short break before beginning to record again. He signed to Sony's revived OKeh imprint and cut a completely new set of songs in Los Angeles, Salvador, and Bahia, with a host of special guests and old friends, including John Legend, will.i.am., and Brazilian artists such as Carlinhos Brown, with whom he cut the first single, "One Nation," issued on One Love, One Rhythm: The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album. Mendes' album Magic was released in September. Sergio Mendes | Download Music, Tour Dates & Video | eMusic Biography All Music Guide All Music Guide: For most of the second half of the '60s, Sergio Mendes was the top-selling Brazilian artist in the United States, charting huge hit singles and LPs that regularly made the Top Five. His records with his group, Brasil '66, regularly straddled the domestic pop and international markets in America, getting played heavily on AM radio stations, both rock and easy listening, and he gave his label, A&M, something to offer light jazz listeners beyond the work of the company's co-founder, Herb Alpert.

During this period, he also became an international music star and one of the most popular musicians in South America. Born the son of a physician in Niteroi, Brazil, Mendes began studying music at the local conservatory while still a boy, with the intention of becoming a classical pianist. He was living in Rio de Janeiro as the bossa nova craze hit in the mid- to late '50s, and at age 15, he abandoned classical music in favor of bossa nova. Mendes began spending time with other young Brazilian musicians in Rio de Janeiro, absorbing the musical ferment around him in the company of such figures as Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. Their company was augmented by the periodic visits of American jazz giants such as Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Byrd, Paul Winter, Roy Eldridge, and Herbie Mann. Mendes became the leader of his own group, the Sexteto Bossa Rio, and was heard with them by many visiting musicians. He made his first recording, Dance Moderno, in 1961 on the Philips Records label.

By 1962, Mendes and his band were playing at Birdland in New York in an impromptu performance with Cannonball Adderley (who was officially on the bill). Mendes and Adderley cut an album together for Capitol Records that was released later that year. His early music, represented on albums like Bossa Nova York and Girl from Ipanema, was heavily influenced by Antonio Carlos Jobim, on whose recording Mendes worked. Mendes liked what he had found on his visit to New York, and in 1964 he moved to the United States, initially to play on albums with Jobim and Art Farmer, and formed Brasil '65 the following year. The group recorded for Capitol without attracting too much notice at first. In 1966, however, Mendes and his band -- renamed Brasil '66 -- were signed to A&M Records and something seemed to click between the group and its audience. The group, consisting in its first A&M incarnation of Mendes on keyboards, Bob Matthews on bass, João Palma on drums, Jose Soares as percussionist, Lani Hall (aka Mrs.

Herb Alpert and A&M's co-founder) on vocals, and Janis Hansen on vocals, was successful upon the release of its first album for the label, with its mix of light jazz, a bossa nova beat, and contemporary soft pop melodies. Their self-titled debut LP rose to number six nationally, propelled by the presence of the single "Mas Que Nada." Their second album, Equinox, yielded a trio of minor hits, "Night and Day," "Constant Rain (Chove Chuva)," and "For Me," but their third, Look Around, rose to number five behind a number three single of the group's cover of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill" and an accompanying hit with "Scarborough Fair," based on the Simon & Garfunkel version of the folk song.

Crystal Illusions, from 1969, featured a version of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and the hit single "Pretty World." Depending upon one's sensibilities, these covers -- especially "Fool on the Hill" and "Scarborough Fair" -- were either legitimate, internationalized pop versions of the originals, or they were "elevator music." During this period, Mendes also made several recordings for Atlantic Records separate from his A&M deal, principally aimed at a light jazz audience, and several of them in association with Jobim. Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Hubert Laws, and Claire Fisher were among the jazz figures who appeared on these records, which never remotely attracted the same level of interest or sales as his records with Brasil '66. Mendes successfully walked a fine line between international and domestic audiences for most of the late '60s until the end of the decade. Ye-Me-Le was notably less successful than its predecessors, and its single, "Wichita Lineman," was only a minor hit.

Mendes seemed to lose his commercial edge with the turn of the decade, and his next two A&M albums: Stillness, a folk-based collection that contained covers of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" and Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth," and Primal Roots, an album of traditional Brazilian music, failed to make any impression on the charts whatsoever. The group moved to the much smaller Bell Records label in 1973, and then Mendes jumped to Elektra for his first official solo album, Sergio Mendes. He relaunched his recording career two years later with Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 to little avail, and then, after a five-year layoff from the public eye, Mendes returned to A&M in 1982. His 1983 comeback album, Sergio Mendes, was his first Top 40 album in nearly a decade and a half, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go," which hit number four. Since then, Mendes has had limited chart success with the single "Alibis" and the LP Confetti.

