Blue Note Jazz Festival: Sergio Mendes

Any doubt I had about seeing Sergio Mendes at B.B. King Blues Club over the last-minute lineup of Brad Mehldau and Christian McBride at Blue Note evaporated as the ensemble sambaed through classics from Tom Jobim, Dorival Caymmi, Baden Powell, Gilberto Gil, and Chico Buarque. A pop concert for the masses who lived through the bossa nova craze of the 60’s, the row of singers sparkling in sequins and artificial fog in addition to the music spoke louder than the monstrous plate of pit smoked meat nachos in my face. It channeled the energy of the venue Canecão in Rio, where I once saw the MPB star Simone sing, and brought a piece of Brazil to the heart of Times Square.

The audience could hardly contain themselves. In fact, one lady in the front kept getting up to dance, doing what we all wished we could do. It was almost like an involuntary reaction to the infectious joy that spread throughout the room and when given permission, the crowd eagerly rose to their feet for the hit Brasil ‘66 single “Mas Que Nada” and moved along to the rhythm, despite the limited space between tables.

The group came back on stage for not one, but two encores, and Sergio Mendes even signed a CD a fan handed him before walking off the stage for the final time. More than the fact that I actually wanted to hear encores after an hour of music, I was struck by the generosity of Mendes and his band.

Joining the 9-piece ensemble was a rapper from Oakland wearing a tee that read “Hello New York.” It may be a ploy to appear modern and edgy, but the timeless music didn’t benefit from his rap-singing and beatboxing and I don’t think anyone was there to see him. Still, his name was H2O and you can’t have JAZZ TOILET without H2O. Aside from him, there was another toilet reference gracing the stage. One of the backup singers, Katie Hampton, is known for having sung a Fresh Step cat litter jingle.

The women’s room hadn’t changed noticeably since our last review and had the same colorful floor tiles I admire. My friend Luciana from Minas Gerais in Brazil reviews the phrase “Where’s the restroom?” in Portuguese with us. It should come in useful if you’ll be at the World Cup kicking off this week in São Paulo.

Onde é o banheiro?