Sergio Mendes, the king of Bossa Nova and author of Mas que nada, has died

Sergio Mendes, the King of Bossa Nova, Has Died. The artist was 83 years old. An innovative and influential pianist, composer, singer and arranger, he was one of Brazil’s first crossover artists, a highly original figure in the genre he popularized in the United States. Mendes died today in a Los Angeles hospital, according to the “New York Times.” The cause of death was not disclosed, although he had recently suffered from Long Covid

Mendes “passed away peacefully,” according to a family statement released to the U.S. press. “His wife and musical partner of 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was at his side, as were his loving children. Mendes performed his last concerts in November 2023 to sold-out crowds and raucous enthusiasm in Paris, London and Barcelona. His health had been severely challenged in recent months by the effects of a long bout of COVID.” With 35 albums and three Grammys, Mendes helped popularize Bossa Nova in the 1960s touring with Herb Alpert and Frank Sinatra.

Born February 11, 1941, in Niteroi, Brazil, Mendes studied classical piano as a child. His growing love for jazz led him to begin playing in nightclubs in the 1950s, parallel to the emergence of Bossa Nova. He recorded with Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann in the 1960s, the decade in which he moved to the United States. After releasing two albums, “Sérgio Mendes” and “Brasil ’65”, which achieved little success in terms of sales, with his group Brasil 65 he recruited two American singers, Lani Hall and Bibi Vogel, to sing in English, and renamed the band Brasil ’66, with which he recorded “Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66”: produced by Herb Alpert, the album went platinum thanks also to the success of the single “Mas que Nada”, which Mendes would record again in 2006 with the Black Eyed Peas.

In 1968 Mendes reached a wider audience when he performed “The Look of Love” during the Academy Awards telecast, and Brasil ’66’s version of the song reached the US Top 10. The song made Mendes a star who would perform for US Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon and at the 1970 Japan World’s Fair.

During the 70s and 80s Mendes recorded for different record companies and returned to success in 1983 with “Never Gonna Let You Go” with vocalists Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller. In 1984 he had a hit with “Alibis”. After a long oblivion and alternating phases, Mendes returned to the limelight in 2006 with the album “Timeless”, which includes collaborations with artists such as The Black Eyed Peas (for the remix of “Mas que nada”), Erykah Badu, Black Thought, Chali 2na, India.Arie, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Q-Tip, Stevie Wonder and Pharoahe Monch. In 2008 he returned to the fore with the single “Funky Bahia” (taken from the latest album “Encanto”) also born from the collaboration with Will.i.am and Siedah Garrett. In 2009, Mendes collaborated on Jovanotti’s album “Safari”, participating as an arranger and pianist in the song “Punto”, the sixth single from the album. (by Paolo Martini)