The Sergio Mendes Band, from left: André de Santanna, bass; Kleber Jorge, guitar; Scott Mayo, Music Director plus saxophone, flute, vocals, keys; Katie Hampton, vocals; Gibi dos Santos, percussion; Gracinha Leporace, vocals; Jamieson Trotter, piano; and Leo Costa, drums. Photo by Valerie Pinkston
Originally published in Jersey Jazz Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the New Jersey Jazz Society
Sixty years ago, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (A&M Records) emerged as both a masterful artistic statement and a major commercial breakthrough album. The record helped introduce the sophisticated rhythms and cool elegance of Brazilian bossa nova and samba to a truly global audience, blending Brazilian musical traditions with American pop, jazz, and contemporary studio production and repertoire.
The album reached Number 7 on the Billboard 200 and became one of the defining crossover recordings of the 1960s. Featuring classics such as “Mas Que Nada” and “The Joker,” it remains a landmark recording that permanently expanded the international reach and cultural impact of Brazilian popular music."
Mendes passed away in September 2024 at the age of 83, but the music remains active and vibrant through the efforts of his widow and longtime musical partner, Gracinha Leporace. The Sergio Mendes Band will make New Jersey stops on June 11 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown and June 14 at Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood. Leporace reflected on the music, the band, and the extraordinary life she shared with Mendes.
“Sergio has always maintained a strong following in New York and New Jersey, and I think audiences will be happy to hear the repertoire they love -- the songs Sergio made famous and the music that have become part of the soundtrack of so many people’s lives,” she explained. “What makes this especially meaningful is that this is essentially the same band that performed with Sergio during the last 12 years of his career. Of course, we added a piano player in Jamieson Trotter, but otherwise the sound remains the same. Sergio used to call this ‘my best band ever,’ and he truly adored these musicians. Everyone in the group is a dear friend, and several members have been with us for 15 or even 20 years. The vocalist who sings with me, Katie Hampton, joined the band when she was just 20 years old, and she has now been part of the group for two decades. I think audiences will really connect with the fact that this is the band they came to know through Sergio over the years -- the sound, spirit, and musical chemistry are still very much intact.”
What made the breakthrough album so special? “Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 really started the entire phenomenon,” she said. “At the time, Brazilian music was only beginning to gain widespread international attention, and Sergio brought something that felt completely fresh and different. When he came to America, he found the perfect creative environment with Herb Alpert and A&M Records. That gave him the freedom to fully develop the concept he envisioned for the group.
“Up to that point, Sergio’s bands had primarily been instrumental. Choosing to feature vocalists as a central element of the ensemble was a major artistic decision. When he met Lani Hall and Bibi Vogel, he realized their voices could function almost like instruments within the arrangements. In many of the recordings, the singers perform largely in unison rather than traditional harmony -- a sound that became one of the band’s trademarks. While it sounds effortless, singing together in that way consistently is actually very difficult.
“What made the music so compelling was Sergio’s ability to bring Brazilian rhythm, color, and feeling to songs audiences already knew. Whether interpreting ‘Mas Que Nada,’ songs by The Beatles, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, and many others, he transformed familiar material into something completely new. The blend of Brazilian grooves with sophisticated pop songwriting immediately connected with listeners. ‘Mas Que Nada’ became groundbreaking as one of the first Portuguese-language songs to become a major international hit, even though many listeners did not understand the lyrics."
Leporace also emphasized Mendes' generosity and collaborative spirit. “Sergio was an incredible bandleader and an extraordinarily generous person musically,” she said. “What always stood out about him was that he cared deeply about presenting and highlighting the musicians around him. He made sure everyone in the band was recognized and had opportunities to shine. That spirit is one of the reasons this current project feels so natural, because audiences genuinely know and remember the people who performed with Sergio over the years.
“He wanted the other players to take solos and showcase their personalities. He took genuine joy in hearing everyone contribute, and that collaborative spirit became one of the defining characteristics of his music from the very beginning.”
What has it been like to perform the music without Sergio's presence? “Jamieson Trotter’s transition into Sergio’s role happened very organically. He had already worked with us several times through the years because we often used a second keyboardist. So, Jamieson was already familiar with the band’s sound, arrangements, repertoire, and overall musical approach. Sergio admired both his musicianship and his personality, and it was always a pleasure having him around. He fit seamlessly into the group because he already understood the music so deeply and had strong personal relationships with everyone in the band. He is an exceptionally talented musician and arranger, and he has done an incredible job carrying the music forward while preserving the spirit and sound that audiences associate with Sergio Mendes.”
