Sergio Mendes: Vintage 05? You bet!! Especially last evening at the Lincoln Center in beautiful Napa Valley, California.
The festivities opened with conductor Mike Luke directing the Napa Valley Symphony in four beautiful arrangements ranging from Leonard Bernstein's "Overture to Candide" and George Gershwin's "Promenade." They closed the first portion of the program with the overture from "West Side Story." Astounding!!
Following a brief intermission, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '05 took to the stage for an amazing, powerful hour of Brasilian beats. His vocalists, the lovely Gracinha Leporace, Jessica Taylor and Dawn Bishop sailed through the performance with ease, their voices a perfect blend of harmony. Sergio was lively and animated, often laughing or exchanging comments with Michael Shapiro on drums. The two have worked together for years; their chemistry is nothing short of infectious. The newest member of his band, the talented Bill Cantos, was the perfect companion to Sergio on keys. Bassist Leonardo Nobre and Guitarist Kleber Jorge played beautifully, providing acoustic accompaniment to Michael on drums and Meio Noite on percussion -- a tight, well-balanced blending of sounds.
The show opened with "Lua Soberana," "Pretty World" and "Roda." Sergio welcomed everyone, then swung into "The good old days" with "Desafinado." Gracinha and Jessica sung a fun, upbeat version of "The Waters Of March." The beautiful Jessica Taylor then took the spotlight with an entrancing solo version of "Dindi." Dawn Bishop followed with an orchestrated, Jazz-influenced version of "So Many Stars" that was nothing short of astounding.
"The Look Of Love" and "Fool On The Hill," which are usually performed toward the end of his shows, made their appearance in the form of a medley prior to the explosive percussion segment. Speaking of percussion, this portion of the show opened with a beautiful moog solo by Bill Cantos. Suddenly, the stage came alive and the girls swung into "A Felicidade," "Zanzibar" and a medley of familiar Brasilian chants. Shortly thereafter, Meio Noite and Michael Shapiro took turns amazing the audience with an incredible percussion segment -- very musical and entertaining.
Following this, Gracinha appeared in a different outfit. The stage darkened, she appeared in a single spotlight and broke into a beautiful, heartfelt version of "Anos Dourados." Awe inspiring to say the least. Jessica and Dawn, who also appeared in different costumes, reappeared to break into an heart-pounding version of "Ponteio," followed by a medley of "Viramundo" and "Magalenha." The show closed with Sergio's trademark "Mas Que Nada."
At this point, everyone in the theater was on their feet, clapping and singing along. The entire venue came alive -- the band swung into high gear, encouraging the audience to dance along. It was Carnival all over again, the feeling of Brasil permeating every corner of the theater. The standing ovation which followed brought the band back for "Voce Abusou" and "Tristeza." With that, Sergio thanked everyone for coming, bowed, introduced the Napa Symphony and closed with a happy, "That's it!!" A wonderful evening all the way around the board.
Mrs. Mendes (Gracinha Leporace), was kind enough to provide me and my guests (two other Mendes fans -- my best friend, Pete Blaz, and Jim Finigan -- "Boy Viramundo" here at the Corner, who came down from Oregon) with backstage passes. It was great to see and speak with everyone and Gracinha could not have been a more gracious hostess. She was pleased to hear that the three of them harmonized so well on stage. "I'm glad to hear that," she told us. "We can't hear each other when we're singing on stage, so it's great to hear that we are in balance from an audience point of view." She amused us with stories of how Bonnie Bowden had come to join the group and the fun they had working together. "Imagine," she laughed, "Here I am, a girl from Brasil. Then there's Bonnie, a girl from the South. And yet, it just worked. It clicked. We were the perfect combination -- just what Sergio was looking for at the time."
Gracinha is one of the loveliest, most down-to-earth talents I've had the pleasure to know. Jessica and Dawn are just as sweet. I was pleased to discover that Brasil '05 will make an appearance the last Saturday of April at Flint Center here in San Jose...you can well bet I'll be there!!
All in all, last night was a treat for all. Then again, being the talented band leader he is, Sergio and Company always put on a good show. For any and all who might be able to attend the San Jose performance, I encourage you to do so. You'll come away with a beat in your step and a smile in your heart.
