Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Sergio Mendes: Oceano

265

Sergio Mendes: Oceano

By

Sign in to view read count
Sergio Mendes: Oceano
Sergio Mendes seems to one of those artists who has been around forever with his wonderful bands Brazil '66, '74, '77, each depicting an era of evolution in the world of popular Brazilian music. Sergio fans will remember the classic Lennon and McCartney "Fool on the hill" performed on a number of his earlier albums with vocalists Bonnie Bowden and his wife-to-be, Gracinha Leporace.

His latest outing "Oceano" features one of Brazil's rising stars Ricardo Silveira whose own solo album "Storyteller" is a wonderful testament to the constant stream of emerging talent from the home of bossa nova.

The album is predominantly sung in Brazilian except for the beautiful Djavan penned tracks "Puzzle of Hearts" , a duet ballad with Gracinha Leporace and Joe Pizzulo, and "Un Oceano di Silenzi" with guest vocalist Zucchero who is featured so wonderfully with Randy Crawford on the killer cut "Diamante" from Randy's "Throught the eyes of love" collection. It features a rendition of Tom Jobim's "Anos Dourados" also featured on Jobim's "Passarim" set from 1987, Ivan Lins "Anjo de Mim" and two smooth Hermeto Pascoal instrumental tracks entitled "Capivara" and "Vale da Ribeira."

Son Roberto co-pens the third track with Jorge Portugal on the CD called "Holográfico Olodum" and plays keyboards to Sergio's arrangement. Brazil's own Gilberto Gil providing the vocal performance.

The sound of the ninties is represented by a rap sound on the cut "Maracatudo." I personally don't know why such great musicians feel the need to incorporate such modern tendencies into their music but many feel obligated to do it. One could say that Brazilian music lends itself to scat and rap when we consider the music of Tania Maria, Flora Purim and the traditional Brazilian sound.

I love the up tempo bossa sounds of "Rio de Janeiro," "Trihos Urbanos" and "Anjo de Mim" so reminiscent of that great theme tune from the movie "The Adventurers" and the excellent "Waters of March."

This is an album for Martini dinner parties on cool summer nights and a must for all Mendes fans. The music oozes class which is only what we have come to expect from the four generations of recordings from Sergio and his troupe of international and local stars.

In 1994, Brazil lost one of its major musical mentors in Carlos Antonio Jobim, but the music is in safe hands with Sergio Mendes who will ensure that this wonderful music continues to excite and delight the many followers throughout the world. We have waited a while for a new album from SM and "Oceano" will please all of his fans and introduce him to many new ones.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Oceano | Year Released: 1996 | Record Label: Verve Music Group

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.