Sérgio Mendes, who has died aged 83 after suffering from the effects of long Covid, was one of the most successful Brazilian artists of all time. A pianist, songwriter, arranger and bandleader, he enjoyed a lengthy career that began in the bossa nova boom of the early 1960s and continued for six decades – long after the bossa craze was over.
His success was based on his skill in matching Brazilian songs and rhythms against different western styles, from jazz and rock to funk and hip hop. In the 60s he recorded with the American jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and then notched up hits with covers of songs by the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel.