Jon
The festivities opened with conductor Mike Luke directing the Napa Valley Symphony in four beautiful arrangements ranging from Leonard Bernstein's "Overture to Candide" and George Gershwin's "Promenade." They closed the first portion of the program with the overture from "West Side Story." Astounding!!
Following a brief intermission, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '05 took to the stage for an amazing, powerful hour of Brasilian beats. His vocalists, the lovely Gracinha Leporace, Jessica Taylor and Dawn Bishop sailed through the performance with ease, their voices a perfect blend of harmony. Sergio was lively and animated, often laughing or exchanging comments with Michael Shapiro on drums. The two have worked together for years; their chemistry is nothing short of infectious. The newest member of his band, the talented Bill Cantos, was the perfect companion to Sergio on keys. Bassist Leonardo Nobre and Guitarist Kleber Jorge played beautifully, providing acoustic accompaniment to Michael on drums and Meio Noite on percussion -- a tight, well-balanced blending of sounds.
The show opened with "Lua Soberana," "Pretty World" and "Roda." Sergio welcomed everyone, then swung into "The good old days" with "Desafinado." Gracinha and Jessica sung a fun, upbeat version of "The Waters Of March." The beautiful Jessica Taylor then took the spotlight with an entrancing solo version of "Dindi." Dawn Bishop followed with an orchestrated, Jazz-influenced version of "So Many Stars" that was nothing short of astounding.
"The Look Of Love" and "Fool On The Hill," which are usually performed toward the end of his shows, made their appearance in the form of a medley prior to the explosive percussion segment. Speaking of percussion, this portion of the show opened with a beautiful moog solo by Bill Cantos. Suddenly, the stage came alive and the girls swung into "A Felicidade," "Zanzibar" and a medley of familiar Brasilian chants. Shortly thereafter, Meio Noite and Michael Shapiro took turns amazing the audience with an incredible percussion segment -- very musical and entertaining.
Following this, Gracinha appeared in a different outfit. The stage darkened, she appeared in a single spotlight and broke into a beautiful, heartfelt version of "Anos Dourados." Awe inspiring to say the least. Jessica and Dawn, who also appeared in different costumes, reappeared to break into an heart-pounding version of "Ponteio," followed by a medley of "Viramundo" and "Magalenha." The show closed with Sergio's trademark "Mas Que Nada."
At this point, everyone in the theater was on their feet, clapping and singing along. The entire venue came alive -- the band swung into high gear, encouraging the audience to dance along. It was Carnival all over again, the feeling of Brasil permeating every corner of the theater. The standing ovation which followed brought the band back for "Voce Abusou" and "Tristeza." With that, Sergio thanked everyone for coming, bowed, introduced the Napa Symphony and closed with a happy, "That's it!!" A wonderful evening all the way around the board.
Mrs. Mendes (Gracinha Leporace), was kind enough to provide me and my guests (two other Mendes fans -- my best friend, Pete Blaz, and Jim Finigan -- "Boy Viramundo" here at the Corner, who came down from Oregon) with backstage passes. It was great to see and speak with everyone and Gracinha could not have been a more gracious hostess. She was pleased to hear that the three of them harmonized so well on stage. "I'm glad to hear that," she told us. "We can't hear each other when we're singing on stage, so it's great to hear that we are in balance from an audience point of view." She amused us with stories of how Bonnie Bowden had come to join the group and the fun they had working together. "Imagine," she laughed, "Here I am, a girl from Brasil. Then there's Bonnie, a girl from the South. And yet, it just worked. It clicked. We were the perfect combination -- just what Sergio was looking for at the time."
Gracinha is one of the loveliest, most down-to-earth talents I've had the pleasure to know. Jessica and Dawn are just as sweet. I was pleased to discover that Brasil '05 will make an appearance the last Saturday of April at Flint Center here in San Jose...you can well bet I'll be there!!
All in all, last night was a treat for all. Then again, being the talented band leader he is, Sergio and Company always put on a good show. For any and all who might be able to attend the San Jose performance, I encourage you to do so. You'll come away with a beat in your step and a smile in your heart.
Jon