Sergio to play Hollywood Bowl - B'66 40th Anniversary Show!

[TulitaPepsi]

Sergio Mendes Confirmed To Play Hollywood Bowl
by Staff | 02.27.2006

Legendary Brazilian artist Sergio Mendes brought Brasil ‘66 to the U.S. 40 years ago, helping introduce Brazilian music to the American public. His new album Timeless (Concord Records/Starbucks Hear Music), released February 14, shoots up the charts for the second time entering the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at #44, selling over 27,000 copies in its first week. Copies are available at your local Starbucks.

Timeless is produced by and featuring will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, who with Mendes brought in today’s biggest acts (who are also fans of Mendes) to collaborate on the album. Artists include John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Black Thought of The Roots, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Jill Scott, Q-Tip, india.arie and the quintessential vocal lender, Justin Timberlake, among others. The collection includes a blend of Mendes’ Brazilian melodies and contemporary hip-hop sounds, creating an eclectic mash-up.

Mendes will play a special show celebrating the 40th anniversary of Brasil ‘66 at the Hollywood Bowl on June 25. Special guests from the Timeless will be on hand (artists TBA) to celebrate and perform songs from his legendary career.

http://www.filter-mag.com/news/interior.3029.html

I've got a better idea - Sergio should celebrate the 40th Anniverasry of Brasil '66 by also bringing back THE GIRLS who made the B'66 sound so TIMELESS - - Lani, Karen & Janis!

Respect your divas, Sergio!

 

[stefandaystrom]

Quick initial review:

For the first hour or so, it felt more like a Sergio Mendes & Brasil '86 20th Anniversay Show. IOTW, it was mostly post-Brasil '66 songs, and especially several from Timeless.

But that was actually good in a sense, because the Brasil '66 material was mostly held back for the next-the-last guests: Herb & Lani!

Lani sounded absolutely fabulous, and when she and Gracinha sang together it was a very magical blend, moreso than I've heard in recent versions of Brasil 9x/200x.

Herb accompanied on trumpet, but laid back. Still, very nice.

Lani sang 4 songs: One Note Samba, So Many Stars, The Look Of Love, and Fool On The Hill.

Though India.Arie and John Legend sounded good on Timeless material, it felt imperfectly blended into the show to me. Seeming to work better IMHO, despite seeming very out of place when Brasil 9x/200x tried it in previous years, was "Never Gonna Let You", with Dawn Bishop being a perfect match for Joe Pazelli.

Unfortunately, between several of the numbers from Timeless, plus one of the long opening acts (Marcelo D2), it was way too much rap for my taste. (I don't get the point of rap in a language I don't understand, and it didn't seem like very many of the attendees at the Hollywood Bowl understood Marcelo's rapping in Portuguese.) And the English language rap didn't seem to be anything special, except got cheers every time a rapper worked "Hollywood Bowl" or "Sergio" into the rap.

Now, how about if something good came of TImeless having so many of "today's" artists on it: Before ICE's demise, I used to constantly read in there about CD singles (especially overseas) having bonus tracks from live performances unavailable elsewhere. (They like to put a different bonus track in different territories to increase sales from fans who need to have every last track.) So I think it would be wonderful (if there's no better avenue for releasing it) for one or more of Lani''s live tracks (assuming they got good recordings) to be released as a bonus track on some future single from Timeless.

 

[TulitaPepsi]

It sounds like a good concert with one GREAT segment!

No Karen, huh? Guess those bridges are burned for good.

 

[stefandaystrom]

No Karen, huh? Guess those bridges are burned for good.

Well, I'm not sure to what degree it was "bridges" and to what degree it was "star power". Way more people know who Lani Hall is than any of the other original members. Besides, now Lani & Herb come as a kind of package. No such package to bring in Karen, I presume?

(The Hollywood Bowl is a large venue, and they noted that this was the first time they sold out for a KCRW World Festival, but it's the second time Sergio has been under that WF umbrella there, so that means this was the first time Sergio sold out there. I bet it was more the array of cross-appeal guest stars that sealed the sold out nature, and in turn the promise/hope of that is what helped return Sergio to the Bowl after being in smaller venues in the past couple years. Add the people who would come to any Sergio concert to the people who would come to any KCRW World Festival concert, to now the people who would come to any Q-Tip, India.Arie, John Legend concert, and those people who wouldn't go to ANY Sergio concert, given that there's about one of them a year here, but will go specifically to see Herb & Lani guest.)

What did the other original B '66 singers, including Karen, do after, and where are they now?

 

[Stephen Vakil]

Hi Stefan

Did you know that at least two other Cornerites were there - Steve Sidoruk (and his wife Andrea) and me! If only we'd known we could have met up............

I agree there was a little too much rap for my tastes - particularly at the beginning. I thought the four guitarists were great though.

