On Thursday, the family of Sérgio Mendes announced that the international music icon passed away peacefully at 83 years old in his Los Angeles home after a long-term battle with COVID-19. At the time of his departure, Mendes was surrounded by his children and wife of 54 years, Gracinha Leporace. The popular Brazilian artist has been celebrated worldwide since the late 1960s as a leader of the Bossa nova movement. Over his 60-year career, he worked as a singer, pianist, composer, and producer.
The Story Of His Life
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According to Sérgio Mendes’ website, serendipity and joy are the two common threads that weave through the collection of music he created throughout his career. One of the most successful Brazilian artists worldwide, Mendes recorded 35 albums, won three Grammys, and was nominated for an Oscar for songwriting in 2011.
Mendes’ life was the subject of the 2020 documentary Sérgio Mendes: In the Key of Joy. The trailer for the film begins with the same quote from Mendes that the artist’s website uses: “There is a word in English that I love: serendipity. That is the story of my life.”
Early Years
Mendes was born in 1941 in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In his website bio, he said he began studying music at age six. Around 10 years later, he formed his first jazz group. In the following years, he would continue leading various trios, quartets, and quintets. In his early 20s, Mendes became one of the biggest representatives of the Bossa nova sound that was emerging in Brazil at the time.
After moving to the United States in the early 1960s, Mendes helped Latin pop music reach the country’s mainstream. His first U.S.-based group, Brazil ’64, performed instrumental music; when forming Brazil ’66 two years later, he added two female vocalists and found the right combination for success. According to an article by AP News, the group’s first album featured a cover of a mid-tempo samba song by Jorge Ben Jor called “Mas Que Nada.” The release of this song helped Brazilian music become a 1960s phenomenon.
Cool Collaborations
Throughout his career, Mendes collaborated with many other artists, such as jazz musicians Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann, and those collaborations helped boost his name in music. According to NPR, Mendes collaborated “with everyone from Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire to the Black Eyed Peas.” On his 2006 album Timeless, Mendes worked with John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, and more. The reworked version of “Mas Que Nada” featuring Mendes and the Black Eyed Peas was featured on the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany soundtrack.
Final Thoughts
The life of Sérgio Mendes was filled with joyous occasions and serendipitous moments. His life was made in song, and that is something worth celebrating. Mendes was well-liked by his collaborators. In the trailer for Sérgio Mendes: In the Key of Joy, Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am highlighted Mendes’ early career, saying that the artist translated what was “going on in Brazil” to the world. Mendes was a force for joy in music, bringing the bright, upbeat sounds of Brazilian Bossa nova to the masses. His legacy will carry on.
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