Label: Concord Records
February 28, 2020
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, released 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
