A Great Time of Day: Sergio Mendes and "After Sunrise"

Today's tune is by the master of Brazilian inflected pop, Sergio Mendes. Sergio Mendes came along at just the time that bossa nova, a genre that combines samba with jazz, was becoming popular and he was mentored by and played with one of the founders of bossa nova, Antonio Carlos Jobim. It wasn't until Mendes came to the United States and started recording and touring, however, that he started to attract attention. Signing with producing legend Ahmet Ertegun and Atlantic Records, he cut some jazz albums in Portuguese which had low sales. After moving over to A&M Records and taking the advice of his partner Richard Adler, he began recording material in English and included a backing group of women who could sing in both English and Portuguese. He also began touring with A&M cofounder Herb Alpert, which helped with exposure. Various incarnations of his group, including Brasil '65, Brasil '66 and Brasil '77 cut massive hits - often covering American and British hit songs with a bossa nova/flair but also bringing contemporary Brazilian tunes, like Jorge Ben's Mas Que Nada, to an American audience. He has also worked with a who's who of American musicians, such as Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder and The Black Eyed Peas. Mendes is still working, and was nominated for an Oscar as recently as 2012 for his composition Real in Rio for the animated film Rio. You can find this song, After Sunrise, on his 1972 compilation album Four Sider, and on his 1972 album Primal Roots.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9rgio_Mendes

But Nothing: Bab & Rolando 808 with "Mas Que Nada"

Mas Que Nada is the title of our random tune for today. Performed by Bab & Rolando 808, the tune features the voice of respected Brazilian singer Rolando Farias, who now lives in Paris and teamed up with African DJ Alioume Ba to cover this tune. The song was originally written by Brazilian legend Jorge Ben but was made famous by Sergio Mendes and Brazil '66. The song is a celebration of the samba. Mas Que Nada can be found on the compilation CD Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Groove (2003).

Tropical Fever: Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 with "Pais Tropical"

I remember back in the 70s and listening to AM radio because that's all we had back then, and being fascinated by a song called Fool on the Hill. I didn't realize it was a Beatles song at the time, I just thought that the song was exotic (probably due to the bossa nova beat) and those lovely female voices. The song was a cover, actually a reinterpretation, by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. The two female singers were Lani Hall (wife of Herb Alpert) and Karen Philipp (later to play Lt. Dish on two episodes of MASH). Listening to the song in the present, I am still very captivated by the rendition, largely because I love Brazilian music and largely because it takes me back to that turbulent but hopeful time. While the Beatles version of the song is melancholy, it seems impossible to have a bossa nova or samba song that is anything but upbeat with a touch of naivete and very little of the saudade that characterizes some other types of Brazilian music. I mentioned it once before in this blog and I'll mention it again: if I go to heaven I want to hear lots of Brazilian music there.

Of course, perhaps such a feeling about life comes from living in a "pais tropical" like Brazil. Today's song, Pais Tropical, is a throwback and also from the legendary Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. Mendes is a Brazilian musician who plays bossa nova infused with jazz and funk. One of the early practitioners of bossa nova in the late 50s in Brazilian nightclubs, he played with his mentor Antonio Carlos Jobim as well as many American jazz musicians who toured Brazil. He formed and played in some Brazilian bossa nova bands, but it was Brasil '66, which featured two American female singers (Lani Hall and Karen Phillipp) and songs in both Portuguese and English but with that bossa nova beat, that brought him to the attention of the world. Their first album, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, went platinum and the band had successive hits performing songs by Burt Bacharach, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and Simon and Garfunkel. His later work has featured collaborations with R&B, pop and hip hop artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Erykah Badu, India.Arie, Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder. Pais Tropical is a song celebrating life and music in a tropical country, and is from the 1971 album of the same name and the 1972 album Foursider. I dare you not to dance or at least sing along!