SERGIO MENDES’ Encanto Debuts As The #1 Contemporary Jazz Album In The Country

“Mendes is still in the throes of a love affair with perhaps his country’s most important export…There are few musicians as gifted as pianist-arranger Mendes in creating fusions that resonate with popular taste and retain a high level of artistry… Mendes is back with ‘Encanto (Enchantment),’ another creative and contemporary reworking of the classics of Brazilian popular music…Mendes delves deeper into the canon, resurrecting such tunes as “Waters of March,” “Agua de Beber” and Burt Bacharach’s bossa foray “The Look of Love.”… Mendes turns some of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s lesser-known gems – “Dreamer” and “Lugar Comum” – into entirely new delights…The album’s most memorable track, and strongest hit single, is Fergie’s house-ish treatment of “The Look of Love,”…But Carlinhos Brown’s “Odo-Ya,” along with “Funky Bahia,” importantly casts a spotlight on Brazil’s northeastern region and its rootsier, percussion-oriented samba.” –NEWSDAY (Sunday, 6/15)

On The Strength Of Early Critical Praise And High Visibility At Starbucks Stores Across The Country, The Brazilian Legend’s Quintessential Summer Album Will Bow At #1 On Billboard’s “Top Contemporary Jazz” Chart

“Legendary musician Sergio Mendes [releases] a new album of samba-style classics and new funk —Following the success of his 2006 album ‘Timeless’, Mendes [returns with] an even fresher sound.” – Associated Press

“modern Brazilian jazz-fusion with an array of excellent musicians…

Fergie, doing ‘The Look of Love’ is [a] career highlight”- All Music

“Encanto gives us the best of both hemispheres.”- Village Voice

“4 ½ Stars… an album that features one terrific international artist after another.”- About.com

“Encanto is a true meeting of the cool-cat minds…the LP hits enviable high-water marks” –cnet

“Music as sunny, colorful and sexy as the album cover… overflowing with happy, richly arranged tunes that will enlighten your summer” – La Onda Tropical

“the Brazilian legend teams with another lineup of superb guests, and the results are transcendent… ‘Encanto’ sparkles with samba rhythms spiced with hip-hop grooves and shimmery pop melodies.” – Performing Songwriter

Look For Sergio Mendes To Launch A String Of Summer Concert Dates This Week, Highlighted By A Return Headlining Appearance At Carnegie Hall For The JVC Jazz Festival

Jun 20 – Atlantic City, NJ – House of Blues                   Jun 25 – Somerville, MA – Somerville Theatre

Jun 21 – New York, NY – Carnegie Hall                      Jun 27 – Syracuse, NY – Syracuse Jazz Festival

Jun 22 – Bridgeport, CT – Klein Memorial Auditorium Jun 28 – Toronto, ON – Music Hall

Jun 23 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live                 Jul 01 – Vienna, VA – The Filene Center

See The Video For First Single Funky Bahia At: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pTHNH6VSmCk

Or See Press EPK & More At: http://sergiomendesmusic.com/

• Trend Toward Smaller Families in Latin America – The number of people per household in Latin America will fall by 18 percent by 2020, according to a study released in this capital Tuesday by consulting firm Euromonitor International.
• Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon dropped nearly 46 percent from August 2008 to July 2009 — the biggest annual decline in two decades
• Audi expects to see growth in Mexico, Brazil and other key markets this year despite the global crisis.
• A severe storm has been blamed for widespread power cuts in Brazil which lasted more than five hours, the government said.
• Brazil emerged early Wednesday from a widespread power outage that plunged its major cities into darkness for hours – affecting millions of people
• Members of a Guatemalan family living in Marin County are now separated by thousands of miles after immigration officials deported the parents of three children overnight. – California
• Mexico’s family-friendly hot spots – Consider heading to locales in Nayarit and Oaxaca, where surf, sun and inexpensive attractions have been a hit for one family of four.
• APA Poll Finds Stress Having an Impact on Families, Hispanics
• The Prevention Research Center (PRC) in St. Louis is launching a multinational research project focused on preventing the leading causes of death in Hispanics in the United States and Latin America. – will conduct a four-year, $2.8 million effort to apply and adapt evidence-based strategies for preventing heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity in the United States, Mexico and Brazil
• Latinos need more than lip service – Families are being torn apart by America’s broken immigration system. President Obama needs to show leadership and fix it – (the view from England)
• Rio Hot Spot With Miami Vibe – Barra da Tijuca
• Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed three people to the state’s Latino Family Commission – has never met since it was established in 2007 (?)
• Musician Changes Tone of Impoverished Village – Carlinhos Brown
• Just over 50% of Brazilians age 25 and older did not complete the eight years of basic education
• Mexico will outperform Brazil the next five years, while Panama will lead Latin America in GDP growth, the IMF forecasts.
• Children’s Readings and Panels at The Latino Book & Family Festival – Los Angeles, October 10-11 CSULA at Greenlee Plaza
• Switzerland’s Swatch, the world’s largest watchmaker, plans to invest $100 million in the Brazilian market, which it exited due to a bribery scandal in 2002
• Violence Escalates Against Peaceful Protesters in Honduras As Resistance Grows: Chemical Weapons Directed Toward Brazilian Embassy – National Day of Action In Solidarity with the People Of Honduras Tuesday, September 29th
• The Sound and Fury of the Honduran Coup: Acoustic and Chemical Attacks on Brazilian Embassy
• Costa Rica reduces the time to export and import cargo containers, while Brazil and Colombia boost costs.