📣 News Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 LIVE IN JAPAN

Harry

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Staff member
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I'm informed by Sleepy Night Records that the new release of SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL '77 LIVE IN JAPAN is imminent. The CDs have gone to press. Here is the front cover and rear track list artwork:
LiveJapanCDFront.jpg
LiveJapanCDRear.jpg

Ordering details forthcoming.
 
Wow, I don't think I ever saw a "Live" Sergio recording that didn't end up with "Mas Que Nada." This will be interesting to hear.

A mostly unrelated, but strangely coincidental, side note: I noticed that the second song here is "One Note Samba/Spanish Flea." When we saw Herb and Lani last fall, they used that combo for their second number as well!
 
Was this originally released on the MFP (Music For Pleasure) label in England. I have the Bacharach live LP.
 
I only have the MFP version of the Greek Theater recording, which I was thrilled to get years ago, but I don't think I've seen this particular one on MFP. That said, this is out on an almost bewildering number of different albums, some with different track lists/orders, I've collected through the years. There's a quad mix I have on LP, and also a 2LP release that has several more songs than are listed above. Sergio has just a tiny slip o' the fingers on that Fm7 opening of Love Music.
 
this is out on an almost bewildering number of different albums,

You got that right! It seemed to be released a bunch of times by CBS/Epic/Sony under various titles. I originally thought these were all different concerts, but...

a tiny slip o' the fingers on that Fm7 opening of Love Music.

...was the giveaway that these were all the same concert.

It'll be nice to finally add this one to the CD collection officially.
 
THIS JUST IN FROM SLEEPY NIGHT RECORDS:

SPECIAL FOR AMCORNER MEMBERS - THIS WEEKEND ONLY

The Sergio CD will not be released for another few months but this weekend we are putting it up for sale just for the A&M corner fans, here is the link:

Sergio Mendes & Brasil 77 Live In Japan

Also use this code : AMCORNER to get 15%OFF

Just for this weekend only!

SergioCover.jpgJewel-case-back-INLAY-4-0 (2).jpg
 
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Just got my copy. I have to say, this lineup of Sergio’s group does nothing for me. It just doesn’t have the magic of the original Brasil 66. It’s also too polished and sterile sounding. In my opinion, Bonnie is technically a very good singer, but has no personality whatsoever. Why didn’t Sergio let Gracinha sing more? She’s much more captivating.
 
I took another listen this morning, and I liked it much better than I did initially. It is not nearly as glossy as later Brasil '77 concerts. It's funny to hear Mas Oue Nada as the opening number instead of its usual present placement as the closer where the musicians and vocalists are introduced - Here, as in some other Brasil '77 concerts, it's The Look of Love that closes the show.

There are two gems here that IMHO are as good as anything Brasil '66, both with refreshingly simple arrangements devoid of electronic 'sweetening' :

1) "Wave" with Gracinha and Bonnie. Interesting that this is the slow, sparse "Bossa Rio" version and not the brisk (and less effective) B'66 arrangement on HAP (which to my knowledge, B'66 never performed in concert). Sergio gets a lovely extended solo in the middle.

2) "Like a Lover (O Cantador)" with Gracinha and Sergio taking the Portuguese lyrics and Bonnie the English ones (I don't recall B'66 performing this bilingual version live). Perfect simplicity, with Gracinha in especially lovely and haunting voice and a nice piano solo from Sergio.

I would love for Sergio to ditch the automatic overproduction and rap of his recent concerts in favor of an 'unplugged' concert and album like these or in the super-tight B'66 appearances with Lani and Karen from French TV. The YouTube links for those were posted here awhile ago, and they are my favorite filmed record of B'66.
 
I would love for Sergio to ditch the automatic overproduction and rap of his recent concerts in favor of an 'unplugged' concert and album like these
I second that. My favorite era of Sergio's is the pre-Brasil '66 recordings with the first half dozen Brasil 66 albums.
 
I second that. My favorite era of Sergio's is the pre-Brasil '66 recordings with the first half dozen Brasil 66 albums.
I Third That his pre Brasil 66 recordings and everything from Brasil 66 until Oceano from 1996 all together are in my opinion the best Eras ( at least I enjoy them more than his more recent rap ish hip hop ish stuff
 
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