Sergio Mendes Music

Oi... another I thought I reviewed but never did. Oceano was the last Sergio Mendes album (outside of a best-of) before the one he released in 2006 with the Black Eyed Peas. It was somewhat of a follow-up to Brasileiro, even though it came 4 years after that release. No need to get into the history of Sergio and his trio's, Brasil 66 or Brasil 77 groups. He's a very important producer for Brazilian music. I still remember hearing the songs from this many years ago.

I actually liked this one. It starts out with a very strong and breezy "Rio De Janeiro" where his wife, Gracinha, leads the vocals as she usually does in his more recent (1-18 years) releases. It has clear key work, nice harmonica and the end bursts into a samba. "Trilhos Urbanos" follows up, and again Gracinha's voice is the highlight but the song's got great percussion work and a neat bridge. I actually have to disagree with one reviewer's take on "Madalena"... some of my friends from the Dominican Republic actually really liked that song. It's got much more energy, tropical vibe and near merengue flow. "Puzzle of Hearts" was another song I liked, with a wonderful duet in Portuguese and English. "I can only live if it is for you"... how dramatic. Another highlight to this were the tracks featuring Hermeto Pascoal, "Capivera" and "Vale De Ribeira". They have a warm tropical feel and bounce to them, albeit crazy. "Vale De Ribeira" simply sounds like you're going on carnival rides (not Carnaval).

All in all, I liked this but have to admit, it is a little dated now. The album's heavy on keyboard work, which usually tends to do do that (date music). Also, it's more so on the 'adult contemporary' side, so it's not really something that the younger generation would've flocked to. It has a mature vibe and, well, that explains why I only really remember my parents listening to it evne though, much like Brasileiro, I grew to like it later on. "Anos Dourados" (Golden Years), covered twice, proves that. But the musicianship is terrific and he's got amazing guests (Simone, Hermeto and loads more) featured. I can't really compare this to his older material (with Wanda Sa, etc.) as it's just so different so I can really just compare it to the more recent works of his. This one isn't as strong as "Brasileiro", but still very nice and certainly more Sergio-esque than his latest release with the Black Eyed Peas.

Sergio's Oceano is fantastic;full of color, warmth, rhythm, taste, regardless of ballads or up-beat cuts. Gracinha Leporace's voice is still awesome, and the collaborations of several great personalities like Gilberto Gil, Emmanuel and Zucchero are invaluable. The combination of the album? Brazilian Jazz, Samba, MPB, etc. Don't pass this album by, if you already know Sergio, you'll love this one; if you're new into the Brazilian realm of music, this CD will blow you away, purchase it a.s.a.p., you'll be thankful you did.

Excellent jazz mix with smooth vocals. Especially enjoyed the tracks in italian and spanish. Upbeat selections are nicely mixed with love songs.

"Oceano" begins with a bang-- the outrageously terrific "Rio de Janeiro", a song guaranteed to catch your attention with its evocative rhythms and color, and terrific vocal in Portuguese. This is a song that really brings to mind the tropical color and passion of Rio.

Next is the atmospheric "Trilhos Urbanos", another song that brings you to a sultry oceanside balcony in Rio at sunset.

Unfortunatley things go downhill from these first two great songs. Oceano is too much a pastiche of styles, with different singers, much of it on the sentimental and sleepy side. Magdalena is probably the best of the rest, but it is too repetitious. Some of the songs verge on lounge music.

Sergio Mendes, in his various incarnations, has always been an artist who is quite variable in quality. At his best, he is very good indeed, but other times, unfortunately, he is rather forgettable. This is probably why he has always had a status that is rather hard to pin down.

Still if you can get a cheap copy of "Oceano" I would recommned it if only for the first two songs.

Sergio's latest CD is great. Gracinha's voice is still magical and the ballads in this CD all have that warm tropicalismo like feel to them. Caetano and Hermeto Pascoal are also featured on this album. One of the master's of Bossa Nova once again has made another great album-- a must have if you enjoyed Brasileiro!

Oi... another I thought I reviewed but never did. Oceano was the last Sergio Mendes album (outside of a best-of) before the one he released in 2006 with the Black Eyed Peas. It was somewhat of a follow-up to Brasileiro, even though it came 4 years after that release. No need to get into the history of Sergio and his trio's, Brasil 66 or Brasil 77 groups. He's a very important producer for Brazilian music. I still remember hearing the songs from this many years ago.

I actually liked this one. It starts out with a very strong and breezy "Rio De Janeiro" where his wife, Gracinha, leads the vocals as she usually does in his more recent (1-18 years) releases. It has clear key work, nice harmonica and the end bursts into a samba. "Trilhos Urbanos" follows up, and again Gracinha's voice is the highlight but the song's got great percussion work and a neat bridge. I actually have to disagree with one reviewer's take on "Madalena"... some of my friends from the Dominican Republic actually really liked that song. It's got much more energy, tropical vibe and near merengue flow. "Puzzle of Hearts" was another song I liked, with a wonderful duet in Portuguese and English. "I can only live if it is for you"... how dramatic. Another highlight to this were the tracks featuring Hermeto Pascoal, "Capivera" and "Vale De Ribeira". They have a warm tropical feel and bounce to them, albeit crazy. "Vale De Ribeira" simply sounds like you're going on carnival rides (not Carnaval).

