Sérgio Mendes

#RIP Sergio Mendes (1941-2024) seen in 1962 with Antonio Carlos Jobim on 43rd St nearing 6th Ave. Mendes grew up in Brazil during the height of the bossa nova movement, and he was heavily influenced by Brazilian music legends such as João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. He studied classical music at the National Music School in Rio de Janeiro but was increasingly drawn to the growing bossa nova and jazz scenes.

In the early 1960s, Mendes began his career by forming the group Sérgio Mendes and the Bossa Rio Sextet, which gained recognition in Brazil and started to attract international attention. Mendes soon moved to the United States, where he collaborated with American jazz musicians such as Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann, helping bridge Brazilian music and American jazz.