Leoporace started with Sergio when she was 18 years old. "I came from Brazil at 18, but I actually began singing professionally when I was 17,” she recalled. “At the time, I was part of a vocal group in Brazil, and we regularly appeared on television programs. Music was everywhere on Brazilian TV then, so we had a small weekly feature where we performed several songs over the course of a few months.
“While I was with that group, we entered a major international song festival in Brazil and our group won the national competition. Beyond performing with the group, I also sang with several other musicians involved in the festival, and I ended up being recognized as the ‘revelation’ or breakout artist of the event. I was very young and still unsure whether I even wanted to pursue singing professionally, but after that experience I decided to continue.
“About a year later, Sergio returned to Brazil with Brasil ’66 and came to see a show I was doing with friends. Sergio loved the performance and invited all of us to America to record and tour with him. Everyone initially agreed, but at the last minute I was the only one who actually came.
“Once in the United States," she continued, "Sergio assembled a group of Brazilian musicians and called it Bossa Rio -- reviving the name of one of his earlier Brazilian bands from the early 1960s. We toured extensively with him for two years. Eventually, many of the musicians decided to return to Brazil around the same time that Lani Hall chose to leave Brasil ’66 to spend more time with Herb Alpert, whom she would later marry. Since I had already been touring with the group for two years and knew the entire repertoire, stepping into the band felt completely natural. By the end of 1970, I officially joined Sergio Mendes’ group.”
Eventually the musical partnership evolved into a romantic one. “Over the years, my relationship with Sergio naturally evolved. Sergio divorced in 1972, and, by that point, we were already extremely close. Eventually we married in 1974.
“Sergio had three children from his first marriage, and they became a very important part of our lives. I did not have children of my own until much later. Our first son was born in 1986, after Sergio and I had already been together for 12 years; and our second son was born in 1993. We built a wonderful life together, balancing family and music throughout the decades.
“One of the first things that struck me when I met Sergio," she said, "was the extraordinary number of genuine friendships he had. Today, with social media, people claim to have thousands of friends, but in those days friendship meant something very different. Sergio had close friends everywhere -- in Brazil, in the United States, across Europe -- and from every imaginable profession and walk of life. What amazed me most was that he maintained those friendships throughout his entire life. People were drawn to him because he was endlessly curious about life. He loved art, literature, food, wine, travel, conversation -- everything. "
Leporace especially wanted people to understand how funny Mendes could be offstage. “What I wish more people could have seen was just how funny he was. People always mention his beautiful smile and warm personality, and while he was thoughtful, intellectual, and widely read, he also had a tremendous sense of humor. We laughed together constantly until the very end.”
She then shared a story that perfectly captured his spontaneity and charm. “We were traveling by train from Paris to Bordeaux when Sergio decided he absolutely needed coffee before the train service started,” she laughed. “He stepped off the train to get some, and I went with him to grab a newspaper. Suddenly the train began leaving — with all of our luggage onboard, and Sergio was nowhere in sight. We ended up having to fly to Bordeaux just so we could arrive before the train continued on to Spain and recover all of our belongings. It became a very expensive cup of coffee.”
Still, for Leporace, moments like that became part of the joy of their life together. “I always say that when the laughter disappears from a relationship, usually the relationship itself is over,” she said. “Ours never lost that laughter. We laughed together until the last moment. I truly had a wonderful life with him. He was the love of my life.”
The Mayo Performing Arts Center is located at 100 South St. in Morristown, NJ. The Sergio Mendes Band concert begins at 7:30pm on Thursday, June 11. For more information or to order tickets, log onto mayoarts.org or call (973) 539-8008. The Bergen Performing Arts Center is located at 30 North Van Brunt St. in Englewood, NJ. The Sergio Mendes Band concert begins at 7:00pm on Sunday, June 14. For more information or to order tickets, log onto bergenpac.org or call (201) 816-8160.
The New Jersey Jazz Society is a non-profit organization of business and professional people, musicians, teachers, students and listeners working together for the purpose of advancing jazz music. Their mission is to promote and preserve America’s original art form – jazz. The Society seeks to ensure continuity of the jazz art form through its commitment to nurture and champion local talent, along with showcasing outstanding national and international artists providing for the younger generation via arts education programs.
