Sergio Mendes And Brasil '66 Stillness

UK split release from two Brazilian music legends. Dance Moderno by Sergio Mendes, is the acclaimed debut from a musician who would form the bridge between Bossa Nova and '60s Pop. Pianist and master stylist of the Hammond B3 organ, Ed Lincoln served a singular musical apprenticeship in the 1950s, working with Luiz Bonfa, Baden Powell, Claudette Soares, Luís Eça, Maestro Radames Gnattali, Nara Leao, Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescal. Fate led him to concentrate on the organ and what followed was a sequence of LPs that would showcase his irresistible style. His second album, Orgao Espectacular, is one of the best; full of the urbane, quirky, party style music often deployed by Ennio Morricone in his '60s scores.

Three original Atlantic LPs by the biggest Bossa Nova star of the '60s - 34 tracks of Latin jazz-pop crammed into one 2-CD set! Pele is Mendes' accompanying music to the documentary about the soccer star; the other two LPs bring you live performances of Black Orpheus Medley; Samba De Jose; Noa Noa , and more and studio versions of I Say a Little Prayer; May Favorite Things; Comin' Home Baby, and more!

Sergio Mendes spent the '70s straying very far from his Brazilian roots. The Sergio Mendes album from 1975 is very much in the smooth soul/quiet storm bag and Magic Lady from 1979 is a straight disco record. Neither of the records are the disasters you might have already pegged them as. Sergio Mendes is actually a small pleasure and Magic Lady, while overly smooth, isn't an embarrassment. The best part about Sergio Mendes is the sweetly harmonizing vocals of Bonnie Bowden and Sondra Catton and the laid-back groove that percolates throughout the album. The songs are all covers. Some like the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" or Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" have interesting arrangements, while some like Stevie Wonder's "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" have hackneyed or meandering arrangements…

Sérgio Mendes & Bossa Rio's Você Ainda Não Ouviu Nada! (1964) is a true milestone in the evolution of Brazilian instrumental music post-bossa nova. Infinitely sophisticated, but still full of swing, Bossa Rio (Tiao Neto, bass; Edison Machado, batteries, Edson Maciel, Raul de Souza and Hector Costita, metals) deal here with the reinvention of bossa classics and original songs.

Sérgio Mendes is the 1983 studio album by Sérgio Mendes on A&M Records, his first Top 40 album in nearly a decade and a half, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go", a song written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil that reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

The Sergio Mendes Trio & Wanda De Sah - Brasil '65 (1965) {2013 Japan Jazz & Bossa Nova Best & More Series CD04of8}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 173 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 75 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 250 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1965, 2013 Capitol / Universal Japan | TOCJ-66624 | 24bit remaster
Jazz / Bossa Nova / Latin Jazz

Reissue with the latest 24bit remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. That's Brasil 65, not Brasil 66 – a distinction that marks a key early stage for the great Sergio Mendes – heard here on one of his first albums to mix together bossa jazz and vocals! The approach here is a bit more like vintage bossa dates from Brazil – or a bit like some of the Verve bossa records too – as Sergio's core trio is at the heart of every tune, playing with a great jazzy approach – then augmented in different ways by alto and flute from Bud Shank, guitar from Rosinha De Valenca, and vocals from the lovely Wanda De Sah! Production is perfect – really in a classic Elenco Records mode – and titles include "Let Me", "Consolacao", "Tristeza Em Mim", "Muito A Vontade", "Reza", "Berimbau", and "Aquarius".

The great incontrovertible truth of Brazilian vocalists in the '60s is that the more global success they enjoyed, the weaker and more insubstantial their voices. (As a test, simply compare and contrast the chart-topper Astrud Gilberto with the chart-absent Elis Regina.) Wanda de Sah was quite popular, which says most of what you need to know about her vocal prowess, both on the material she recorded with Brasil '65 as well as her solo career. But as with Astrud Gilberto, vocal weakness is hardly a barrier to entry. When given complementary musicians and arrangements - which were as common as coffee in Brazilian music circles - a thin, wispy voice could be made to sound positively radiant. DRG's 2008 pairing of Brasil '65 and Softly!, the two albums de Sah appeared on during 1965, reflects her peak year as an artist….