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SERGIO MENDES – The World’s Greatest Exponent Of Brazilian Music – From Serendipity To Unimaginable Success. A Warm And Intimate Interview With One Of The Great Musical Geniuses

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SERGIO MENDES is an iconic pianist producer songwriter band leader Grammy winner and Oscar nominee He is widely considered the best known Brazilian musician of all time having reinvented himself continually over the course of a 60 year career Since a very early age growing up in a small town in Brazil Sergio began exploring different styles of music and his unique sound including his use of Portuguese lyrics was embraced all over the world His career took off with worldwide hits by his group Brasil 39 66 He has more than 60 releases that feature bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk Sergio was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2012 as co-writer of the song quot Real in Rio quot from the animated film Rio He is a unique example of a Brazilian musician primarily known in the United States where his albums were recorded and where most of his touring has taken place His mammoth hit 39 Mas Que Nada 39 was the first ever international hit of a song in Portuguese It was voted the fifth greatest Brazilian song ever and inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2013 Sergio says the key to successful songs is the simple melody Though he never expected it Sergio Mendes 39 timing and unique sound made him an international success One of the biggest crossover Brazilian pop artists of his generation Sergio Mendes helped define the sound of Latin pop and dance music in the 20th century For most of the second half of the 39 60s Sergio was the top-selling Brazilian artist in the United States charting huge hit singles that regularly made the Top Five His records with his group Brasil 66 regularly straddled the domestic pop and international markets in America getting played heavily on AM radio stations both rock and easy listening and he gave his label A amp M something to offer light jazz listeners beyond the work of the company 39 s co-founder Herb Alpert Decades later he still tours the world and performs at numerous music festivals Always mindful to keep re-inventing himself in order to remain relevant Sergio has successfully collaborated with artists like John Legend will i am from The Black Eyed Peas and many well known Brazilian musicians In 2019 he issued his latest studio album 39 In the Key of Joy 39 in conjunction with a documentary film about his life At 82 years of age Sergio is doing some of the best work of his life Join me for our interview as Sergio Mendes recounts his incredible musical career this week on A Breath of Fresh Air To learn more about Sergio Mendes head for my website https abreathoffreshair com au or Sergio 39 s website https sergiomendesmusic com And don 39 t forget if you 39 d like to request someone you 39 d like to hear being interviewed – as long as they 39 re from the 60s 70s or 80s – simply send me an email to sandy abreathoffreshaircom au and I 39 ll do my very best to get your favourite artist onto the show I really hope you enjoy this episode with the extraordinary Sergio Mendes Click here to visit this podcast episode

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