Genre
Samba, samba-jazz, and bossa nova. Jorge Ben became known as one of the country's great musical alchemists, a furiously eclectic songwriter who combined elements of indigenous Brazilian music with a groove from the west coast of Africa. His debut already embodies that vision: percussive acoustic guitar anchoring twelve original compositions, with flute, piano, trumpet, and percussion colouring the arrangements without ever displacing the voice at the centre.
Release
Released on January 10, 1963, by Philips Records, Brazil. It was Jorge Ben's debut album. At the time of release, the newspaper "O Estado de S. Paulo" believed it would soon disappear from the stores, just like his previous 78 RPM releases - a prediction spectacularly confounded by subsequent events.
Production
Produced by Armando Pittigliani. Jorge Ben played acoustic guitar and sang throughout, accompanied by Meirelles e os Copa 5: J. T. Meirelles on flute and tenor saxophone, Luís Carlos Vinhas on piano, Pedro Paulo on trumpet, Manuel Gusmão on bass, and Dom Um Romão on drums. Arrangements were by Carlos Monteiro de Souza, Gaya, J. T. Meirelles, Luís Carlos Vinhas, and Jorge Ben himself.
Reception
In 2007, Rolling Stone Brasil listed "Samba Esquema Novo" as one of the 100 best Brazilian albums in history. It was ranked 27th in Los 600 de Latinoamérica, a ranking by Latin American music journalists, and 30th in Discoteca Básica's list of the 500 Greatest Brazilian Records, chosen by 162 Brazilian music experts. American critic Rodney Taylor wrote: "His first album sets out his ambitions. 'Mas que Nada' ranks as one of the most popular songs in the world."
Jorge Ben
Jorge Ben Jor (born Jorge Duílio Lima Menezes, March 22, 1942, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, one of the most original and enduring figures in the history of Brazilian popular music. Unlike the tropicalistas who embraced confrontation, Ben took a more understated approach - never a controversial figure, he became one of the most respected and resilient artists in Brazilian pop. His catalogue encompasses samba, rock, funk, and Afro-Brazilian music in a series of landmark albums including Ben (1972) and Africa Brasil (1976). "Mas que Nada" became the most covered Brazilian song in the world after being recorded by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 in 1966. He was inducted into the Latin Recording Academy's Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.
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