How does one acquire legendary status? Having been one of the pioneers in the fusion of Brazilian music with jazz should be enough, and even more so having collaborated with many other musical myths such as António Carlos Jobim, Cannonball Adderley or even Frank Sinatra – we could even add Harrison Ford, who as carpenter built his recording studio at the dawn of his stardom as an actor. After more than sixty years of career, Sergio Mendes makes his debut this Friday at the Barcelona Jazz Festival, with a performance at the Palau de la Música in which you can hear many of his hits with the joy that music gives off. of the.
Mendes always says that his life has been governed by “magical encounters”, often caused by chance or serendipity, for which you not only have to work hard, but “you have to be ready for it to happen, with your heart.” open, with an open mind to find creative people. “That's how I had the opportunity of my life, even if it was a matter of magical destiny,” he explains by phone from London, where he performed on Tuesday. It was like this, he explains, how, for example, he forged the collaboration with Carlinhos Brown, whom he defines as “my dear spiritual brother,” with whom he recorded in 1993 and they contributed to their mutual success. Or also how a young Will.I.am, from the Black Eyed Peas, contacted him, a lifelong fan of his and who in 2006 would be decisive for his album Timeless, which would relaunch his career with collaborations with artists from another generation such as Erykah Badu , Justin Timberlake or John Legend, along with another legend like Stevie Wonder.
It is not easy to achieve success considering that most of their hits are songs written by others and that their contributions have been mainly instrumental and arrangements, to which is added a strategic vision to succeed in the United States and from there to the rest of the world: the decision to alternate the English language with the Portuguese.
Few associate his first hit, in 1966, Mas que nada, with Jorge Ben, and other versions passed through his filter such as The look of love or The fool on the hill by the Beatles are already part of his own vintage. “I have composed some songs and I really like writing music, but I also really like to interpret and arrange songs that other people have already recorded in my own way,” he says without regret. Of all the songs, Mendes does not dare to choose: “Each one represents a period of my life and has its special grace. We try to play the ones that we and the public like the most, as will be seen in Barcelona.”
Educated in classical music, he soon discovered new sounds: “In addition to classical, I always really liked jazz, but I love all types of music and Brazilian music is very diverse, it has many different styles and rhythms, and that For me it is very important,” he says, adding that he has been lucky enough to “work with many different people who like to innovate and do new things. Collaboration is very important.” Today his own style also has influences from hiphop and even reggaeton.
“Today I record less and travel more,” says the musician, remembering that when he started it was common to record two albums each year, but now, at 82 years old, he has no project in mind beyond continuing to give concerts.
Accompanied by seven musicians, including his wife, Gracinha Laporace, whose musical adventure began in the seventies – in addition to the singer Katie Hampton, the percussionist Marco B. Dos Santos, Scott Mayo on keyboards, sax, flute and vocals, Leo Costa on drums, Kleber Jorge Pimenta on guitar and André De Santana on bass – this Friday he will be able to demonstrate how “Brazilian music is not only beautiful, but also spreads joy.”