He remained a popular figure internationally, even when his record sales slumped in America, as evidenced by the fact that his entire A&M catalog (and much of his Atlantic work) from the '60s has been reissued on CD in Japan. Indeed, his popularity in the rest of the world, versus America, was even the basis for a comic vignette in one episode of the television series Seinfeld. During the '90s, Mendes performed with a new group, Brasil '99, and more recently, Brasil 2000, and has been integrating the sounds of Bahian hip-hop into his music. In 1997, A&M's British division released a remastered double-CD set of the best of Mendes' music from his first seven years on the label. Most of Mendes' back catalog was reissued as the 21st century dawned, and in 2006, Concord Records released Timeless, his first album of newly recorded material in eight years. A mere two years later, Encanto appeared, including co-productions from will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas. A third album on Concord, Bom Tempo, was released in 2010.

After appearances at numerous festivals and a global tour, Mendes took a short break before beginning to record again. He signed to Sony's revived OKeh imprint and cut a completely new set of songs in Los Angeles, Salvador, and Bahia, with a host of special guests and old friends, including John Legend, will.i.am., and Brazilian artists such as Carlinhos Brown, with whom he cut the first single, "One Nation," issued on One Love, One Rhythm: The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album. Mendes' album Magic was released in September. Sérgio Mendes Bio | Sérgio Mendes Career | MTV World/Reggae For most of the second half of the '60s, Sergio Mendes was the top-selling Brazilian artist in the United States, charting huge hit singles and LPs that regularly made the Top Five. His records with his group, Brasil '66, regularly straddled the domestic pop and international markets in America, getting played heavily on AM radio stations, both rock and easy listening, and he gave his label, A&M, something to offer light jazz listeners beyond the work of the company's co-founder, Herb Alpert.

During this period, he also became an international music star and one of the most popular musicians in South America. Born the son of a physician in Niteroi, Brazil, Mendes began studying music at the local conservatory while still a boy, with the intention of becoming a classical pianist. He was living in Rio de Janeiro as the bossa nova craze hit in the mid- to late '50s, and at age 15, he abandoned classical music in favor of bossa nova. Mendes began spending time with other young Brazilian musicians in Rio de Janeiro, absorbing the musical ferment around him in the company of such figures as Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. Their company was augmented by the periodic visits of American jazz giants such as Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Byrd, Paul Winter, Roy Eldridge, and Herbie Mann. Mendes became the leader of his own group, the Sexteto Bossa Rio, and was heard with them by many visiting musicians. He made his first recording, Dance Moderno, in 1961 on the Philips Records label.

By 1962, Mendes and his band were playing at Birdland in New York in an impromptu performance with Cannonball Adderley (who was officially on the bill). Mendes and Adderley cut an album together for Capitol Records that was released later that year. His early music, represented on albums like Bossa Nova York and Girl from Ipanema, was heavily influenced by Antonio Carlos Jobim, on whose recording Mendes worked. Mendes liked what he had found on his visit to New York and in 1964, he moved to the United States, initially to play on albums with Jobim and Art Farmer, and formed Brasil '65 the following year. The group recorded for Capitol without attracting too much notice at first. In 1966, however, Mendes and his band -- renamed Brasil '66 -- were signed to A&M Records and something seemed to click between the group and its audience. The group, consisting in its first A&M incarnation of Mendes on keyboards, Bob Matthews on bass, João Palma on the drums, Jose Soares as percussionist, Lani Hall (aka Mrs.

Herb Alpert and A&M's co-founder) on vocals, and Janis Hansen on vocals, was successful upon the release of its first album for the label, with its mix of light jazz, a bossa nova beat, and contemporary soft pop melodies. Their self-titled debut LP rose to number six nationally, propelled by the presence of the single "Mas Que Nada." Their second album, Equinox, yielded a trio of minor hits, "Night and Day," "Constant Rain (Chove Chuva)," and "For Me," but their third, Look Around, rose to number five behind a number three single of the group's cover of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill," and an accompanying hit with "Scarborough Fair," based on the Simon & Garfunkel version of the folk song.

Crystal Illusions, from 1969, featured a version of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and the hit single "Pretty World." Depending upon one's sensibilities, these covers -- especially "Fool on the Hill" and "Scarborough Fair" -- were either legitimate, internationalized pop versions of the originals, or they were "elevator music." During this period, Mendes also made several recordings for Atlantic Records separate from his A&M deal, principally aimed at a light jazz audience, and several of them in association with Jobim. Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Hubert Laws, and Claire Fisher were among the jazz figures who appeared on these records, which never remotely attracted the same level of interest or sales as his records with Brasil '66. Mendes successfully walked a fine line between international and domestic audiences for most of the late '60s until the end of the decade. Ye-Me-Le was notably less successful than its predecessors, and its single, "Wichita Lineman," was only a minor hit.

