SOFTLY album

[Aqua do Brasil]

Dear Forum members,

Is anynone aware of the fact that Sergio played piano on the SOFTLY album by Wanda De Sah -- aka Wanda Sa the wife of EDU LOBO and a singer with Sergio Mendes before his Brasil’66 days!
A Capitol release now on CD from the Brasil 65 period! available at Dustygroove.com

A lost bossa classic with the Brasil 65 group and backed by a large orchestra with arrangments by Jack Marshall.
Amongst others, titles include Aqua de beber "The Dreamer", and a great version of "Aruanda".

Highly recommended for all who like to complete their Sergio Mendes recorded material.

All the best,
Aqua do Brasil

 

[JMK]

Aqua, where did you get this info? I don't think Sergio is on "Softly" at all--he was still a Capitol artist at that time and certainly would have been credited. Neither the original LP nor the CD rerelease has any info saying he's on it. Plus, the whole "sound" behind Wanda (by Jack Marshall) doesn't strike me as "Sergio-esque." I could be wrong, though--interested to hear what source you have for this info.

 

[Aqua do Brasil]

Aqua, where did you get this info? I don't think Sergio is on "Softly" at all--he was still a Capitol artist at that time and certainly would have been credited. Neither the original LP nor the CD rerelease has any info saying he's on it. Plus, the whole "sound" behind Wanda (by Jack Marshall) doesn't strike me as "Sergio-esque." I could be wrong, though--interested to hear what source you have for this info.

Dear JMK,

I got the info from the liner notes at the reissued CD release of WANDA VAGAMENTE, her 1964 bossa nova album by WANDAH DE SAH (aka Wanda Sà) recorded in Rio de Janeiro. (Dubas Musica reissue courtesy of Som Livre)

The Vagamente LP release has an original 12 track-list, but the CD release
from 2001 is added with three bonus tracks recorded in the United States.

The bonus tracks are:
1•SO NICE (Samba de verão).
2•QUIET NIGHT OF QUIET STARS (Corcovado).
3• TO SAY GOODBYE (Pra dizer adeus).

The personnel list on SO NICE is:
Sergio Mendes: piano Sebastão Neto: bass Rosinha de Valenca: guitar, Chico Batera: drums and Bud Shank: alto-sax.
Produced in 1965 by David Kavanaugh from the album Brasil ’65 (Capitol records)

On QUIET NIGHT OF QUIET STARS;
Sergio Mendes: piano Sebastão Neto: bass, Rosinha de Valenca: guitar, Chico Batera: drums. Arranged and conducted by Jack Marshall.
Produced in 1965 by David Kavanaugh from the album Softly (Capitol records).

There is even one small black and white photograph of a session of the whole group in the Capitol recording studios (at Hollywood and Vine street in LA) with Bud Shank included in the layout of the innercover.

On TO SAY GOODBYE (Pra dizer adeus) the personnel is: Paul Desmond: alto-sax, Ron Carter: bass, Durval Ferreira: guitar, Airto Moreira: drums. arranged by Don Sebesky. Produced in 1969 by Creed Taylor from the album From the hot afternoon (A&M/verve)

Marketingwise it was Wanda who was the star at the time, its was Wanda de Sah with The Sergio Mendes trio and Rosinha de Valenca.
Wanda’s photo on the original Brasil ’65 cover is bigger than Sergio’s Trio photo.

A quote from Wanda in the liner notes:

‘I went there with Sergio Mendes, to perform only at Universities. But in each town we made presentations for producers, and in on one of them, in LA, David Cavanaugh, Capitols producer, stormed into the dressing room saying he wanted to contract me. And so we did two albums together.’

I hope this was helpfull for you.

All the best,
Aqua do Brasil

 

[JMK]

Aqua, I have the Vagamente release as well--what you may not have realized is the tracks you cite above were BONUS tracks from OTHER sessions--the first two are from the Brasil '65 sessions, hence Brasil '65 is backing Wanda. The last one is from Desmond's "From the Hot Afternoon" CTi release. I'm pretty near certain Sergio is NOT on "Softly." (For some reason I can't find my "Softly" CD right now to listen to Corcovado, but I'll bet if it is Brasil '65, it came from the Brasil '65 sessions and simply didn't make it onto the Brasil '65 release).

 

[JMK]

I would also quibble--nothing major, mind you -- about Wanda being the "real" star of Brasil '65. While it's true Sergio has never shied from exploiting the sex appeal angle of having a gorgeous lead singer, the fact is Sergio had been in the US since 1962, had appeared on several albums and had toured extensively for years all across the nation. While he was not yet the "household name" he would become after hooking up with A&M, I'll bet you if you had quizzed the rank-and-file jazz fan back in those days, at least some would have been able to identify Sergio, while most (if not all) would have said "Huh?" if you had asked who Wanda was. In terms of the Capitol album, it's actually "Brasil '65" followed by Wanda's name, then The Sergio Mendes Trio. I know for a fact it was Sergio who was the "main" signee (as he would be again at A&M--he had the "subcontracts" with the bandmembers), though, as you correctly point out, Capitol *later* (i.e., after Sergio was signed) signed Wanda to a separate deal. In terms of the sizes of the pics, I think that was a pure marketing decision--I mean, what LP would you have been more likely to buy: one with Sergio's glowering face, or one with Wanda's?

 

[Harry]

Curiously Amazon has the SOFTLY album as a high-priced import - under both Wanda Sá, and at a dollar cheaper under Wanda de Sah.

At $40+, it's a bit steep for a blind buy.

Harry
NP: radio at work

 

[JMK]

It's a very nice album, but you can find it a lot cheaper than that--I think I got mine from Dusty for $13.99.

 

[JMK]

Found it!! (Like an idiot, I had taken it out yesterday to listen after Aqua's first post). All I can say is, it could very well be Brasil '65 on Corcovado, though the rhythm section is mixed WAY WAY WAY back behind some strangely low strings (you think Grusin interferes with the vocals--Wanda is almost a tenor , and Jack Marshall has violas and cellos right down in her range--no high strings at all). The piano is minimal, to say the least--I can't definitively say it is or isn't Sergio.