New Sergio Mendes CD from Concord - now JANUARY!

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

An update from Bill Cantos:

"Hello, everybody - I'm in Japan with Sergio for the next couple of weeks; we're playing the Blue Note clubs here (two nights in Fukuoka, three in Osaka, two in Nagoya, and seven in Tokyo).....

During rehearsal, I got to hear more of the CD. There is some really fun stuff on there. What it reminds me of in some ways is the Quincy Jones JOOK JOINT album, which had some of his older songs done in very updated ways. There's a medley where Stevie plays harmonica (he was going to sing, but was under the weather the day of recording) on "Berimbau";John Legend sings on one song I think is new; there are new versions of "The Frog" and "Slow Hot Wind" and yes, "Mas Que Nada" - I like this new version a heck of a lot better than the remake he did a few years back.

Even on the songs that use rap, they always seem to have sections where you just get to hear the song (and not four bars of it, which drives me crazy). There's even a sample on one song of the original Brasil '66 version!

Also, a piece of sad news - Dom Um Romao passed away a few days ago; he was 79 or 80. When Sergio and Gracinha found out, they were reminiscing about what a wonderful man he was...

Anyway, more later-

BIll"

 

[Cortnee]

An update from Bill Cantos:


I got to hear more of the CD. There's some really fun stuff on it. It reminds me of Quincy Jones JOOK JOINT , which had some of his older songs done in very updated ways. There's a medley where Stevie plays harmonica on "Berimbau";John Legend sings on one song I think is new; there are new versions of "The Frog" and "Slow Hot Wind" and yes, "Mas Que Nada" - I like this new version a heck of a lot better than the remake he did a few years back.

Also, a piece of sad news - Dom Um Romao passed away a few days ago; he was 79 or 80. When Sergio and Gracinha found out, they were reminiscing about what a wonderful man he was...
Anyway, more later-
BIll"

Berimbau and The Frog r songs that r really fun to dance to, so the remakes must be even more danceable.
WHO IS JOHN LEGEND?
I wasn't aware that Sergio did a remake of Mas Que Nada a few years back, where can I get a copy of it?
Slow Hot Wind is an okay song, I do enjoy listening to the original version, but I dont think the remake is gonna sound too cool.It's hard to imagine it as being hip-hop samba.
I predict that TIMELESS will propel Sergio back to pop chart sucess.

 

[Harry]

I wasn't aware that Sergio did a remake of Mas Que Nada a few years back, where can I get a copy of it?

It was recorded on Sergio's last album for A&M back in 1989 called ARARA. The vocals on the newer "Mas Que Nada" were handled by Ana Della Espriella. That album's been out of print for quite awhile, but shows up from time to time in used stores and online auctions like eBay.

Harry

 

[Aqua do Brasil]

WHO IS JOHN LEGEND?
I wasn't aware that Sergio did a remake of Mas Que Nada a few years back, where can I get a copy of it?
Slow Hot Wind is an okay song, I do enjoy listening to the original version, but I dont think the remake is gonna sound too cool.It's hard to imagine it as being hip-hop samba.
I predict that TIMELESS will propel Sergio back to pop chart sucess.

JOHN LEGEND is a hot R&B/Jazzy pianist/singer with his currently hit ORDINAIRY PEOPLE.
He appears on The latest album MONKEY BUSINESS by the Black Eyed Peas at the end of track 5 a wonderful piano/vocal interlude and sings on track 6 LIKE THAT together amongst others with Q-tip.
An artist with a bright future ahead.

All the best,
Aqua do Brasil

 

[TulitaPepsi]

"Slow Hot Wind is an okay song, I do enjoy listening to the original version, but I dont think the remake is gonna sound too cool.It's hard to imagine it as being hip-hop samba. "

I have to agree. I too can't quite see a remake of this (and I find the English lyrics more than a little inane), but hopefully Sergio & Co. will surprise us. It's a good sign that he's not just re-jigging his most popular numbers (except MQN, yet again...but I don't see how he could have avoided doing that one) but instead is rethinking some of the less-well known songs from his catalogue.

Now, "Ye-Me-Le", "O Pato" and "Roda" - I can totally see hiphop/funk versions of these!

 

[Trevor]

"Slow Hot Wind" has already been remade. Well, it was the original Brasil '66 tune remixed.

Track #6:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00024BHUG


It's an interesting twist to the original.

 

[TulitaPepsi]

Well, whaddya know. Thanks for that link, Trevor. I'm eating my words - I think that's a hot mix!

But then, how can you go wrong when you have Lani and Janis as your vocalists?

The Ye-Me-Le version...I dunno. They TOOK OUT all the B'66 funk in this one. And those singers (definitely NOT Lani and Karen) sound like they just popped some Quaaludes.

 

[Cortnee]

Well, whaddya know. Thanks for that link, Trevor. I'm eating my words - I think that's a hot mix!

But then, how can you go wrong when you have Lani and Janis as your vocalists?

The Ye-Me-Le version...I dunno. They TOOK OUT all the B'66 funk in this one. And those singers (definitely NOT Lani and Karen) sound like they just popped some Quaaludes.

DITTO!! I really do like the Slow Hot Wind remix, it's sort of hypnotic.As for Ye-Me-Le, this particular version isn't lively enough.However, The Gimmicks have released some really nice covers of other brasil 66 songs. You can't blame this Swedish band for trying. It's so OBVIOUS that they were Brasil 66 fanatics themselves.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

According to the new issue of ICE magazine, Sergio's album comes out Sept. 27. They list the title as "Will I Am," although as we all know that's the name of his co-producer on the project. So I doubt that's the correct title.

You never know though. Johnny Cash released a series of albums named after his record company (American Recordings) and Yes put out an album named after its catalog number (90125) and Sergio once put out an album of Afro-Brasilian Folk Music (Primal Roots) so anything is possible.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

This from Bill Cantos, who just got back from the road with Sergio in Japan:

"Hello, A&M gang - the gigs at the Blue Notes went great - full houses two shows a night, 14 nights (seven in a row in Tokyo!!)

Good news for you all - the album (which is still called "Timeless", far as I know) is going to have a lot of cross-promotion, between Concord, the Starbucks people, and Universal (will's label). They're planning also to tie it all in to the 40th anniversay of Brasil '66. However, this brings me to the not-so-good news - the album's release date is now in JANUARY. I'm sure there'll be a single before that, although what and when that is, nobody knows yet. By the way, the album was mixed, mastered and finished, and then Will called Sergio to say he had more ideas for updating more songs and was still working on it! So it's not done after all....."

There you have it---
JTCW

 

[TulitaPepsi]

The ONLY way I'd feel better about this delay would be if Wills' ideas for "updating more songs" meant that this would turn into a double CD.

(Hey, why not just release the completed CD in September as originally planned, then release the "new ideas from Will" disc in January? I like that idea! No? Damn..well, it was a nice thought)

I know, I know...we've waited THIS long for something new from Sergio, what's a few months more gonna make. I just hope it comes out then and isn't pushed into SPRING.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

(Hey, why not just release the completed CD in September as originally planned, then release the "new ideas from Will" disc in January? I like that idea! No?

Actually that's not so far fetched. Many young artists of today do exactly that, adding a "hit single" to an already-released album about four or five months after it comes out. It's a ripoff for the fans though, making them buy the same album twice.

 

[Harry]

[Edit: Updated thread title based on the new information.]

Harry