Sérgio Mendes

Sérgio Mendes
Sérgio Mendes in 2016.
Background information
Birth name	Sérgio Santos Mendes
Also known as	Santos Sergio
Born	(1941-02-11) February 11, 1941 (age 76) Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Origin	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Genres	Bossa nova, Latin, Latin jazz, jazz, disco, adult contemporary
Occupation(s)	Bandleader, pianist, composer, arranger, songwriter
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1961–present
Labels	Capitol, Atlantic, A&M, Elektra

Sérgio Santos Mendes (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɛʁʒju ˈsɐ̃tuʒ ˈmẽdʒiʃ]; born February 11, 1941) is a Brazilian musician. He has over 55 releases, and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2012 as co-writer of the song "Real in Rio" from the animated film Rio.

Mendes is married to Gracinha Leporace, who has performed with him since the early 1970s. Mendes has also collaborated with many artists through the years, including the Black Eyed Peas, with whom he re-recorded in 2006 a version of his breakthrough hit "Mas Que Nada".

Mendes was born in Niterói, Brazil, the son of a physician. He attended the local conservatory with hopes of becoming a classical pianist. As his interest in jazz grew, he started playing in nightclubs in the late 1950s just as bossa nova, a jazz-inflected derivative of samba, was emerging. Mendes played with Antônio Carlos Jobim (regarded as a mentor) and many U.S. jazz musicians who toured Brazil.

Mendes formed the Sexteto Bossa Rio and recorded Dance Moderno in 1961. Touring Europe and the United States, Mendes recorded albums with Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann and played Carnegie Hall. Mendes moved to the U.S. in 1964 and cut two albums under the Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65 group name with Capitol Records and Atlantic Records.