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Sergio Mendes, Brazilian Bossa Nova Music Innovator, Dies at 83


Sergio Mendes, the innovative and influential pianist, composer and arranger who was one of Brazil’s earliest contemporary crossover artists, has died.

Sergio Mendes, the innovative and influential pianist, composer and arranger who was one of Brazil’s earliest contemporary crossover artists, died Friday in Los Angeles, his family has confirmed. For decades, Mendes defined how American audiences heard and digested Brazilian music, first as part of influential bossa nova guitarist-composer’s Antônio Carlos Jobim’s band, then with his own Brasil ’66. With his delicate feel for samba, jazz and the cosmopolitan pop of contemporary (and A&M Records labelmate Burt Bacharach), Mendes created a battery of hits such as “Goin’ Out of My Head” ad covers of the Beatles’ ”Fool on the Hill” and “Mas que Nada.”

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Sergio Mendes dead at 83: Brazilian musician worked with John Legend, helped create a 007 song and was Oscar nominated for Real In Rio