I was checking out the statistics for this blog tonight and saw that I had one or more visitors from Brazil. By free association, that reminded me of hours of my early youth listening to my older brother and sister play Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66.
Thinking about that music evokes so many memories and emotions. I can hear the song “Look Around” and the Brasil ’66 version of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David hit “Look of Love” in my head as if they were playing on my stereo in the next room. (And yes, I have a stereo.)
I know Brasil ’66 was just one aspect of the storied career of Mr. Mendes, whose died from COVID in 2024 at the age of 83. But the Brasil ’66 albums are the works of his that I remember and that can transport me back to a different place and time.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to the genius of that music, give yourself a present and give it a try. For sheer listenability (is that a word?) Brasil ’66, especially the 1968 album “Look Around,” is hard to beat. (The first Brasil ’66 album, “Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66,” also is awesome and includes a great version of “Goin’ Out of My Head,” among other notables.)