Mas Que Nada

Gurt Winter Concert, Bristol Beacon, 2012 – A Gurt Lush collaboration with Bristol Male Voice Choir.

Mas que nada is a song written and originally performed by Jorge Ben in 1963, which in a later cover version became the signature song of Sergio Mendès. In Brazilian Portuguese slang Mas que nada means “whatever”, “anyway” (literally “but that (is) nothing”).

Jorge Ben Jor was born Jorge Duilio Lima Menezes,and initially took the stage name Jorge Ben, but later changed it to Jorge Ben Jor (commonly written Benjor), allegedly in response to an incident where some of his royalties accidentally went to the famous american guitarist George Benson…!

Here is the whole song translated roughly into English:

Whatever
get out of my way, I’m coming through
the party’s jumping and I wanna samba
This samba, mixed with maracatu, is the samba of our slave ancestors, you old black samba
Whatever
A samba like this is so hot that I wish it never ends!

A (rough) phonetic translation, to try to make Brazilian prononciation easier:

Mache qué nada
Say da mingna frienché
Kiou kéro passa a
Poy su samba échta animado
O kyou quéro é samba
échté samba
Ké michto djé maracatou
é samba djé préto béyou
Samba djé prédto tdou
Mache qué nada
Un samba como
échta ta légaal
Vossé naby quéré ou
Qué tchégué none fina