Cross-Cultural Celebration of a Brazilian Music Legend

Tokyo-based producer and composer Bajune Tobeta announces Sergio Mendes Tribute, a deeply personal, cross-cultural celebration of the late Brazilian music icon Sergio Mendes, arriving September 4, 2026 via CROIX Co., Ltd. / CROIX JAM.

The project began with the records that shaped Tobeta’s childhood: his father’s copies of Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 and Look Around. Played repeatedly on the family turntable, those albums became part of the soundtrack to Tobeta’s earliest musical memories.

Following Mendes’ passing in September 2024, Tobeta contacted Gracinha Leporace, Mendes’ wife and longtime musical collaborator, with a simple idea: to have her sing “Mas Que Nada,” Mendes’ internationally beloved signature song, once again. That initial concept gradually evolved into a full-length tribute, approved by both the Mendes family and estate.

Recorded across Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles, the album is conceived as a continuous memorial ceremony, moving from its opening overture through a series of reinterpretations before arriving at its farewell. Sessions with Gracinha Leporace were recorded at Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions, while the album was mixed in part at Abbey Road Studios by Paul Pritchard and mastered by Denis Blackham.

The project brings together an impressive international cast, including Gracinha Leporace, Lisa Ono, Paula Morelenbaum, Atom Heart, Black Prez, Marianna Leporace, Filo Machado, Saigenji, Febian Reza Pane, Thais Motta, JOCA and Kazuo Yoshida.

Atom Heart contributes arrangement and programming, connecting Mendes’ Brazilian musical heritage with electronic and Latin traditions. The resulting album reflects not only the breadth of Mendes’ influence but also the longstanding cultural relationship between Brazil and Japan. Brazil is home to the largest Japanese diaspora in the world, making the project especially meaningful to Tobeta on both a personal and historical level.

For Tobeta, the tribute is another chapter in a remarkable three-decade career that has moved freely between electronic music, contemporary classical composition, game music and Brazilian music. He studied and worked alongside Ryuichi Sakamoto and has collaborated with artists including Christian Fennesz, Arto Lindsay, Joyce Moreno, and Jaques and Paula Morelenbaum. His work also includes music connected to the Katamari Damacy game series.

Sergio Mendes Tribute arrives shortly after Tobeta’s separate ambient and modern classical project Anechoic, demonstrating the producer’s continuing ability to move between vastly different musical worlds while maintaining a distinctive artistic identity.

The September 4 release date falls on the eve of the second anniversary of Mendes’ passing, giving the project an added sense of remembrance. More than a collection of covers, Sergio Mendes Tribute serves as a musical bridge between generations, cultures and genres, honoring an artist whose music helped introduce Brazilian sounds to audiences around the world.

The full 11-track album unfolds as follows:

1. Bajune Tobeta — “Abertura”
2. Gracinha Leporace & Bajune Tobeta — “Mas Que Nada” (feat. Black Prez & Marianna Leporace)
3. Bajune Tobeta — “Batucada” (feat. Lisa Ono)
4. Bajune Tobeta — “Agua de Beber” (feat. Filo Machado)
5. Saigenji — “Constant Rain (Chove Chuva)”
6. Bajune Tobeta — “Night and Day” (feat. Thais Motta & Filo Machado)
7. Febian Reza Pane — “The Look of Love”
8. Bajune Tobeta — “Inutil Paisagem” (feat. Paula Morelenbaum)
9. Bajune Tobeta — “Entreato”
10. Kazuo Yoshida — “Mas Que Nada” (feat. Thais Motta & JOCA)
11. Bajune Tobeta — “Goodnight Maestro”

Sergio Mendes Tribute will be released September 4, 2026 via CROIX Co., Ltd. / CROIX JAM.