On his newest recording Encanto (Enchantment,) Brazilian music legend Sergio Mendes once again spins his remarkable magic, some of the most beautifully realized in his unparalleled career. "Every time I make a new record it's a new adventure" explains the affable Mendes. "My main motivation is to record wonderful songs and in the process enjoy sharing with the world the diversity of Brazilian music- both in terms of rhythm and melody". Mendes was still living in Brazil during the momentous era between the late '50s and the early '60s, when the samba-based bossa nova was born. In fact, he was one of the first practitioners of the new genre, together with composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, guitarist Joao Gilberto and lyricist Vinicius de Moraes.
"There's sensuality to Brazilian Music, a pure kind of sentiment" he concludes. "The melodies are catchy, the rhythms are intoxicating, the songwriting is peerless and the harmonies are beautiful. There's freshness to that sound that simple refuses to go away." 'Encanto' is a beautiful Portuguese word that I chose as the album-title because it describes the whole project so well. It means 'Enchantment', 'Delight', 'Charm'..."