Mendes seemed to lose his commercial edge with the turn of the decade, and his next two A&M albums: Stillness, a folk-based collection that contained covers of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" and Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth," and Primal Roots, an album of traditional Brazilian music, failed to make any impression on the charts whatsoever. The group moved to the much smaller Bell Records label in 1973, and then Mendes jumped to Elektra for his first official solo album, Sergio Mendes. He relaunched his recording career two years later with Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 to little avail, and then, after a five year layoff from the public eye, Mendes returned to A&M in 1982. His 1983 comeback album, Sergio Mendes, was his first Top 40 album in nearly a decade-and-a-half, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go," which hit number four. Since then, Mendes has had limited chart success with the single "Alibis" and the LP Confetti.

He remained a popular figure internationally, even when his record sales slumped in America, as evidenced by the fact that his entire A&M catalog (and much of his Atlantic work) from the '60s has been reissued on CD in Japan. Indeed, his popularity in the rest of the world, versus America, was even the basis for a comic vignette in one episode of the television series Seinfeld. During the '90s, Mendes performed with a new group, Brasil '99, and more recently, Brasil 2000, and has been integrating the sounds of Bahian hip-hop into his music. In 1997, A&M's British division released a remastered double-CD set of the best of Mendes' music from his first seven years on the label. Most of Mendes' back catalog was reissued as the 21st century dawned, and in 2006, Concord Records released Timeless, his first album of newly recorded material in eight years. A mere two years later, Encanto appeared, including co-productions from will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas. A third album on Concord, Bom Tempo, was released in 2010.

After appearances at numerous festivals and a global tour, Mendes took a short break before beginning to record again. He signed to Sony's revived OKeh imprint and cut a completely new set of songs in Los Angeles, Salvador and Bahia, with a host of special guests and old friends that included John Legend, will.i.am. and many Brazilian artists including Carlihnos Brown, with whom he cut the first single, "One Nation," issued on The 2014 Fifa World Cup Official Album: One Love, One Rhythm. Mendes' album Magic, was released in September. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi Sergio Mendes on Apple Music To preview a song, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to buy and download music. Biography For most of the second half of the '60s, Sergio Mendes was the top-selling Brazilian artist in the United States, charting huge hit singles and LPs that regularly made the Top Five.

His records with his group, Brasil '66, regularly straddled the domestic pop and international markets in America, getting played heavily on AM radio stations, both rock and easy listening, and he gave his label, A&M, something to offer light jazz listeners beyond the work of the company's co-founder, Herb Alpert. During this period, he also became an international music star and one of the most popular musicians in South America. Born the son of a physician in Niteroi, Brazil, Mendes began studying music at the local conservatory while still a boy, with the intention of becoming a classical pianist. He was living in Rio de Janeiro as the bossa nova craze hit in the mid- to late '50s, and at age 15, he abandoned classical music in favor of bossa nova. Mendes began spending time with other young Brazilian musicians in Rio de Janeiro, absorbing the musical ferment around him in the company of such figures as Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. Their company was augmented by the periodic visits of American jazz giants such as Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Byrd, Paul Winter, Roy Eldridge, and Herbie Mann.

Mendes became the leader of his own group, the Sexteto Bossa Rio, and was heard with them by many visiting musicians. He made his first recording, Dance Moderno, in 1961 on the Philips Records label. By 1962, Mendes and his band were playing at Birdland in New York in an impromptu performance with Cannonball Adderley (who was officially on the bill). Mendes and Adderley cut an album together for Capitol Records that was released later that year. His early music, represented on albums like Bossa Nova York and Girl from Ipanema, was heavily influenced by Antonio Carlos Jobim, on whose recording Mendes worked. Mendes liked what he had found on his visit to New York, and in 1964 he moved to the United States, initially to play on albums with Jobim and Art Farmer, and formed Brasil '65 the following year. The group recorded for Capitol without attracting too much notice at first. In 1966, however, Mendes and his band -- renamed Brasil '66 -- were signed to A&M Records and something seemed to click between the group and its audience.

