Sérgio Mendes, who brought Brazilian music to mainstream listeners, died Thursday at age 83 from long COVID. Mendes became a force in pop during the ’60s when he debuted his Brasil ’66 band. The single “Mas Que Nada” written by Jorge Ben, made him known and was the start of his sound fertile, with bossa nova rhythms, jazz, and funk entering the landscape of popular music. Antonio Carlos Jobim, another legendary musician from Brazil, served as his mentor, and Herb Alpert signed him to the A&M record label, which was then brand-new. The reception to his eighth studio album, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, was so warm that the album achieved platinum status. Mendes re-recorded “Mas Que Nada” with The Black Eyed Peas in 2006 for his Timeless album, which had collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Q-Tip, John Legend, Erykah Badu, and India.Arie, and more. BEP founder will.i.am produced the Timeless album.

Mendes became popular with R&B audiences when he recorded the Stevie Wonder-penned “The Real Thing” for his 1977 album, Sergio Mendes and the New Brasil ’77. Vanessa Williams also recorded “The Real Thing” for her album of the same name. Mendes recorded 55 albums over his career and he won a Grammy in 1992 for Best World Music for the album Brasileiro. In 2005, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammys. HBO released the documentary, Sergio Mendes in the Key of Joy, in 2020, the same year his last album, In the Key of Joy, came out. His last performances were in 2023 for audiences in Barcelona, Paris, and London. 

Angélique Kidjo and Davido unite on Kidjo’s latest single, “JOY.” It is the second time that the singer and activist has collaborated with the Afrobeats star. They worked together on “NA MONEY” from Davido’s 2023 album, Timeless, and they shared the stage earlier this year at his 02 Arena show in London. “JOY” is Kidjo’s second collaboration this year. She previously released “Sunlight To My Soul,” which had Diane Warren and the Soweto Gospel Choir on the single. “JOY” happened when Kidjo and Davido came together in New York City over the summer, and they sang in English and Yoruba on the song. There is more to come from Kidjo musically, and she is embarking on a world tour that starts September 4th in Germany. 

                                                                             Tour Dates 

9/4 – Duisburg, Germany @ Landschaftspark Nord – Gießhalle

9/15 – Brétigny-sur-Orge, France @ Le Fete de l’Humanite

9/20 – 9/22 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @ Rock In Rio

10/5 – Paris, France @ La Gaite Lyrique / Le Festival de la Francophonie

10/6 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg District @ Rockhal

10/9 – Morges, Switzerland @ Theatre de Beausobre

10/10 – Fribourg, Switzerland @ Theatre Equilibre

10/12 – Voiron, France @ Le Grand Angle

10/13 – Marseille, France @ Fiesta des Suds / Esplanade du J4

10/15 – Orleans, France @ Theatre d’Orleans

10/20 – Katowice, Poland @ NOSPR

10/22 – Troyes, France @ Les Nuits de Champagne

10/24 – The Hague, Netherlands @ Paard Van Troje (PAARD)

11/2 – New York, NY @ Carnegie Hall

11/13 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre

11/14 – Amherst, MA @ Tillis Performance Hall at UMASS

2/13/2025 – Manchester, UK @ Bridgewater Hall (Philip Glass Festival)

2/15/2025 – Paris, FR – Philharmonie de Paris

3/2/2025 – Fairfax, VA @ George Mason University Center for the Arts

3/19/2025 – Montreal, QC, Canada @ Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

3/20/2025 – Montreal, QC, Canada @ Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

3/22/2025 – Philadelphia, PA @ Zellerbach Theatre

Jack White’s Third Man Hardware and Reverb have created the Anasounds La Grotte reverb pedal. White is known for his guitar playing, most famously his “Seven Nation Army” riff that utilized a pitch effect. He used that same invention when he imagined the La Grotte. He says,

“It’s been a lifetime of searching for a small real spring reverb effect unit that could be used as a stomp box on stage or in the studio.  The hang up is that you normally have to use really long springs to get a good sound, making the unit too large. With the La Grotte pedal, it was the addition of the third spring that really brought this sound alive and gave us the ability to have that long decay from a real spring in a small box. In addition, the built-in drive/boost feature you get from the “dry” knob is very impressive in how it elevates the signal you are sending to the springs.”

Pre-order limited edition yellow exclusively on Reverb, and the standard black now on ThirdManRecords.com. UK based customers can pre-order both black and special edition yellow on ThirdManRecords.co.uk. Jack White posted a video of him using the pedal to Instagram. 

Pre-Order La Grotte (Standard) On Reverb

Pre-Order La Grotte (Limited) On Reverb

Pre-Order La Grotte (Standard) Via Third Man

Creating your own pieces of music is very rewarding, and could lead to a career in music. Before you begin, make sure you have these 5 things ready to ensure the process goes smoothly. 

• Music software:

Your music software is what you’re running all your gear and sounds into. It’s how you can record live instruments and vocals, as well as mix and master your music. Some honorable mentions are:

• FL Studio
• Ableton Live
• Pro Tools
• Logic Pro X
• Cubase

If you’re looking for something free, try:

• Audacity 
• Garageband
• Studio One

If you are looking for a longer breakdown of music softwares, with their pros and cons, check out this free guide. 

• An audio interface

Your audio interface connects your computer to your instruments and speakers. You can use it to record vocals and instruments and feed it directly into your music software. You can also use it to output high-quality audio through your speakers or headphones.

Some honorable mentions are:

• Focusrite Scarlett 
• Apollo Twin
• Solid State Logic SSL

With your music software and audio interface ready, you’ll be able to record and listen to your music. 

Note: you don’t always need an audio interface to produce music. Lots of computer have dedicated sound cards and drivers that can be used to input and output audio. If you’re on a budget, you may be able to skip this step. 

1. Sample packs

Sample packs are perfect if you want to add live vocals, live guitar or live drums into your music. They can also contain melodies, chord progressions, and drum samples depending on which packs you have. These overpowered sound libraries can transform your music and productivity. 

Some of our favourites are the royalty free sample packs from WavGrind which have been used by over 100,000 producers!

The best part is, they’re royalty free. So you don’t need to credit anyone or pay any royalties. 

1. Instruments

If you want to record live elements to include in your music, you’re going to need some instruments. Here are some of our favourites:

• Fender Squire Guitar
• Epiphone Grabber Bass Guitar
• Pearl Fusion Plus Drum Kit
• Rode NT1 Studio Mic

We recommend going to a music shop and trialing these instruments to make sure they’re right for you. 

1. An engineer or engineering software:

When you’ve recorded your music, you’re going to want to mix and master it. This is where an engineer or your music software comes in handy. 

Some of the most popular softwares for mixing music include:

• Pro Tools
• Antares Autotune 
• Izotope Ozone

Read this full mixing and mastering guide if you want to learn more.

With these 5 key elements, you should be ready to record your next or first piece of music. All the best!