All in all, I liked this but have to admit, it is a little dated now. The album's heavy on keyboard work, which usually tends to do do that (date music). Also, it's more so on the 'adult contemporary' side, so it's not really something that the younger generation would've flocked to. It has a mature vibe and, well, that explains why I only really remember my parents listening to it evne though, much like Brasileiro, I grew to like it later on. "Anos Dourados" (Golden Years), covered twice, proves that. But the musicianship is terrific and he's got amazing guests (Simone, Hermeto and loads more) featured. I can't really compare this to his older material (with Wanda Sa, etc.) as it's just so different so I can really just compare it to the more recent works of his. This one isn't as strong as "Brasileiro", but still very nice and certainly more Sergio-esque than his latest release with the Black Eyed Peas.

Sergio's Oceano is fantastic;full of color, warmth, rhythm, taste, regardless of ballads or up-beat cuts. Gracinha Leporace's voice is still awesome, and the collaborations of several great personalities like Gilberto Gil, Emmanuel and Zucchero are invaluable. The combination of the album? Brazilian Jazz, Samba, MPB, etc. Don't pass this album by, if you already know Sergio, you'll love this one; if you're new into the Brazilian realm of music, this CD will blow you away, purchase it a.s.a.p., you'll be thankful you did.

Excellent jazz mix with smooth vocals. Especially enjoyed the tracks in italian and spanish. Upbeat selections are nicely mixed with love songs.

"Oceano" begins with a bang-- the outrageously terrific "Rio de Janeiro", a song guaranteed to catch your attention with its evocative rhythms and color, and terrific vocal in Portuguese. This is a song that really brings to mind the tropical color and passion of Rio.

Next is the atmospheric "Trilhos Urbanos", another song that brings you to a sultry oceanside balcony in Rio at sunset.

Unfortunatley things go downhill from these first two great songs. Oceano is too much a pastiche of styles, with different singers, much of it on the sentimental and sleepy side. Magdalena is probably the best of the rest, but it is too repetitious. Some of the songs verge on lounge music.

Sergio Mendes, in his various incarnations, has always been an artist who is quite variable in quality. At his best, he is very good indeed, but other times, unfortunately, he is rather forgettable. This is probably why he has always had a status that is rather hard to pin down.

Still if you can get a cheap copy of "Oceano" I would recommned it if only for the first two songs.

Sergio's latest CD is great. Gracinha's voice is still magical and the ballads in this CD all have that warm tropicalismo like feel to them. Caetano and Hermeto Pascoal are also featured on this album. One of the master's of Bossa Nova once again has made another great album-- a must have if you enjoyed Brasileiro!

One of Sergio's last A&M LP's, here we find Karen Philipp and Gracinha Laporace dong the vocals and double tracking some solos. What Sergio pretty much did here is give the American singer the American songs to do in English, and the Brazilian Singer songs to do in Portuguese. So you have Karen doing "Gone Forever" and Gracinha going "Tonga". They are both together on the title song and "So Many People". The stand out track, however, is "After Midnight" which sounds like only Karen, but I may be wrong. This album certainly is not the fun "Equinox" or "Look Around" were, but belongs in any SM fan's library.

I am a huge fan of Brasil 66, but with this debut album by Brasil 77, there's just more of the greatness that is Sergio Mendes. My 2 favorite tracks on the CD are Morro Velho a song that is lead by Gracinha Leporace. Gracinha has such a powerful voice and was a great replacement for Lani Hall. The other song I like a lot is Zanzibar. This is a great jazz/fusion number featuring Mendes solo on keyboards. Zanzibar shows why Mendes is a phenomenal jazz musician.

"She's gone, she's gone, it'll take the Devil to replace her." Yeah, I know that was *Daryl* Hall, not Lani, but that's probably what Sergio was thinking after his longtime lead vocalist who gave him his signature vocal sound, left Brasil '66 to pursue her solo career and, ultimately, become Mrs. Herb Alpert. But the ever-alluring Karen Philipp, who had been singing with Mendes since 1968, was there to pick up the slack, and while she may not have had the power and intimacy of Lani Hall, she has her own distinctive vocal charms, which are abundantly on display on the two gorgeous Paul Williams selections, "Gone Forever" (one of the most beautiful ballads Mendes has ever recorded), and the somewhat slighter "So Many People" (which boasts a great, sadly uncredited, harmonica solo). Mrs. Mendes, Gracinha Leporace, handles the Brasilian material with her typical gusto, including the beautiful Milton Nascimento penned "Morro Velho." Other standouts on this album are the fantastic vocalese and acoustic piano solo of "Zanzibar" (though, strangely, the Japanese import CD omits the "guitar tune up" that was on the original LP release--maybe they thought it was an error, I personally always loved it as a little window into the recording session), and the gutsy sax of Tom Scott on the propulsive 7/4 reworking of "After Midnight." This was a promising start to a "second phase" of Mendes' career that did not reap the market dividends that Brasil '66 did, but that nonetheless has a multitude of aural pleasures of its own to bestow upon the willing listener.

