One of the leading lights of bossa nova's crossover into America, SergioMendes came of age in an era when Tom Jobim and Jo?úo Gilberto were leadingBrazil towards international acclaim, and jazz musicians from around theworld were flocking to the South American country for the "new sound ofbossa nova." Heavily influenced by Jobim, Mendes was the best-sellingBrazilian artist in the United States by the mid-1960s. His music took aturn toward light jazz, and Mendes explored numerous pop hits of the era inthat idiom, including the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" and Simon andGarfunkle's "Scarborough Fair.