But once the concert got into full swing! Wow! Wasn't Lani great? I'd never seen her perform before. Herb was on form too!

I'm glad they included some of the older material.

It was a really perfect night - it just toolk me half an hour to get out of the car park!

Stephen

 

[Yazmin_Salinas]

Lani sounded absolutely fabulous, and when she and Gracinha sang together it was a very magical blend, moreso than I've heard in recent versions of Brasil 9x/200x.

Lani sang 4 songs: One Note Samba, So Many Stars, The Look Of Love, and Fool On The Hill.

It's good to know that Lani's performance was fantastic!!!

 

[Greg Shannon]

The rap went on forever, the people immediately behind me evidently were unaware a show was going on, except for the fact that they had to talk louder to hear each other, and Herb only played brief accompaniement. Still, it was fantastic to see him, and Lani was incredible. Overall, it was a good show, but the rap was out of place.

Cheers,

Greg Shannon

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Here's a review of the concert from The Hollywood Reporter:

Sergio Mendes

By Craig Rosen

Sergio Mendes brought a little bit of Carnival, a taste of Las Vegas and the feel of an old '70s TV variety show to the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday night as the Brazilian music legend celebrated the 40th anniversary of his Brasil '66 combo with a little help from his friends.

The 90-minute set was the live equivalent of "Timeless," Mendes' multi-guest-artist album released by Concord in February, produced by Black Eyed Peas main man William Adams, aka Will.i.am. Despite Adams' heavy involvement in the project, he wasn't at the Bowl on Sunday because of touring commitments with the Peas. That was a shame, because his hip-hop combo's hyperactive antics would have provided a bit more life to a set that was uneven but did have its memorable moments.

Even before Mendes took the stage, the crowd was treated to a "Zelig"-like slideshow retrospective featuring the musician posing with everyone from George Burns and Bob Hope to Pele, Mick Jagger and Stevie Wonder, hinting at what was to come.

Wearing a black-and-white striped shirt that made him look like a referee, Mendes held court at a keyboard on the left side of the stage, leading his crack six-piece band and two singers (including his wife Gracinha Leporace) through the set and the cavalcade of guest stars. Former A Tribe Called Quest frontman Q-Tip's smooth rapping nicely updated "The Frog," originally recorded in 1968, two years before the rapper's birth. India.arie showed off her vocal chops on the title track "Timeless," and R&B balladeer John Legend put in an impressive turn on "Please Baby Don't."

But the set dragged when a couple of members of Mendes' own band took center stage to solo on percussion instruments. The momentum picked up with the appearance of Joe Pizzulo, who reprised his role on Mendes' biggest hit, the schmaltzy ballad "Never Gonna Let You Go," which inspired many in the crowd to wave their cell phones in the air.

The highlight of the show was an appearance by Mendes' cohort and former label boss, trumpeter Herb Alpert, the "A" in A&M Records, and his wife and former Brasil '66 vocalist Lani Hall, whose segment included sweetly nostalgic takes of Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love" and the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill."

Mendes' signature hit "Mas Que Nada" was given a "We Are the World"-like rendering, with most of the evening's guests returning to the stage. It was a moment so celebratory that the subsequent appearance of six sexy showgirls in Carnival garb seemed anti-climatic.

This kickoff of the Bowl's World Festival was a nearly three-hour celebration of Brazilian music, beginning with a brief but pleasant acoustic set by the Maogani Quartet. Second-billed hip-hop artist Marcelo D2 and his crew got the party started soon thereafter with a 45-minute set that managed to transcend any language barriers and moved much of the capacity crowd.

Capt. Bacardi

 

[bc4a&m]

Set lists!! Where are the set lists.....??

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

http://www.calendarlive.com/music/jazz/cl-et-mendes27jun27,0,415085.story?coll=cl-jazz

WORLD MUSIC REVIEW
Hollywood Bowl marks 40 years of Brasil '66
By Don Heckman
Special to The Times

June 27, 2006

It wouldn't really be a summer world music series at the Hollywood Bowl without at least one event dedicated to the music of Brazil. And the 2006 installment of KCRW-FM's World Festival got down to business Sunday night with a kickoff program dedicated to Sergio Mendes' 40th anniversary celebration of Brasil '66.

There have been numerous installments of that classic group over the past 40 years, but the essential elements remain the same: a pair of female singers performing for the most part in unison; Mendes' spirited keyboard work; and a surging, samba-tinged rhythm section rich with the percussion sounds of carnival.

Mendes didn't do much instrumentally to alter the winning formula on Sunday, with vocals from his wife, Gracinha Leporace, and Dawn Bishop, and invigorating rhythms from the band — especially guitarist Kleber Jorge and percussionist Meia Noite.

