This is partially a record post, and also, a concert review. Just saw Sergio Mendes and his band, play The Dakota jazz club in Minneapolis. Wow! What great musicians, but also, what uplifting, and joyful music! Most times, when you think of jazz music, you think of virtuoso masters who really delve deeply into the cerebral side of the music, and they'll blow your mind, with musical technical skill, and also tug at you emotionally. But, with Sergio Mendes and his band, the music is just pure joy. Mendes, played piano and led his band that featured Latin percussion, alto saxophone (the alto sax player doubled on flute), a standard rhythm section, and of course, lots and lots of Brazilian influenced percussion, through his myriad of classic songs, which included covers by other luminaries of Brazilian music.
Mendes, sang on some of the tunes, but his backing vocalists sang note for note, and word for word, the great songs, that made him a popular figure in jazz in the '60s, and '70s, and he is just as inspiring and relevant, today. He's primarily known as a bossa nova musician who crosses the music with jazz and funk, but he also delved, during the performance, into samba, especially towards the concert's climax. "Mas Que Nada" which is a cover of a Jorge Ben composition, has to be Mendes' most well known and popular number. Hip hop artists, The Black Eyed Peas, covered it, with Mendes, for a record that was released, in the early 2000s, and this revitalized his career.
"Mas Que Nada" and a number of other tunes, in the show, came from the breakout album "Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66", which, was produced by Herb Alpert, the great jazz trumpet player. Above this review, is a YouTube video, of the entire record. Check it out. There were a couple of his pop music hits, also covered during the evening, such as 1968's "The Look of Love" and 1983's "Never Gonna Let You Go", which brought Mendes and his music, to a wider audience, and even Mendes' piano work during the evening, saw him switching timbres on his Yamaha keyboard, from a traditional piano, for the Brasil '66 numbers, to electric piano timbres for the pop numbers.
"The Look of Love" was #4 on the pop charts in 1968, and "Never Gonna Let You Go", with Joe Pizzulo and and Leza Miller, on vocals, reached #4 on the charts as well, when it was released, in 1983. One of Mendes' backup singers, happens to be his wife, Gracinha Leporace. Even the younger generation, may be somewhat familiar, with Mendes' work, as in 2005, he re-recorded "Mas Que Nada" for an album that was released the following year, with hip hop group, The Black Eyed Peas. "Mas Que Nada" happened to be the encore of the evening, and the band, and the audience at The Dakota, really got into it, and were dancing everywhere.
Mendes' music, and the spirit of Brazilian jazz, has such a positive vibe to it. It is so upbeat, and even if you do not fully understand the lyrics, in Portuguese, it is also, the rhythms of Brazil, that are unmistakable. Sergio Mendes is the master, of combining popular music, with jazz, and the influences of the Samba, Latin Jazz, and Bossa Nova, all into one unique sound. What a remarkable performance, and a show, that those who attended, will remember, forever. One name, is all you need. Sergio!
No comments:
Post a Comment