Sergio Mendes: Timeless, ageless

It’s bossa nova time once again Saturday night (March 18) at the Big Dome when Sergio Mendes and Brasil 2006 turn on the Brazilian beat in what is expected to be a swinging event, energized by such enduring hits as The Look of Love, Never Going to Let You Go, covers (remakes) of Scarborough Fair and The Fool on the Hill, Put a Little Love Away and, but of course, Mas Que Nada, the song that catapulted Mendes to international stardom more than four decades ago.

"I love coming back to the Philippines," he told Funfare during a one-on-one yesterday afternoon at the Captain’s Bar of the Mandarin Oriental where he and company (including his 19-year-old son Gustavo) are billeted. "How many times have I been here? Oh," added the amiable musicman who was having a jetlag after a 14-hour PAL flight from Los Angeles (where he and his family are based), arriving at dawn Tuesday. "Many times... maybe eight times. The first time I was here in the ’60s, I performed at the Araneta Coliseum, The owner of the Coliseum, Jorge Araneta, is my friend. I’ve known him for many, many years."

The last time Mendes performed here was three years ago at the Aliw Theater.

"I love the Philippines. The people are wonderful, very romantic and very nice. That’s one of the reasons I keep coming back – I like the people a lot. Very kind, very sweet."

Mendes has been recording since 1961. He started playing the legendary NYC jazz club, Birdland, with his band in 1962. After signing up with A&M Records in 1966, he became the biggest Brazilian artist of the decade when bossa nova ruled the airwaves. His band, Brasil 66 (whose members included Lani Hall), reached the top of the Billboard singles charts with hits like Mas Que Nada and the songs mentioned earlier. In 1983, Mendes scored one of the biggest hits of his career with Never Going to Let You Go which topped the AC, Pop and Black Singles charts. In 1993, he won a Grammy for his album Brasileiro.

And then, he simply disappeared from the music scene, coming back after almost a decade with his latest album, Timeless (released locally by MCA Music Inc. and available at, among other outlets, the 8,000 Starbucks cafes around the world). The present generation of music-lovers will be thrilled to know that Timeless is a collaboration between Mendes and will.i.am, chief producer and songwriter of the Black Eyed Peas (on Mas Que Nada and other songs), thus turning the album into a "marriage of rhythms" between the Brazilian sound and rap/hip-hop. Other artists on the album include Stevie Wonder (with Gracinha Leporace on Berimbau/Consolaco), Erykah Badu (with will.i.am on That Heat), Justin Timberlake (Phraroahe Monch and will.i.am on Loose Ends) and John Legend (on Please Baby Don’t).

So what can we expect on your concert this Saturday?

"I’m looking forward to it. We have a great audience here. They are very enthusiastic. They know every song. I’m singing old songs and a few new ones."

Of course, Mas Que Nada is in your repertoire.

"Of course! I first recorded it in 1966 when a Portuguese song became a hit. Forty years later, I recorded it again for my new album."

Did you change anything in the song, perhaps the arrangement?

"Oh, you have to listen to it to find out."

What’s the story behind Mas Que Nada?

"You know, Mas Que Nada was written by a friend of mine. It has one of the great melodies. I just love the song so I decided to record it again."

You were away for almost a decade...

"...I haven’t made a record in 10 years. You know, I was without motivation or inspiration so I decided to take a break from the recording scene. After doing more than 35 albums, I just didn’t feel like doing another one. I was waiting for new ideas and they finally came, and Timeless is the result. I wanted to do something new, something fresh."

Some people don’t consider rap/hip-hop as music. Collaborating with will.i.am is, in a signifcant way, due recognition coming from a great artist like you.

"You know, will.i.am came to my house one day and told me how much he loved Brazilian music, and my music. He said he’s a big fan and he asked me to play on his album Elephunk. So I did one song. I enjoyed doing that, so I asked him, ‘Why don’t we make an album, a mixture of Brazilian classic bossa nova and hip-hop, and R&B?’ It’s a very interesting album and I’m happy with it."

Do you like hip-hop?

"If you have a song, yes. But if you just have a beat, no. A beat is great but just a beat with no song doesn’t interest me. I’m a song man. I like songs. I feel that the hip-hop world needed melody and that’s what I did in this album. The idea is to have the young generation – which likes hip-hop – listen to this kind of melody (Brazilian beat and R&B, etc.). And maybe to get the older generation to listen to hip-hop."

What did you do during your 10-year absence?

"I was working, travelling and doing shows. I continued performing, but I just didn’t record an album."

What kind of music do you and your family play at home?

"We play bossa nova, we play mellow music. My wife is a great singer. She plays on the Timeless album, too."

Who are the singers that you admire?

"Oh, so many! There’s Antonio Carlos Jobim, the No. 1 composer in Brazil. Outside of Brazil, I love Stevie Wonder – very much! I like his musicality, the way he writes songs, the way he plays the harmonica, the way he sings. He’s a genius, a great songwriter."

Which of the songs in your more than 35 albums captures the essential Sergio Mendes?

"Oh, it’s hard to answer that question. I like most of the songs that I’ve done; I like all of them a lot. That’s why we play those songs over and over again. I don’t have just one favorite. Well, maybe Mas Que Nada because it’s very special, it has some sentimental value to me."

Did you win your wife’s heart by singing to her?

(Laughs) "I hope so!" (He’s on his second marriage. He has two children from his first marriage and two from his second.)

How do you unwind?

"I travel a lot with my family. Or we just stay home and listen to music. Or we go to movies. What kind of movies? Any kind of movie."

Incidentally, how do you want the world to remember you?

"For my songs. Songs are the key of life. If you can remember the song and the melody, melody, melody, then that’s great! Melody – that’s the key. And I think that’s what the world needs now – melody. Good melody. We miss that. I think we live in very unmelodic times. Some of the music today are very beat-oriented, no melody. That’s why I love the Filipinos because they are very melody-oriented, they are like me. Brazil and the Philippines have one thing in common – they are both very melodic countries. When you sing Girl From Ipanema and Mas Que Nada, that’s melody."

(Note: Tickets to Sergio Mendes & Brasil 2006: A Celebration of His Timeless Hits are priced at P5,224; P3,657; P2,612; P1,829; and P839. For inquiries, call the Ticketnet at 911-5555.)

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