Brazil is basking in the afterglow of the 2016 Rio Olympics, which put the South American country’s culture on display for the world for two solid weeks.

With several isle athletes contributing to the U.S.’s medal bounty, Hawaii residents were tuned in as much as anyone in the world.

So it’s somewhat serendipitous that Sergio Mendes — one of Brazil’s truly iconic artists — will pay a visit to Hawaii next week for two concerts. What better time than after so many heard his “Mas Que Nada” while watching Simone Biles’ exquisite floor exercise?

The Brazilian pianist brings his nine-piece band to the islands for shows at the Blaisdell Concert Hall on Tuesday and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Thursday, his first visit to the Valley Isle.

Mendes — along with Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto — was part of a Brazilian invasion of sorts that brought the country’s sound, chiefly bossa nova, to the United States in the early ’60s.

On his first trip stateside in 1962, Mendes played New York’s Carnegie Hall and connected with jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley and Stan Getz.

Mendes cut a record with Adderley that same year. Gilberto, a guitarist, would collaborate with saxophonist Getz on the Grammy-winning album “Getz/Gilberto” in 1964, which made an international staple out of “The Girl from Ipanema,” which also was seemingly omnipresent during NBC’s broadcasts from Rio.

In 1966, Mendes debuted his new ensemble, Brasil ’66, which added a pop element to bossa nova’s fusion of jazz and samba and crossed over to the singles charts. He is touring to celebrate the 50th anniversary of that incarnation that is still so special to him.

“The sound that we produced back in 1966 became a trademark, a brand for me,” Mendes said from Japan in a phone conversation. “Fifty years later it’s (still) a distinctive sound. … I’m proud that the brand is still working all over the world.”

Brasil ’66’s signature song is “Mas Que Nada,” which gave the band its breakthrough, but it had its biggest success with bossa nova versions of standards (Cole Porter’s “Night and Day”) and pop songs (Dusty Springfield’s “The Look of Love” and second-tier Beatles tunes such as “Day Tripper” and “Fool on the Hill”).

Mendes said there is a common thread among all those selections.

“I’m a melody guy,” Mendes said. “I love melodies. In Brazil, Jobim was the most important — ‘Girl from Ipanema,’ ‘Quiet Nights’ — (but) I grew up listening to Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, (Claude) DeBussy, (Igor) Stravinsky as well.”

As important as the melodies were, so was what Brasil ’66 did with them, taking well-known songs and making them their own with intoxicating rhythms and exhilarating arrangements.

University of Hawaii at Manoa professor Jay Junker, an ethnomusicologist who teaches the course, Music in Modern America, called Mendes’ approach “innovative” and “brilliant,” noting how the use of familiar songs gave them an in with listeners and the repetition of catchy phrases created earworms, even in the Portuguese language.

“Mendes was free to cover a whole range of material, including pop and rock songs, in English. This was key to getting into the mainstream,” Junker said.

Though Mendes is touring in celebration of Brasil ’66’s 50th anniversary, that iteration represents only a small portion of his career. The Hawaii shows will cover his entire career, the performer said.

“It’s a musical journey. We play the classics, songs from Brasil ’66, songs from our new albums. It’s a big party.”

Joining Mendes for that party will be his wife, vocalist Gracinha Leporace. Their sons — drummer Gustavo, 28, and guitarist Tiago, 22 — were with them for the Japan dates, but are not able to come to Hawaii.

In recent years, Mendes, now 75, has found new life through collaboration with younger artists, most prominently will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas. That started when will.i.am approached Mendes about playing on the track “Sexy” from BEP’s 2003 album “Elephunk.”

“Will.i.am had all my old CDs — vinyl actually. He was a fan,” Mendes said.

That led to will.i.am producing and performing on a 2006 Mendes album — “Timeless” — with guest appearances from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, John Legend and rapper Q-Tip.

“I like collaborating, working with different musicians. I call it the magic of the encounter,” Mendes said. “I wrote a song and imagined John Legend singing it. There’s no formula to that. It must be mutual attraction.”