UCSB Arts & Lectures will join the global celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Bossa Nova with world-renowned Brazilian superstars Sergio Mendes & Bebel Gilberto, 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, at UCSB Campbell Hall.
Bossa nova was born on July 10, 1958, at the old Odeon recording studios in Rio de Janeiro. That’s the date João Gilberto recorded “Chega de Saudade,” bossa nova’s first song and the start of a musical and cultural phenomenon.
In the worldwide celebration, two of bossa nova’s reigning performers and their bands will span the breadth of Brazil’s best-known musical style, transporting the audience to today’s hottest music clubs and the Rio beaches of yesterday.
Producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist, Sergio Mendes is one of the most internationally successful Brazilian artists. His hit single “Mas Que Nada” is the first Portuguese language song to ever hit Billboard’s U.S. Pop chart. Mendes’ signature mix of bossa nova and samba and distinctive pop instrumentation have ultimately come to define Brazilian music.
With a career spanning five decades, his enduring influence on the music industry continues to evolve. A three-time Grammy Award winner, with three additional Grammy nominations, he has recorded more than 35 albums, with numerous gold and platinum albums among them. In 2012, Mendes received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for “Real in Rio” from the animated film Rio.
Mendes’ career began with his 1961 album Dance Moderno and the groups Bossa Rio and the Sergio Mendes Trio. From the mid-1960s to the late ’70s, Mendes began to establish his legendary status as his albums and singles rose to the top of the charts. However, it was his group Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 that sparked global stardom.
After performing “The Look of Love” at the 1968 Academy Awards, their version rose to the top 10, followed by such hits as “The Fool on the Hill” and “Scarborough Fair.”
In the ’80s, Mendes’ single “Never Gonna Let You Go” became a No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit and pop top-10 chart topper. In 1992, Mendes’ record Brasileiro won the Grammy for Best World Music Album. Since then, Mendes has been honored with two Latin Grammy Awards for Best Brazilian Record, Timeless (2006) and Bom Tempo (2010), which was also nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award.
Mendes’ innovation and versatility have enabled him to collaborate with a range of artists. In 2006, he collaborated with contemporary pop, rock, urban and hip-hop artists for his record Timeless, which featured a re-recording of his hit “Mas Que Nada,” accompanied by Gracinha Leporace, Mendes’ wife. The project’s other collaborators include Justin Timberlake, John Legend and the Black Eyed Peas.
In 2011, Mendes released his 39th album, Celebration: A Musical Journey, commemorating his 50 years as a recording artist. The record included classics from his career as well as new recordings with Ivete Sangalo and Siedah Garrett, including a remake of “The Fool on the Hill,” which he performed the same year at the MusiCares Gala Honoring Sir Paul McCartney.
Mendes’ most iconic album, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011, joining Bruce Springsteen’s legendary Born in The U.S.A., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. in the class of historically significant recordings.
His most recent album, Magic (2014), is a collection of new songs, recorded with a friends and special guests including John Legend, will.i.am and Carlinhos Brown, It features the 2014 World Cup hit single “One Nation.”
Singer/songwriter Bebel Gilberto has been enchanting fans and critics worldwide since her solo debut release in 1986. A multi-Grammy-Award nominee, she belongs to a family that is considered musical royalty in Brazil. Her father João Gilberto was one of the most iconic figures of Brazilian music and one of the creators of bossa nova; her mother is singer Miúcha; and her uncle is the poet and singer-songwriter Chico Buarque.
Bebe Gilberto catapulted onto the global music scene with a track on the celebrated compilation CD RED HOT + RIO, followed by the worldwide success of her hit breakout album Tanto Tempo in 2000. The album featured her trademark electronic bossa nova, taking over clubs around the world and positioning Gilberto as one of the top-selling Brazilian artists in the U.S. since the ’60s.
Critically-acclaimed albums that followed include Bebel Gilberto (2004), on which she refined her sound to create an acoustic lounge style that showcased her strengths as a Brazilian composer, and Momento (2007), which showcased her skills at fusing her musical styles.
Her 2009 Grammy Award-nominated album All in One brought to forefront more of her personality and love for organic rhythms. In 2014, Gilberto released a concert DVD called Bebel Gilberto in Rio in Brazil, featuring a live concert on the beaches of Rio. Returning to her trademark sultry Brazilian rhythms infused with electronic beats, she followed up with the studio album Tudo, released in August 2015 on Sony.
In 2018, she began working on a new album songe being co-written and produced by the New York-based producer Thomas Bartlett. Gilberto is touring Europe and North America throughout 2019 while preparing the release of her new songs.
Sergio Mendes & Bebel Gilberto is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures. Special thanks to: KCBX 89.5 FM Santa Barbara, KCSB 91.9 FM, VOICE Magazine and Potek Winery.
Tickets are $35-$55 for the general public; $15 for UCSB students with a current student ID. For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 805-893-3535 or buy online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
UCSB Arts & Lectures acknowledges its Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli and Corporate Season Sponsor SAGE Publishing for their support of the 2019-20 season.
— Caitlin O’Hara for UCSB Arts & Lectures.