And so, farewell, Sérgio Mendes - the man who almost single-handedly made the Brazilian "New Wave" sounds of bossa nova into a cool, internationally-successful pop genre in the 1960s - who has packed up his piano, bongos and Cuica and departed for the "Tiki Lounge" in Fabulon. [To be honest, who even knew he was still with us?]
There is only one song to play, really!
Sérgio Mendes and Brasil 66 - Mas Que Nada (introduced by Eartha Kitt)
Mas que nada
Sai da minha frente
Eu quero passar
Pois o samba está animado
O que eu quero é sambar
[which roughly translates as]
Whatever!
Get out of my way
I wanna pass
Because samba is exciting
And I wanna dance [samba]
Descanse em paz, Sérgio Santos Mendes (11th February 1941 – 5th September 2024)
They were so purely 60s cool and made me want to learn Portuguese.
ReplyDeleteYeah, baby, yeah! Jx
DeleteI remember doing some sort of Brazilian dance ( in socks on a polished floor) to one of his hits, but that's about the most of my Latin dancing...
ReplyDeleteI can only think of "Give me the Old Soft Shoe, and nothing else will do!" Jx
DeleteHis music is as cool as cool and I love it but I must agree this track remains the the epitome of cool and will be with us in one form or another for ever.
ReplyDeleteGlad he was still alive (who knew), sad he has left us and thank him for bringing us the sound of Bossa Nova and the music of of Brazil.
It is indeed his masterpiece, and will live on forever. Jx
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