One common
thread weaves throughout the staggeringly diverse tapestry of music that
producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist Sergio Mendes has created over his
remarkable six-decade career: the spirit of joy.
From his pioneering contributions to the foundations of
bossa nova alongside the likes of Antonio Carlos Jobim, through the
era-defining Latin-pop sound of his iconic group Brasil ’66; his scintillating
collaborations with jazz legends like Cannonball Addereley and Herbie Mann to
his chart-topping adult contemporary smash “Never Gonna Let You Go;” on through
his 21st-century reinvention with the Black-Eyed Peas and John Legend or his
Oscar-nominated theme song from the animated hit Rio: an infectious spirit of
joy pervades everything Mendes has ushered into the ears of listeners.
The Brazilian legend’s new album is no exception. On In the
Key of Joy, due out February 28, 2020 from Concord Records, Mendes looks back
the only way he knows how – by once again moving forward. Released to coincide
with a spectacular new documentary on his life by acclaimed filmmaker John
Scheinfeld (Chasing Trane, Who Is Harry Nilsson?), In the Key of Joy melds the
classic Brazilian, jazz and pop sounds that have long characterized Mendes’
music with stunningly contemporary inspirations that make the album sound at
once utterly timeless and wholly of the moment.
As he has throughout his musical life, Mendes thrives on
collaboration on In the Key of Joy. The album brings together fellow Brazilian
legends with modern-day hitmakers and young rising stars, bringing familiar
voices and fresh life to a set of new original songs penned by Mendes and his
collaborators. Guests on the album include Common, Hermeto Pascoal, Joe
Pizzulo, Cali y El Dandee, Buddy, Sugar Joans, João Donato, Sheléa and Mendes’
wife and longtime singer, Gracinha Leporace.
“This album is all about joy and celebration,” Mendes says.
“I’m very curious, and I love to work with different people from different
cultures, different countries, different generations and different styles.”
To accompany the documentary’s wide-angle perspective on
Mendes’ sweeping history, the Deluxe Edition of In the Key of Joy includes the
soundtrack to the film, a career-spanning overview that encompasses the
greatest moments from Mendes’ musical life. From the unforgettable Brasil ’66
classic “Mas Que Nada” to Burt Bacharach’s “The Look of Love,” which Mendes
memorably performed on the 1968 Academy Awards telecast; collaborations with
will.i.am and the dazzling, soulful “Never Gonna Let You Go,” the disc offers
an essential primer on Mendes’ ability to place his indelible imprint on
multiple styles of music across the decades.
While he’s never been interested in living in the past, the
experience of making the documentary and the 60thanniversary of the bossa nova
gave Mendes an excuse to look back and take in the scope of his
accomplishments. “I’ve been very blessed to have had such a long career,” he
says sincerely. “There’s an English word that I love and that I use a lot,
which is ‘serendipity.’ I’ve been fortunate to have so many beautiful
encounters in my life.”
In the Key of Joy provided the opportunity to make some new
encounters as well as reunite with old friends. The album was recorded between
Mendes’ native Brazil and his adopted home of California, one more way in which
he bridges past and present in an eclectic harmony. “There are some sounds that
you can only get down in Brazil, that amazing energy, that massive rhythmical
wave that you hear underneath everything,” he says. “Then I have all of my
wonderful partners and such amazing musicians in Los Angeles, along with all of
my special guests. It’s the best of both worlds.”
The lilting Brazilian pop of “Sabor Do Rio” opens the album
with the instantly recognizable Mendes sound, the lush and sunny blend of
voices and horns harking back to Brasil ’66 while Common’s welcoming rap
invites in contemporary listeners. Like much of the album, the song was
co-written by Mendes with producer and multi-instrumentalist Mika Mutti and
woodwind player/arranger Scott Mayo. The propulsive dance-floor pulse of “Bora
Lá” is a buoyant backdrop for the vocal pairing of Brazilian samba star Rogê
and Mendes’ lifelong muse, Gracinha Leporace.
“It’s magical,” Mendes says of working closely with his
wife. “I feel so lucky to have her in my life – and beside that, what a great
voice.”
The Colombian pop duo of brothers Cali y El Dandee take the
spotlight on the sultry “La Noche Entera,” co-written by the pair along with
Mendes and the great Brazilian musician/producer Carlinhos Brown. The angelic
pipes of The Voice alum Sugar Joans aptly grace “Samba In Heaven;” the singer
is a second-generation collaborator with Mendes, her father being Joe Pizzulo,
who so memorably sang the lead on “Never Gonna Let You Go.” Pizzulo himself
rejoins Mendes for “Love Came Between Us,” which evokes the silky sound of that
classic hit.
Bossa pianist João Donato co-wrote and performs on the
percolating “Muganga.” In the liner notes, Mendes refers to Donato as one of
his “Three Magi,” along with Hermeto Pascoal and Guinga. The former contributes
the party-like atmosphere of “This Is It (É Isso),” also performing an emphatic
Portuguese rap. Guinga, meanwhile, wrote and plays guitar on the album’s
mesmerizing final cut, “Tangara,” which conjures images of sun-dappled beaches
and vibrant forests chiming with birdsong.
The upbeat title track features up-and-coming Compton rapper
Buddy, who also recently worked with keyboardist Robert Glasper.
Singer-songwriter Sheléa dances nimbly around the acoustic guitar lines of
Chico Brown on “Catch the Wave” and takes an achingly yearning turn on the
ballad “Times Goes By.” Mutti penned the delightfully cheery “Romance in
Copacabana,” with its whistling melody and a spotlight for the bandleader’s
fleet jazz piano skills.
Revealing Mendes’ inability to stand still as music evolved,
In the Key of Joy is stunning in the range and beauty of its spectrum of styles
and collaborations. “I like to get out of my comfort zone and try things that
I’ve never done before,” Mendes concludes. “I feel a great excitement walking
into the studio with different people and discovering what happens. That’s what
I do. I love the musical adventure that I’ve been on for more than 60 years.”
In The Key Of Joy track listing:
Disc 1/Standard Edition
Sabor Do Rio
featuring Common (4:12)
Bora Lá
featuring Rogê and Gracinha Leporace (3:21)
La Noche Entera
featuring Cali y El Dandee (2:54)
Samba In Heaven
featuring Sugar Joans (3:56)
Muganga
featuring Gracinha Leporace (4:13)
In The Key Of
Joy featuring Buddy (3:14)
Love Came
Between Us featuring Joe Pizzulo (4:16)
Catch The Wave
featuring Sheléa (3:12)
Romance In
Copacabana (2:57)
This Is It (É
Isso) featuring Hermeto Pascoal and Gracinha Leporace (2:56)
Times Goes By
featuring Shelea Frazier (4:27)
Tangara featuring
Gracinha Leporace and Guinga (3:59)
Official Documentary Soundtrack – Disc 2/Deluxe Edition
Mas Que Nada
(2:39)
Agua De Beber
with will.i.am (4:03)
Primitivo
(3:57)
Lamento (No
Morro) (3:21)
Pais Tropical
(3:13)
Reza (4:52)
Consolacao
(3:18)
Going Out Of My
Head (3:04)
The Frog (2:46)
Morro Velho
(4:35)
The Look of Love
(2:46)
Constant Rain
(3:16)
So Many Stars
(4:31)
Tonga (A Tonga Da
Mironga Do Kabulete) (3:26)
Never Gonna Let
You Go (4:16)
Fanfarra –
Cabua-Le-Le (4:01)
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