The Brazilian pianist, composer, and arranger Sérgio Mendes, a prominent figure in samba-jazz known for helping to popularize Brazilian music abroad, passed away this Friday.
Born in Niterói, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in 1941, Mendes began his musical career alongside great artists such as Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, and Baden Powell. In 1964, he moved to Los Angeles, United States, with the singer and his wife Gracinha Leporace, fleeing the persecution of the military dictatorship.
In the 1960s, between Brazil and the United States, Mendes experienced his most productive moment, releasing a total of eight albums and founding the group Brasil’ 66 in 1966, which was presented to the world with the album Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66, released that same year, marking his first major success abroad. Among the songs on the album was his rendition of Mas que nada by Jorge Ben Jor, which became a hit on American charts and arguably his most well-known song.
The singer, who toured alongside musician Frank Sinatra, received praise from Paul McCartney for his album Fool on The Hill, a 1968 release named after a Beatles song. In 1992, Mendes won the Grammy for International Music with Brasileiro, an album featuring songs by Carlinhos Brown. In 2012, the composer and singer were nominated together for an Oscar for the song Real in Rio from the animated film Rio. with PÚBLICO
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