The group, consisting in its first A&M incarnation of Mendes on keyboards, Bob Matthews on bass, João Palma on drums, Jose Soares as percussionist, Lani Hall (aka Mrs. Herb Alpert and A&M's co-founder) on vocals, and Janis Hansen on vocals, was successful upon the release of its first album for the label, with its mix of light jazz, a bossa nova beat, and contemporary soft pop melodies. Their self-titled debut LP rose to number six nationally, propelled by the presence of the single "Mas Que Nada." Their second album, Equinox, yielded a trio of minor hits, "Night and Day," "Constant Rain (Chove Chuva)," and "For Me," but their third, Look Around, rose to number five behind a number three single of the group's cover of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill" and an accompanying hit with "Scarborough Fair," based on the Simon & Garfunkel version of the folk song.

Crystal Illusions, from 1969, featured a version of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and the hit single "Pretty World." Depending upon one's sensibilities, these covers -- especially "Fool on the Hill" and "Scarborough Fair" -- were either legitimate, internationalized pop versions of the originals, or they were "elevator music." During this period, Mendes also made several recordings for Atlantic Records separate from his A&M deal, principally aimed at a light jazz audience, and several of them in association with Jobim. Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Hubert Laws, and Claire Fisher were among the jazz figures who appeared on these records, which never remotely attracted the same level of interest or sales as his records with Brasil '66. Mendes successfully walked a fine line between international and domestic audiences for most of the late '60s until the end of the decade. Ye-Me-Le was notably less successful than its predecessors, and its single, "Wichita Lineman," was only a minor hit.

Mendes seemed to lose his commercial edge with the turn of the decade, and his next two A&M albums: Stillness, a folk-based collection that contained covers of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" and Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth," and Primal Roots, an album of traditional Brazilian music, failed to make any impression on the charts whatsoever. The group moved to the much smaller Bell Records label in 1973, and then Mendes jumped to Elektra for his first official solo album, Sergio Mendes. He relaunched his recording career two years later with Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 to little avail, and then, after a five-year layoff from the public eye, Mendes returned to A&M in 1982. His 1983 comeback album, Sergio Mendes, was his first Top 40 album in nearly a decade and a half, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go," which hit number four. Since then, Mendes has had limited chart success with the single "Alibis" and the LP Confetti.

He remained a popular figure internationally, even when his record sales slumped in America, as evidenced by the fact that his entire A&M catalog (and much of his Atlantic work) from the '60s has been reissued on CD in Japan. Indeed, his popularity in the rest of the world, versus America, was even the basis for a comic vignette in one episode of the television series Seinfeld. During the '90s, Mendes performed with a new group, Brasil '99, and more recently, Brasil 2000, and has been integrating the sounds of Bahian hip-hop into his music. In 1997, A&M's British division released a remastered double-CD set of the best of Mendes' music from his first seven years on the label. Most of Mendes' back catalog was reissued as the 21st century dawned, and in 2006, Concord Records released Timeless, his first album of newly recorded material in eight years. A mere two years later, Encanto appeared, including co-productions from will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas. A third album on Concord, Bom Tempo, was released in 2010.

After appearances at numerous festivals and a global tour, Mendes took a short break before beginning to record again. He signed to Sony's revived OKeh imprint and cut a completely new set of songs in Los Angeles, Salvador, and Bahia, with a host of special guests and old friends, including John Legend, will.i.am., and Brazilian artists such as Carlinhos Brown, with whom he cut the first single, "One Nation," issued on One Love, One Rhythm: The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album. Mendes' album Magic was released in September. ~ Bruce Eder Top Albums Fool On The Hill - Microsoft Store Fool On The Hill 1968 • 9 songs • Jazz • Latin Jazz • A&M Having hit upon another smash formula -- cover versions of pop/rock hits backed by lavish strings, a simplified bossa nova rhythm, and the leader's piano comping -- Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 produced two more chart-busting singles, again turning to the Beatles for sustenance with the title track (number six) and Simon & Garfunkel for "Scarborough Fair" (number 16).

But again, the bulk of the album was dominated by Brazilians, and by one in particular: the hugely gifted Edu Lobo , whose dramatic "Casa Forte" and infectious "Upa, Neguinho" were the best of his four songs. The tracks were longer now, the string-laden ballads (arranged by Dave Grusin ) more lavish and moody, and Lani Hall emerged as the vocal star of the band, eclipsing her new partner, Karen Philipp (although Hall is upstaged on "Lapinha" by future Brasil '77 member Gracinha Leporace). Even though he had become thoroughly embedded in the consciousness of mainstream America, Mendes still managed to have it three ways, exposing first-class tunes from little-known Brazilian talent, garnering commercial hits, and also making some fine records. Cultural note: the striking foldout cover art, depicting Brasil '66 at sunset seated on top of a nude woman, somehow made it past the uptight censors of the day and no doubt boosted sales; it was Mendes ' highest-charting album at number three. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Question: Who was the leader and pianist of the group ‘Brasil 66’?
Answer: Sergio Mendes