The Best Of Sérgio Mendes

Sérgio Mendes was born in Niterói, Brazil, where his father was a doctor. He went to a music school to learn piano, hoping to become a classical pianist. However, he got interested in jazz and started playing in clubs in the late 1950s, when bossa nova, a mix of jazz and samba, was becoming popular. Mendes played with famous musicians like Antônio Carlos Jobim and American jazz players visiting Brazil. He formed a group called Sexteto Bossa Rio and made an album called "Dance Moderno" in 1961. Later, he traveled to Europe and the United States, making records with well-known artists and performing at big venues like Carnegie Hall. Mendes moved to the U.S. in 1964 and made two albums with Capitol Records and Atlantic Records under the name Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65.