Saturday, 06/09/07
Brazilian melodies, rhythms captivate Schermerhorn audience
Sergio Mendes' 'musical journey' mostly successful
By JONATHAN MARX
Staff Writer
When Sergio Mendes took the stage of Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Friday evening, he promised to take the audience on “a musical journey,” and for the next two hours he did just that. Though best known for officiating the happy marriage between bossa nova and American pop music in the group Brasil 66, Mendes has wound through different styles in his career, and at some point in the evening, all were on display as he and his nine-piece band closed out the final night of the Target World Music Festival.
In many ways, it was an enjoyable introductory course in Brazilian music, with Mendes and his group running through classics like “Garota de Ipanema” (“The Girl From Ipanema”) and “Aguas de Março” (“Waters of March”). Singing in unison, lead vocalists Gracinha Leporace (Mendes’ wife) and Dawn Bishop effectively nailed the trademark Brasil 66 sound, their bodies swaying with ease to the rhythms provided by a drummer and three percussionists.
For all of Mendes’ popular successes, represented here by renditions of Burt Bacharach’s “The Look of Love” and The Beatles “Fool on the Hill,” many of the evening’s most enjoyable moments came during those moments when he dug deep enough into his discography to pull out lesser-known numbers like Dorival Caymmi’s “Milagre,” with its emphatic vocal lines, and the relentlessly melodic “Pretty World,” an English-language version of the 1960s Brazilian hit “Sá Marina.”
In most respects, it would have been a lovely evening, but for the fact that the resonant acoustics of Laura Turner Concert Hall — which was built specifically to showcase classical ensembles — threatened to swallow up the music. A room this carefully designed can’t adapt to every musical setting, and the battery of percussionists, along with guitar, bass and keyboards, proved too much at times. But whenever a few of those instruments peeled away, suddenly the vocals would emerge, revealing Bishop in particular to be possessed of a strong voice.
A extended section showcasing Mendes’ percussionists proved one of the most energetic and entertaining moments of the evening. As the group launched into “Berimbau” and Caymmi’s hypnotic “Promessa de Pescador,” the songs segued into a medley of demonstrations, with various band members stepping forward to play instruments like the pandeiro and the cuica, the latter of which has an uncanny ability to mimic the human voice. (It’s that high-pitched, squeaky sound that can be heard on countless Brazilian records.)
Mendes started out as a jazz pianist, and at various points his playing had a flair that betrayed his background listening to greats like Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. More recently, however, Mendes has embarked on a series of hip-hop/bossa nova collaborations, which he was able to replicate live at the symphony center, courtesy of rapper Krishna Booker. The results were mixed at best, as the group practically hammered Antonio Carlos Jobim’s lightly fluttering instrumental “Surfboard” into the ground with thudding rhythms and rhymes.
The whole ensemble fared much better with the evening-closing “Mais Que Nada,” a song so irresistible and so joyous that it got the entire audience on its feet, dancing and singing along.
Tenessean.com
http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070609/ENTERTAINMENT05/70609001
Brazilian melodies, rhythms captivate Schermerhorn audience
Sergio Mendes' 'musical journey' mostly successful
By JONATHAN MARX
Staff Writer
When Sergio Mendes took the stage of Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Friday evening, he promised to take the audience on “a musical journey,” and for the next two hours he did just that. Though best known for officiating the happy marriage between bossa nova and American pop music in the group Brasil 66, Mendes has wound through different styles in his career, and at some point in the evening, all were on display as he and his nine-piece band closed out the final night of the Target World Music Festival.
In many ways, it was an enjoyable introductory course in Brazilian music, with Mendes and his group running through classics like “Garota de Ipanema” (“The Girl From Ipanema”) and “Aguas de Março” (“Waters of March”). Singing in unison, lead vocalists Gracinha Leporace (Mendes’ wife) and Dawn Bishop effectively nailed the trademark Brasil 66 sound, their bodies swaying with ease to the rhythms provided by a drummer and three percussionists.
For all of Mendes’ popular successes, represented here by renditions of Burt Bacharach’s “The Look of Love” and The Beatles “Fool on the Hill,” many of the evening’s most enjoyable moments came during those moments when he dug deep enough into his discography to pull out lesser-known numbers like Dorival Caymmi’s “Milagre,” with its emphatic vocal lines, and the relentlessly melodic “Pretty World,” an English-language version of the 1960s Brazilian hit “Sá Marina.”
In most respects, it would have been a lovely evening, but for the fact that the resonant acoustics of Laura Turner Concert Hall — which was built specifically to showcase classical ensembles — threatened to swallow up the music. A room this carefully designed can’t adapt to every musical setting, and the battery of percussionists, along with guitar, bass and keyboards, proved too much at times. But whenever a few of those instruments peeled away, suddenly the vocals would emerge, revealing Bishop in particular to be possessed of a strong voice.
A extended section showcasing Mendes’ percussionists proved one of the most energetic and entertaining moments of the evening. As the group launched into “Berimbau” and Caymmi’s hypnotic “Promessa de Pescador,” the songs segued into a medley of demonstrations, with various band members stepping forward to play instruments like the pandeiro and the cuica, the latter of which has an uncanny ability to mimic the human voice. (It’s that high-pitched, squeaky sound that can be heard on countless Brazilian records.)
Mendes started out as a jazz pianist, and at various points his playing had a flair that betrayed his background listening to greats like Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. More recently, however, Mendes has embarked on a series of hip-hop/bossa nova collaborations, which he was able to replicate live at the symphony center, courtesy of rapper Krishna Booker. The results were mixed at best, as the group practically hammered Antonio Carlos Jobim’s lightly fluttering instrumental “Surfboard” into the ground with thudding rhythms and rhymes.
The whole ensemble fared much better with the evening-closing “Mais Que Nada,” a song so irresistible and so joyous that it got the entire audience on its feet, dancing and singing along.
Tenessean.com
http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070609/ENTERTAINMENT05/70609001
