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You are watching: What does mas que nada mean

June 10, 2011 – Jorge Ben Jor"s “Mas que Nada” is among the most famous Brazilian songs of every time. Here"s the story behind the song, with an explanation and translation the its lyrics, a in-depth biography that its composer, elevator on just how it came to be a worldwide hit, and sample tracks. This product was originally presented as a three-part series on The best of Brazil radio program, may 12-26, 2004, with a distinct follow-up presentation on June 23, 2004.
A musical change took location in Brazil in the late 1950s and early "60s. The bossa nova motion radically readjusted Brazilian well-known Music. It to be a revolution of young human being – many of the musicians in the bossa nova vanguard to be in their teens or early on 20s. This is the story of among them and also the tune that has come to be emblematic that his work. The artist is Jorge Ben Jor and the tune is “Mas que Nada.”
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During the next three weeks, I"ll phone call you about the composer and his song. And also I"ll play numerous of the thousands of recordings that have actually been do of the tune. Our story begins with Jorge Ben Jor.Jorge Duílio Ben Zabella Lima de Menezes was born in Madureira, a working course area of Rio de Janeiro, on march 22, 1942. (One important source gives December 29, 1940 as his birthdate.) farming up in Rio"s north Zone, that sang in his church choir and participated in carnaval parades. In ~ home, his family liked to listen to a family members friend, the composer Ataulfo Alves; to the “king of baião” Luiz Gonzaga; and also to the crooner Nelson Gonçalves.Before selecting music, football was the career score of Jorge Menezes and, for a brief time, he played with Flamengo, Rio"s most well-known team. Although his stevedore father, Augusto Menezes, had actually composed some carnaval songs, he want Jorge to end up being a lawyer. His mommy hoped that would become a pediatrician. Ataulfo Alves was an influence leading young Jorge to music.Jorge acquired his very first guitar at age 18 and began teaching himself to play. McGowan and also Pessanha (The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova and the famous Music the Brazil) describe how he emerged his style:Like numerous musicians indigenous his generation, started to take his guitar playing seriously only after he heard João Gilberto but found it difficult to imitate the facility bossa nova harmonies. For this reason he developed his very own style, playing with just his thumb and forefinger.In the early on 1960s, he started performing in the Copacabana neighborhood"s Beco das Garrafas or “Bottles Alley” – a tiny, dead-end street with small nightclubs the is recognized as the birthplace the bossa nova. Sergio Mendes, who was a year older, was one more regular in the alley"s clubs, top nightly jam sessions.Jorge embraced the phase name “Jorge Ben,” which he offered for virtually 30 years. (Ben to be the maiden name of his Ethiopian-born mother, Sílvia Saint Ben Lima.) In 1989, he readjusted his name to Jorge Benjor. He has had an abiding interest in psychic phenomena, mysticism, and also the supernatural. And for years, the was commonly reported that he make the name change because his numerologist told the it to be a luckier combination of letters. Several years ago, Jorge stated the name readjust had nothing to execute with numerology.Still later, he separated his critical name right into two native – Ben Jor – due to the fact that the world who distribution songwriting royalties to be confusing him with George Benson, and his payments to be misdirected. It"s tough to imagine the anyone would confuse the surname “George” v “Jorge.” Unfortunately, such sloppiness is commonplace. There are many recordings that his hit tune “Mas que Nada” with Jorge Ben Jor"s surname grossly mispelled in the credits and also others v the songwriting credit given exclusively to lyricist Loryn Deane, that wrote one of the English-language versions of the song.It remained in 1963, if performing in Beco das Garrafas, the Jorge Ben was noticed through a producer because that Philips Records and also was available a contract. His an initial single to be released in July of the year with “Mas que Nada” (Oh, Come On) ~ above one side and another that his songs, “Por Causa de Você, Menina” (Because the You, Girl), on the other. His first album, released later that year, offered 100,000 duplicates in 2 months. In those days, his albums were taped with a jazz band from Beco das Garrafas referred to as “Meireles and the Copa 5.”From 1963, below is Jorge Ben to sing “Mas que Nada.” (If you don"t see the audio player below, please update your browser. The document might take 30 seconds or more to load, depending upon the rate of your web connection and CPU.)
“Mas que Nada” came to be a global hit once it was taped by Sergio Mendes and Brasil "66. Right here is the story.Before relocating to the United states in 1964, Sergio Mendes was already recognized together a brilliant young jazz pianist and bandleader in Brazil and also a member the bossa nova"s inner circle. He taped his an initial LP for the Philips brand at age 20, and also the following year – 1962 – jazz greats Kenny Durham, Phil Woods, hubert Laws, Cannonball Adderley and also Herbie Mann all flew to Brazil to document with the 21-year-old pianist and his band.The next year, Sergio Mendes take it his band on a tour of Mexico and also the united States. Among group"s guitarists and also vocalists was the composer of “Mas que Nada,” 21-year-old Jorge Ben. When in the united States, Ben to be filmed in an illustration of Mission Impossible. The scene had him singing in a nightclub.But Jorge Ben left the tourism early. They to be in Los Angeles for a gig at Shelly"s Manne Hole. Ben made decision to obtain a haircut. In his book Chega de Saudade (in translation as Bossa Nova), Ruy Castro tells what happened:He uncovered a barber shop in Vine Street and went in. It was empty, and the two barbers working there were reading the newspaper, with their scissors and combs tucked right into the pockets of your jackets. Jorge nonchalantly sat under in among the north chairs, said, “Shave and a haircut” and waited. The barbers looked at one another, then at the young black color man, and also then at one another again. Jorge Ben only realized what to be going on as soon as one of lock hissed in ~ him, out of the edge of his mouth, “We"re busy.” Ben left and went directly to Varig airlines to to buy his return trip home.Soon, his music also went in a brand-new direction – combine samba with blues, rock, funk, baião and also maracatu.Here"s an amazing sidebar. As soon as Sergio Mendes" team took the stage at Shelly"s Manne Hole, the other guitarist, Rosinha de Valença, taken on the guitar components by herself. Ruy Castro tells the story in his book:In the center of the performance, who in the very first row shouted out: “Don"t you dare stop! I"ll be back in 15 minutes.” It to be guitarist Barney Kessel. That went running ago to his home to obtain his guitar, and also within the promised 15 minutes, was ago with it. The played through them because that the rest of the night.Castro"s publication (pp. 386-7) includes a wonderful picture of Barney Kessel and alto sax player Bud Shank sitting in with Mendes" tape at Shelly"s Manne Hole.
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Sergio Mendes moved to the U.S. The following year and also cut an album with his brand-new band, Brasil "65. A year later, he teamed up with A & M documents co-founder Herb Alpert and re-organized the band, incorporating an ext pop music elements. The group featured vocalists Karen Philips and also Lani hall (Herb Alpert"s wife) singing in Portuguese and also English. The band"s debut album, entitled Herb Alpert gift Sergio Mendes & Brasil "66, increased to the peak Ten on Billboard"s pop charts on the strength of your hit setup of the track written through Mendes" former guitarist – Jorge Ben"s “Mas que Nada.” below it is. (If you don"t watch the audio player below, please upgrade your browser. The paper might take 30 secs or an ext to load, depending on the speed of your web connection and CPU.)


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Throughout the remainder the today"s show, I"ll play assorted recordings the “Mas que Nada.” On next week"s show, I"ll tell friend the motivation for the song, translate and explain its lyrics, and also play several much more interpretations.