Sergio Mendes, the man who put bossa nova on the American Top 10 in 1968 with his Brasil ’66 band, has a new plan.
“I want to reintroduce the classics of Brazilian music to a whole new generation,” the 67-year-old composer, arranger and keyboard player said by phone from a tour stop in New York.
He’s not merely paying lip service to the idea. For the second album in a row, Mendes recruited will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame to co-produce his new CD. The result, “Encanto” (Enchantment), currently sits atop Billboard’s contemporary jazz chart and features a number of hot young guests, including Fergie, Colombian rock star Juanes, r & b singer Ledisi and Italian rapper Jovanotti.
Add in veterans including Natalie Cole, Herb Alpert and Brazil’s Carlinhos Brown and you’ve got one bright tropical summer CD, especially with will.i.am and Mendes stirring it up together.
“Brazil is a happy, party kind of country and that’s what I wanted the feel of this CD to be,” said Mendes, who leads his 10-member ensemble into the Somerville Theatre on Wednesday. “That’s how we grew up. It’s about sun, playing football on the beach, going to Carnaval, and that’s reflected in Brazil’s music.”
On Mendes’ previous album, “Timeless,” rapper and producer will.i.am used a cast that included John Legend, Jill Scott and Justin Timberlake to give a hip-hop/r & b edge to the leader’s bossa nova and samba.
“I wanted to show the diversity and internationality of Brazilian music with ‘Encanto’,” said Mendes. “Sometimes people think that Brazilian music is only bossa nova. But there are many things happening down there rhythmically, harmonically, melodically.”
Black Eyed Pea will.i.am is actually the one who made the collaboration happen.
“He came to my house (in Los Angeles) and had a bunch of old vinyl records of mine with him,” Mendes said. “I was very surprised. He told me that when he was growing up in the late ’60s and early ’70s he was listening to all of my records.”
The two hit it off. Will.i.am invited Mendes to be a guest on the Black Eyed Peas’ “Elephunk” album, then the Grammy-winning son of Brazil returned the favor by offering the rapper the co-producer’s seat on “Timeless.”
“He’s very creative, very musical,” Mendes said. “If you listen to Brazilian music or jazz or hip-hop or r & b, it all goes back to Africa. That’s what we have in common. In Brazil, the kids are doing rap and doing samba, just the way the kids are playing rap and r & b here.
“To me, that’s the beautiful thing about making music like this: trying different things. That’s what we do in Brazil, and I still love to do it.”
Sergio Mendes at the Somerville Theatre, Wednesday, 8 p.m. Tickets: $33.50-$51; 617-931-2000.
Waxing About Brazil: Sergio Mendes plays in Somerville this week.
