Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 198 - In Memory of Sergio Mendes, the Treasure of Brazilian Music, Part II

The Miracle Musician, Sergio Mendes

In my last article, I wrote about the great musician Sergio Mendes, who passed away on September 6th. He was a rare musician who continued to work energetically on music production and performance right up until the time of his death. The fact that he was able to continue making music until the age of 83 is proof of his love of music, and we who were able to listen to his music for so long cannot help but feel blessed.
While many musicians are known to have shortened their lives by becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol, we never heard anything like that about Sergio Mendes. He must have been devoted to music. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to continue his musical activities and overseas tours until he was over 80 years old. In that sense, he was a miraculous musician.

The Impact of Sergio Mendes

I first became aware of Sergio Mendes in 1984 with his album “Never Gonna Let You Go”. At the time, AOR was at its peak, and I was listening to that kind of music, so I bought this album at Tower Records in Shibuya based. I had the impression that it was an album with a certain “good feeling”. And when I listened to one of the songs on the album, “Never Gonna Let You Go” which starts with a Fender Rhodes piano intro, I was blown away.

■ Recommended Album: Sergio Mendes, “Never Gonna Let You Go” (1983)

An album produced by Sergio Mendes in 1983 with the then-trendy AOR in mind. The single “Never Gonna Let You Go” reached No.4 on the US singles chart and No.1 in the adult contemporary category. Sergio took a producer's approach to the album.
The cover features a photo of Sergio in a classic car, with a red chili pepper and a blue sky in the background. The title Sergio Mendes is written in the same color as the red chili pepper that is displayed symbolically next to the car.
I was somehow drawn to the artwork and bought the album. It was a classic case of buying an album because of the cover.
The ballad “Never Gonna Let You Go, which became a historical hit for Sergio Mendes, is credited to this album.

Recommended Song: “Never Gonna Let You Go”

A great ballad that rose to No. 4 in the US. The writers were Barry Man, a super hit maker, and his wife, Cynthia Weil. This writing team never misses. It is a well-known fact that “Never Gonna Let You Go” was originally intended for Earth Wind & Fire. When you think of Earth Wind & Fire, you think of the famous ballad “After Love Has Gone”, and if Earth had covered this song, it would have been a surefire hit in the US charts. Sergio seems to have thought of “Never Gonna Let You Go” as an accent to the album, but it became an unexpected big hit.

Another Side of Sergio Mendes

Sergio Mendes has another side to him besides his producer persona: that of a performer as a pianist.
Sergio Mendes is also an extremely talented jazz pianist. He leads his own band and performs in a different genre to his usual samba-style music, supporting jazz musicians.

■ Recommended Album: Cannonball Adderley, “Cannonball's Bossa Nova” (1962)

This is a classic bossa nova album featuring the great alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley performing with the Bossa Rio Sextet from Brazil, and is considered to be the greatest jazz bossa album of all time.
The band is led by pianist Sergio Mendes.
Cannonball Adderley was an alto saxophonist who was at the forefront of hard bop jazz, performing with Miles Davis and others. Some people may be surprised to hear Cannonball playing bossa nova, but Cannonball is a musician who excels at fluent, melodious, and lyrical melody lines. On this album, his particular style is beautifully fused with the bossa nova genre. It was 1962, when the bossa nova boom was in full swing. Whether it was a proposal from the record company or not, the album was a perfect fit for the times.
You can hear Sergio Mendes' piano playing in abundance, and you can tell from the backing and improvisation that he was conscious of the jazz method.
Unlike the usual Sergio Mendes, who boldly incorporates samba and develops it in a flashy way, you can catch a glimpse of his pride as a pianist in the restrained performance.
This is the perfect album for a hot summer's day.

Recommended Song: “Clouds”

The piece opens with Sergio Mendes' restrained piano intro. Cannonball Adderley plays the theme. This is a typical example of bossa nova jazz. Cannonball's improvisation is fluent and has a different flavor to Stan Getz.
Sergio Mendes' solo is a jazzy improvisation with a sense of restraint at certain points. In addition to the usual chordal backing, the backing also features a lot of polyphonic chords. The jazz method is definitely at the root of these phrases.

Recommended Song: “Corcovado”

A famous song by Antonio Carlos Jobim. If you let him play a song like this, Cannonball is in his element. His talent for expressing the beauty of Jobim's melody lines is truly remarkable.
Sergio Mendes' piano solo is more of a fast-playing type, whereas Cannonball's is more of a melody that doesn't say much and is developed with an awareness of the sequence of diminished chords.

Featured Musicians, Albums and Recommended Songs

• Artists: Sergio Mendes, Cannonball Adderley, etc.
• Albums: “Never Gonna Let You Go”, “Cannonball's Bossa Nova”
• Recommended Songs: “Never Gonna Let You Go”, "Clouds", ”Corcovado”

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