‘Mas Que Nada’ Singer Sergio Mendes Passes Away

Sergio Mendes passed away on Friday, September 6th. Mendes began as a promising classical pianist but became interested in jazz. In the late 1950s, he started playing in nightclubs during the rise of bossa nova. Mendes played with Antônio Carlos Jobim, who is also considered his mentor, and many other jazz musicians across Brazil. Mendes formed the group Sexteto Bossa Rio and recorded the album “Dans Moderno” in 1961. He began touring Europe and the United States, recording albums with Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann, and performing at Carnegie Hall.

Around 1964, Mendes moved to the United States and recorded two albums with the group Brazil ’65. When the new album didn’t sell well, he replaced the Brazilian singer Wanda da Sah with the talented Lani Hall. With her, he recorded the album “Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66”. The album went platinum, mainly due to the success of “Mas Que Nada”. After this groundbreaking record, Mendes started creating more commercial tracks. He covered the famous song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, “The Look of Love”, which immediately made it to the top 10. This was followed by covers of “The Fool on the Hill” (The Beatles) and “Scarborough Fair” (Simon & Garfunkel), both of which became big hits. This success made him the biggest Brazilian star in the world. He performed at the White House for U.S. Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

Mendes’ career peaked in the 1970s, but he remained very popular in South America and Japan. He continued to develop Brazilian music, working with Stevie Wonder, who wrote the R&B hit “The Real Thing”. In the 1980s, he produced successful records again and had a big hit with “Never Gonna Let You Go” in 1983. However, his real success came with his album “Brasileiro” in 1992, which won him a Grammy Award. In the 1990s, he returned to creating albums similar to those he made early on with Brasil ’66.

In 2006, Sergio Mendes returned to his roots with the album “Timeless”. Alongside Stevie Wonder, Will.i.am, Black Eyed Peas, and many other stars, he re-released old songs with a fresh twist. On June 1, 2010, “Bom Tempo”, Mendes’ 37th studio album, was released by Concord Records.

Mendes passed away at the age of 83.

Photo (c) Patrick Strouken