Sergio Mendes: Music great who brought Brazillian Bossa to the world passes on

Legendary Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes has passed away. A statement from his family said he “passed away peacefully” on September 5, in Los Angeles, California, surrounded by his wife and children. The family said Mendes, aged 83, had been suffering from long-term Covid condition; he was known to have suffered respiratory problems since the end of 2023.

His death happened just three weeks after that of leading American jazz guitarist Russell Malone.

Pianist-keyboardist Mendes rose to big fame with “Mas Que Nada,” a cover of Jorge Ben's original, which he recorded with his band Brasil ’66, popularizing worldwide Brazilian genres of samba and bossa nova which he fused with jazz, pop, blues, rock and funk. The song became the first Portuguese-language song to be a global hit. Sergio recorded more than 40 albums with Brasil ’66.

He was an artist with a great variety of approaches towards his compositions, from the vibrant samba to romantic bossa nova, and tasty swing to straight-ahead jazz. All these with a tapestry of tasty percussive textures. But the winner of many awards, Mendes never got exhausted in experimenting with different rhythms and genres for he explored new possibilities in sound. As it is, every instrument has unique techniques, and the piano has unique spirits.

So, through his ever-searching musical spirit, Mendes found some pretty infinite possibilities. In his playing, there was a certain sereneness about the nature of the 88 keys of his piano. Similarly, his stream of improvisations explored other traditional Brazilian styles, including choro and Mangueira, the European classical, American jazz, funk and the blues bags, rolling them all together over unfamiliar rhythms that hypnotize the senses.

Born in Niterói, in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, on February 11, 1941, Sergio studied piano from an early age and later studied classical music at the Niterói Music Conservatory. He got fascinated with jazz after he heard his first jazz record, “Take Five,” by the American pianist Dave Brubeck in 1956. This led him to abandon his classical music studies.

Upon forming the Bossa Rio Sexet, with whom he recorded his debut album Dance Moderno in 1961, Mendes generated massive appeal among fans back home and abroad. The band played various Brazilian venues and subsequently toured Europe, the Middle East, and Japan. After this came the invitation to perform alongside jazz stalwart Charlie Byrd and other American jazz musicians at New York’s Carnegie Hall, in 1962, giving him courage to change Brazilian music. That visit transformed his career.

The same year, he met saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, who featured him on his Cannonball’s Bossa Nova. Sergio continued to show, from time to time, that he could still play vibrant jazz with a highly imaginative expertise in improvisation.

For example, just before deciding to move to the US and settling in California in 1964, he released The Swinger from Rio, a jazzy album. Two years later, he collaborated with American trumpeter Herb Alpert for their album Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66. The album included Brazilian-flavoured covers of Western pop songs including the Beatles’ “Day Tripper.”

But Sergio’s romanticism and dedication to melodic beauty won him a popularity beyond that of ordinary Brazilian jazz following. Unbelievably, one of his biggest fans was the iconic singer Frank Sinatra, with whom he toured in 1967. In 1980 Sinatra invited him for another tour, which included performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Mendes, winner of the 1992 World Music Grammy for the album Brasileiro –– among other awards –– was also renowned for fantastic compositions and many covers of pop hits he made in his colourful career. Vastly popular in the United States, he last performed in November 2023 in Paris, London, and Barcelona (Spain) to enthusiastic audiences.