When Bishop was temporarily replaced by Lani Hall, one of the original Brasil '66 singers, and when her husband, Herb Alpert — whose A&M Records released the group's first albums — added his warm-toned trumpet to the ensemble, 40 years disappeared without a trace.

As he has done over the past few decades, Mendes continues his efforts to keep his band in touch with contemporary styles in the latest recording, "Timeless." And the balance of the show drew heavily from the CD's bossa-nova-meets-urban theme via guest performances by India.Arie ("Timeless"), John Legend ("Please Baby Don't"), Q-Tip ("The Frog") and Joe Pizzulo ("Never Gonna Let You Go").

But the updating was pushed to the point of negative return when rapper Krishna Booker's rhyming on "Mas Que Nada" — though humorous and well-intended — altered the spirit, the subtlety and the rhythm of the signature Brasil '66 song. The transformation wasn't surprising, however, since it was a live replica of the interpretation done by the Black Eyed Peas — on the new album.

Earlier in the show, the Brazilian rap group Marcelo D2 played a set that was almost completely devoid of Brazilian roots, rhyming in rhythm while using every mannerism and gesture of an American rap ensemble. Their abandonment of heritage was countered by a performance from the four guitarists of the Maogani Quartet that managed to be appealing without resorting to a single enhancement from American pop music.

 

[TulitaPepsi]

How were Lani & Herb introduced - and how did the audience react compared to the rap acts?

I'm hoping you'll say "standing thunderous applause and cheering" vs. "polite smatterings"!

 

[TulitaPepsi]

And how long was Herb & Lani's 'set'?

 

[Greg Shannon]

Herb & Lani were well received. There wasn't really a standing O, but the applause was noticeably louder and warmer than for the other special guests. In fact, my impression was that the audience overall wasn't interested in the rap, although clearly there was a segment of the audience that had come to see them. Sergio introduced Herb & Lani together after the conclusion of a song (it may have been Pretty World). Herb & Lani walked out on stage, Herb told an anecdote about how, after he had signed Brazil '66 and the TJB began touring with them, he cautioned his fellow TJB members not to fraternize with the women in Brazil '66. He said he was glad he hadn't followed his own advice. Lani sang about 4 songs, only a couple with Gracinha. Herb only stood in the background and played accompaniment. So there was very little Herb & Lani, but, as the comments above have noted, Lani was incredible.

 

[Dave]

Even with "The Place Where All This All Happened At", long gone, it's good to know that there is still a "Preserving The Sound", as well as the "Heritage"... The Heritage and the Legacy are still seemingly intact and God Bless those who were fortunate enough to journey out there, if not "live next door"...

Hardly the same clout as something with the acclaim as Elvis and anything '50's or even the Beatles ever got in terms of a "nostalgic journey", but good to know that it got "celebrated" or at least recognized and seemed to have gotten good reviews amongst a few "modern indulgences", [read: (C) rap] inserted...



Dave artyhat:

 

[stefandaystrom]

And how long was Herb & Lani's 'set'?

As I said in my original post above, 4 songs long!! Plus a minute or two of introduction by Sergio.

For more on the reaction: From where I was sitting (about the middle of the audience in every direction -- section G2), by far the biggest audience applause during Sergio introducing Herb & Lani came when Sergio said "Tijuana Brass" (I forget exactly what sentence that ended).

As for the rap's reception, several things to keep in mind: 1. The guest stars were heavily promoted, and undoubtedly SOME part of the audience was there more for them than for Sergio per se. And in particular, this was part of a World Festival night sponsored by (and thus promoted heavily by) KCRW, an NPR+music public radio station (which is IMHO too often more into playing what's "hip" than what's really good -- when those two are not quite the same -- on their shows such as their signature "Morning Becomes Eclectic". And you get better seats at this venue if you buy 5 or more nights of the season at once (single-performance tickets go on sale a month later!), so at this venue a larger than normal proportion of the audience is not there for THAT SPECIFIC show.

The host from KCRW said, before Marcelo D2's set, that a while back his girlfriend had brought a bunch of CDs back from Brasil, and that this one was the only one of them that caught his attention. That's so typical of KCRW, it reminds me why I listen to them so little despite "on paper" loving eclectic music radio.

My take on the reaction to Marcelo D2: Given that you were there (and thus had no choice of what to listen to), the reaction was IMHO good not because everyone wanted rap in Portuguese, but because Marcelo D2's DJ played some excellent (tho mostly American soul!) backing tracks. The audience (including some people 50++ next to me) was getting more into the backing tracks that the DJ was spinning behind the rap than the rap itself, IMHO. But I found that not to be redeeming personally, because I recognized too much of the backing music, and felt it was no better -- and in a way much worse -- than if they'd simply let the original music play by itself with no rap and no other "live remix" attempts!