After Cesar Bows Out, Sergio Mendes Picks Up ‘Beat’

Leave it to an old pro to save the day. When the colorful Chico Cesar canceled his appearance in Sunday’s “Beat of Brazil” concert at the Hollywood Bowl, the entertainment burden rested squarely on singer Virginia Rodrigues and Sergio Mendes’ Brasil 2001.

Initially, that didn’t seem like such a bad development. Rodrigues has been highly praised, and Mendes can always be counted on to deliver an engaging set.

But the prospects darkened considerably with Rodrigues’ appearance. Although she possesses a voice with remarkable potential, from its masculine low notes to its penetrating upper range, her persistent difficulties with pitch were a constant distraction.

Nor was her performance, despite some appealing material, aided by the generally monochromatic quality of her delivery, which rendered virtually every number in emotionally bland fashion.

Only one piece, “Negrume da Noite,” performed with percussion accompaniment, offered justification for the accolades Rodrigues has been receiving since her discovery in 1997 by Caetano Veloso.

Mendes--seeking, as he always does, to entertain--succeeded superbly. His tailored set included revisits to such early hits as “Mas Que Nada,” “One Note Samba” and “The Fool on the Hill.”

But he added plenty of spice by including an energetic episode of Brazilian percussion featuring drummer Meia Noite, and climaxed the program with even more seasoning via the appearance of a group of colorfully garbed, fast-stepping samba dancers.

For the large, enthusiastic crowd, it was a spectacular ending for an evening that had begun with such musical uncertainly.