This was Mendes' first album with Brazil '77, and the album draws on a mixture of sounds from the Brasil '66 group. There's the insanely catchy title song by Jorge Ben, almost as good as Ben's "Mais Que Nada" on the first Brasil '66 album. There's some straight ahead Brazilian jazz on "Zanzibar" with a sensational piano solo by Mendes, reminiscent of several tunes on the "Fool on the Hill" album. The excellent "Tonga" has the clean stripped down sound of "Equinox" and "Herb Alpert Presents." "After Midnight" is a slight song, but this is an exciting big band version of the Eric Clapton hit.

If you like mediocre pop songs, you'll appreciate "So Many People" and "Gone Forever" which are similar to the dross on some of the later Brasil '66 albums. They're easy on the ears but not all that interesting. If you're Sergio Mendes' mom, you might appreciate "I Know You" on which Mendes takes a solo turn, though the rest of us probably won't. As an interesting bonus, you get "Pais Tropical" in Japanese - this is a Japanese reissue after all. So that's three languages on one album.

This was the group's first album without Lani Hall, but the two lead singers are still wonderful. Highly recommended for Brasil '66 fans; but this shouldn't be your first Mendes album.

One of Sergio's last A&M LP's, here we find Karen Philipp and Gracinha Laporace dong the vocals and double tracking some solos. What Sergio pretty much did here is give the American singer the American songs to do in English, and the Brazilian Singer songs to do in Portuguese. So you have Karen doing "Gone Forever" and Gracinha going "Tonga". They are both together on the title song and "So Many People". The stand out track, however, is "After Midnight" which sounds like only Karen, but I may be wrong. This album certainly is not the fun "Equinox" or "Look Around" were, but belongs in any SM fan's library.

I am a huge fan of Brasil 66, but with this debut album by Brasil 77, there's just more of the greatness that is Sergio Mendes. My 2 favorite tracks on the CD are Morro Velho a song that is lead by Gracinha Leporace. Gracinha has such a powerful voice and was a great replacement for Lani Hall. The other song I like a lot is Zanzibar. This is a great jazz/fusion number featuring Mendes solo on keyboards. Zanzibar shows why Mendes is a phenomenal jazz musician.

"She's gone, she's gone, it'll take the Devil to replace her." Yeah, I know that was *Daryl* Hall, not Lani, but that's probably what Sergio was thinking after his longtime lead vocalist who gave him his signature vocal sound, left Brasil '66 to pursue her solo career and, ultimately, become Mrs. Herb Alpert. But the ever-alluring Karen Philipp, who had been singing with Mendes since 1968, was there to pick up the slack, and while she may not have had the power and intimacy of Lani Hall, she has her own distinctive vocal charms, which are abundantly on display on the two gorgeous Paul Williams selections, "Gone Forever" (one of the most beautiful ballads Mendes has ever recorded), and the somewhat slighter "So Many People" (which boasts a great, sadly uncredited, harmonica solo). Mrs. Mendes, Gracinha Leporace, handles the Brasilian material with her typical gusto, including the beautiful Milton Nascimento penned "Morro Velho." Other standouts on this album are the fantastic vocalese and acoustic piano solo of "Zanzibar" (though, strangely, the Japanese import CD omits the "guitar tune up" that was on the original LP release--maybe they thought it was an error, I personally always loved it as a little window into the recording session), and the gutsy sax of Tom Scott on the propulsive 7/4 reworking of "After Midnight." This was a promising start to a "second phase" of Mendes' career that did not reap the market dividends that Brasil '66 did, but that nonetheless has a multitude of aural pleasures of its own to bestow upon the willing listener.

This was Mendes' first album with Brazil '77, and the album draws on a mixture of sounds from the Brasil '66 group. There's the insanely catchy title song by Jorge Ben, almost as good as Ben's "Mais Que Nada" on the first Brasil '66 album. There's some straight ahead Brazilian jazz on "Zanzibar" with a sensational piano solo by Mendes, reminiscent of several tunes on the "Fool on the Hill" album. The excellent "Tonga" has the clean stripped down sound of "Equinox" and "Herb Alpert Presents." "After Midnight" is a slight song, but this is an exciting big band version of the Eric Clapton hit.

If you like mediocre pop songs, you'll appreciate "So Many People" and "Gone Forever" which are similar to the dross on some of the later Brasil '66 albums. They're easy on the ears but not all that interesting. If you're Sergio Mendes' mom, you might appreciate "I Know You" on which Mendes takes a solo turn, though the rest of us probably won't. As an interesting bonus, you get "Pais Tropical" in Japanese - this is a Japanese reissue after all. So that's three languages on one album.

This was the group's first album without Lani Hall, but the two lead singers are still wonderful. Highly recommended for Brasil '66 fans; but this shouldn't be your first Mendes album.

I heard this album so long ago, but what I remember of it is the peacefull and armonious of the brazilian music.