Traveling back to Brasil with Sergio Mendes

To most millennials, the name Sergio Mendes may not quite ring a bell, but mention it to Generation X and older, and more often than not eyes will twinkle as they blurt out their fave song.

Who can forget for instance, “Goin' Out of My Head,” “Night and Day,” “Fool on the Hill,” “Waters of March,” “Like a Lover,” and “Mas Que Nada”? These songs were chartbusters in the '60s and on to the next decades as Sergio Mendes made bossa nova the genre that it is.

The Big Dome last Saturday was thus understandably the venue of the night for many music lovers of a certain age as Mendes came to celebrate the 50th year of Brasil '66, the group he founded after his early jazz albums did not do so well. His album “Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66” became a platinum hit with its single Mas Que Nada, an upbeat tune with Lani Hall on vocals. Succeeding albums became hits as well, with Mendes forming new groups (there was a Brasil '77 and a Brasil '88).

Filipina singer Sabrina set the mood at past 8 p.m. by singing a few bossa nova songs.

Although about 20 minutes passed by between Sabrina's last song and the time the band members took the stage, the crowd was patient, eagerly awaiting Mendes' appearance.

To the beat of a Portuguese song, Mendes climbed up the stage in his signature white suit, red pants, and Panama hat, and calmly took to the keyboards. He was amazing for his age (75), never forgetting lyrics and notes, and clearly in charge of the night.

When Mendes played the first notes of “Pretty World,” shouts of glee erupted among the audience as people recognized one of the popular songs of their youth.

“I love coming to Manila,” he said, adding that Brazilians and Filipinos have something in common – they are both “very romantic” and both love music. “Every time I come here, the melody affects people. I'm so happy to be here.”

Indeed, the melodies of his songs resonate among Filipinos, and the proof was seen when the band played “Girl From Ipanema” – heads bobbed, feet stomped, hands clapped, and smiles appeared. The song was written in 1959, and Mendes sang the Portuguese lyrics along with the English words with the women vocalists.

Throughout the night, Mendes did not disappoint, dishing one popular tune after another – “Like a Lover,” “One Night Samba,” “Bridges,” “Never Let You Go,” “Goin' Out of My Head,” “Fool on the Hill,” “The Look of Love.” The melodies and lyrics were all familiar to those who grew up in the '60s and '70s, and while most of the audience were content to bob their heads from their seats, lovely women from the Escola de Samba de Manila stood up and samba'd beside their seats.

Mendes also brought in rapper H20 to inject a new vibe into his songs—rap and bossa nova surprisingly blended well.

The three-time Grammy musician also showcased his band's musicality in the segment featuring Brazilian music. His percussion man “Mr. Gibi” is a genius.

Mendes told the audience he first arrived in Manila back in 1970 or 1971 and thanked his “dear friend” Jorge Araneta (of Araneta Center) for inviting him back.

“Tayo'y magdiwang ng pagmamahal at buhay,” he read from a notecard, to the wild applause of the appreciative crowd.

But of course, he could not leave just like that—the crowd would not let him. And so Mendes and his band played one of their biggest hits, “Mas Que Nada,” and the crowd, seated all this time, stood up and danced and sang. Yup, even the President of the Philippines did so.

Mendes invited the Escola de Samba de Manila girls to come up on stage, and so they did, in the process moving some people in the crowd to take their dance partners and sing and dance until the band called it a night. — BM/JST, GMA News