Remembering Sergio Mendes, born on this day on 1941 (1941-2024).

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Sergio Mendes, Brazilian musician who brought bossa nova to a global audience, died in September 2024, at 83 years old.

A pianist, composer and arranger, he rose to fame with the group Brasil ’66 and remained a musical force for more than six decades.

Sergio Mendes, the Brazilian pianist, composer and arranger who brought bossa nova music to a global audience in the 1960s with his group, Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, and remained a highly influential force in popular music throughout more than six decades, died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 83 years old.

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The cause of his death, in a hospital, was a case of persistent Covid, his family said.

According to the information shared by the Brazilian musician ‘s family , Mendes died after a long fight against Covid complications . But despite his delicate health state, the composer also remained active almost until the end of his life, since his last presentation took place in November 2023 in Europe , where he offered concerts in Paris, London and Barcelona.

These actions became an unofficial farewell of the scenarios, where he was received with ovations and admiration from his faithful public, since the Covid-19 Pandemia deeply affected his health and after having been infected in mid-2022, Mendes began To experience the effects of prolonged covid, a condition that impacted its respiratory capacity and left it weakened in later months.

Despite these challenges, Mendes retire did not completely from the stage and in his last European tour, he once again demonstrated his ability to connect with the public, offering concerts that were described as “memorable” and “full of passion.” In the same way, in interviews carried out during those months, he mentioned how music was his way of staying alive and connected to the world, even in the most difficult moments.

Mendes released nearly 35 albums, won three Grammys and was nominated for an Oscar in 2012 in the category of best original song (as co-writer of “Real in Rio”, from the animated film Rio).

His career in the United States took off in 1966 with his Brasil ’66 and the single “Mas que nada”, written by Brazilian singer-songwriter Jorge Ben. Mendes’ sound was deceptively rhythmically sophisticated but easy on the ears, gently amplifying the original guitar-centered hum of bossa nova with expansive keyboard-driven arrangements and whispering vocal lines that often included the Mendes himself accompanying a first line of two female voices.

The group’s lilting, sensual pulse came to symbolize an adult contemporary style in the 1960s that contrasted sharply with the rising youth culture that came to dominate the pop charts in the wake of the Beatles.

“It was completely different from everything, and definitely different from rock ‘n’ roll,” Latin music scholar Leila Cobo said in the 2020 HBO documentary Sergio Mendes in the tone of joy. “But that speaks to how sure Sergio was about that sound. He wasn’t trying to imitate what was happening.”

After venturing to the United States for the first time in 1962 to perform in a bossa nova concert at Carnegie Hall alongside many of the genre’s innovators – including his mentor, composer Antônio Carlos Jobim – Mendes eventually returned to Brazil, only to flee in 1964 following a violent military coup that briefly included his own arrest. He recorded and toured the United States with a new group, but the public responded only lukewarmly when the other members of his band decided to return to Brazil. Mendes stayed; he wanted to try one more time for American success.

He is survived by his wife, Gracinha Leporace; his two sons, Tiago and Gustavo; three children from his first marriage, which ended in divorce, Bernardo, Rodrigo and Isabella; and seven grandchildren.

If there is a song that encapsulates Sergio Mendes and its global impact, it is undoubtedly ” Más que nada “; Lying in 1966 with her group Brazil ’66, Mendes’ interpretation of the theme written by Jorge Ben Jor became a worldwide phenomenon, as it was one of the first songs in Portuguese to achieve great popularity in the United States and other countries, They raid the way for the expansion of the Bossa Nova and other Brazilian genres on the international scene.

And this issue is a clear example of Mendes’ ability to merge traditional rhythms Brazilian with more contemporary styles , such as jazz and pop, a talent that would make him a pioneer of merger music. And if this were not not enough, in 2006, the musician revitalized his success by collaborating with the Black Eyed Peas in a modern version of “more than anything”, reaching the first places in the lists of successes in several countries.

In the same way, Mendes was also a great defender of music as a tool for integration and union between cultures, since in various interviews, he highlighted the power of music to transcend linguistic and cultural barriers , something he experienced first -hand in his Trajectory when collaborating with artists from different countries and genres.

Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66 – Más Que Nada – 1966

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