#OnRepeat: Ithmara Koorax’s “Mas Que Nada”

This week, I’ve had Ithmara Koorax’s version pf “Mas Que Nada” #OnRepeat. Although I am fairly familiar with some Brazilian music, I haven’t come across Ithmara before, so when I heard this song, it took me by surprise.

Ithmara Koorax is a Pop and Jazz singer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil who rose to prominence  in the Brazilian Pop and Jazz scene during the 1990s. She started out studying classical music, but became very interested in Pop music, having played with artists such as Luiz Bonfa, Azymuth, Ron Carter, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Her music blends influences of Jazz, Pop, Blues, and traditional and popular Brazilian music. Her vocal timbre and performance style is reminiscent of Elis Regina, especially in her vocalizations. Some of her most well-known songs are “Perdido de Amor,””The Girl From Ipanema,” and “Ligia.”

Ithmara’s version of “Mas Que Nada” is rhythmically and melodically so different from the standard written by Jorge Ben Jor, that the words are your musical anchor, allowing you to sing the song, either out loud or in your head, so you can recognize it. Much of Ithmara’s music is slightly eclectic, bordering on the edge of experimental or what some would call “Free Jazz,” but that’s what makes it so interesting. The timbre of her voice, and how she manipulates it in the song, only adds to the eclectic, ethereal ambience of the music.

Take a listen below:

I don’t know too much about Ithmara Koorax, so if anyone has any interesting information  or songs of hers that you think I should listen to, please leave a comment below!