Hermeto Pascoal (born June 22, 1936) is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Pascoal is a significant figure in the history of

Brazilian music The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European, American, African and Amerindian forms. Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as forró, repente, coco de roda, axé, sertanejo, ...

, mainly known for his abilities in orchestration and improvisation, as well as being a record producer and contributor to many Brazilian and international albums.

Biography

Early life and career

Pascoal comes from Northeastern Eastern Brazil, in an area that lacked electricity at the time he was born. He learned the accordion from his father and practiced for hours indoors, as, being

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

, he was incapable of working in the countryside with the rest of his family. Hermeto's career began in 1964 with appearances on several Brazilian recordings alongside relatively unknown groups. These now-classic albums and the musicians involved (

Edu Lobo Eduardo de Góes "Edu" Lobo (born August 29, 1943) is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and composer. In the 1960s he was part of the bossa nova movement. His compositions include ''Upa Neguinho'' (with Gianfrancesco Guarnieri), ''Pra Dizer Ad ...

Elis Regina Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945 – January 19, 2002), known professionally as Elis Regina (), was a Brazilian singer of MPB and jazz music. She is also the mother of the singers Maria Rita and Pedro Mariano. She became national ...

Cesar Camargo Mariano Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * C ...

) established widely influential new directions in post-

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

Brazilian jazz. In 1966, he played in the

Sambrasa Trio Sambrasa Trio is a Brazilian samba and jazz group, formed by Hermeto Pascoal (piano and flute), Humberto Clayber (bass and harmonica) and Airto Moreira (drums). The band started to play in 1965, but it did not last long. However, its music and ...

, with Airto Moreira and

Humberto Clayber Humberto Clayber de Souza is a Brazilian composer and musician. He was considered one of the best Bossa Nova bass players in 1960s and actually is acclaimed as one of the best harmonica players of the world. He played with many famous artists alon ...

; they released only one album, ''

Em Som Maior ''Em som maior'' is the only album recorded by Sambrasa Trio, a Brazilian group formed by Hermeto Pascoal, Humberto Clayber and Airto Moreira. It was released on an LP in 1965 and presents a fusion of various musical rhythms, including samba and j ...

''. Then he joined Trio Novo (Airto Moreira,

Heraldo do Monte Heraldo do Monte (born 1 May 1935 in Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil) is a Brazilian guitarist. He has played on albums by Gilberto Gil and Hermeto Pascoal. In 1966, Quarteto Novo (with Airto Moreira, Hermeto Pascoal, Theo de Barros Theo is a given ...

Theo de Barros Theo is a given name and a hypocorism. Greek origin Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example: *Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...

) and in 1967 the group, renamed

Quarteto Novo Quarteto Novo was a group formed in São Paulo, Brazil in 1966 which released one landmark instrumental album and launched the careers of some of the band's members. The eponymous 1967 album has been influential in jazz and pop music. Originally ...

, released an album that launched the careers of Pascoal and Moreira. Pascoal would then go on to join the multi-faceted group Brazilian Octopus.

International fame

Pascoal initially caught the international public's attention with an appearance on

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

's 1971 album '' Live-Evil'', which featured him on three pieces, which he also composed. Davis allegedly called Pascoal "the most impressive musician in the world". Later collaborations involved fellow Brazilian musicians Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. From the late 1970s onward, he has mostly led his own groups, playing at many prestigious venues, such as the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

in 1979. Other members of the group have included bassist Itibere Zwarg, pianist

Jovino Santos-Neto Jovino Santos Neto (born September 18, 1954) is a Seattle-based Brazilian-American jazz pianist, flutist, composer, arranger, educator and record producer. Career Jovino Santos Neto started playing piano at age 13 and by 16 was playing keyboard ...

and percussionists Nene, Pernambuco, and

Zabelê Zabelê is a municipality in the state of Paraíba in the Northeast Region of Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At ...

. Known as ''o Bruxo'' (the Wizard), Pascoal often makes music with unconventional objects such as teapots, children's toys, and animals, as well as keyboards, button accordions,

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usua ...

, saxophones, guitars, flutes, voices, various brass and folkloric instruments. He uses nature as a basis for his compositions, as in his ''Música da Lagoa'', in which the musicians burble water and play flutes while immersed in a lagoon: a Brazilian television broadcast from 1999 showed him soloing at one point by singing into a cup with his mouth partially submerged in water. Folk music from rural Brazil is another important influence in his work. Between 1996 and 1997, Pascoal worked on a book project called ''Calendário do Som'', which contains a song for every day of the year, including February 29, so that everyone would have a song for their birthday. He was married to Ilza da Silva, to whom he dedicated many compositions, from 1954 until her death in 2000. They had six children, Jorge, Fábio, Flávia, Fátima, Fabiula, and Flávio, and many grandchildren. Hermeto was later married to Aline Morena from 2003 until 2016, while living in

Curitiba, Paraná Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area ...

, Brazil. He has since returned to the Jabour neighborhood in

Bangu, Rio de Janeiro Bangu is a neighborhood in the Rio de Janeiro#West Zone, West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a middle-class neighborhood. It is located in the western area of the city being one of the most populated districts, with 244,518 inhabitants (acc ...

, where he spends much of his time composing, rehearsing and hosting musicians from all over the world. In 2019, his album ''Hermeto Pascoal e Sua Visão Original do Forró'' won the

Latin Grammy Award for Best Portuguese Language Roots Album The Latin Grammy Award for Best Portuguese Language Album is given every year since the 1st Latin Grammy Awards ceremony which took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. In 2009 the category was divided in Best Native Brazilia ...

Discography

As leader or member

* 1961: ''Conjunto Som 4'' (with Conjunto Som 4) * 1966: ''

'' (with

) * 1967: ''

'' (with

) * 1969: ''Brazilian Octopus'' (with Brazilian Octopus) * 1970: ''Hermeto Pascoal'' (solo debut, reissued on CD as ''Brazilian Adventure'')(featuring Googie Coppola) * 1973: ''A música livre de Hermeto Pascoal'' * 1977: '' Slaves Mass'' * 1977: ''Trindade'' * 1979: ''Zabumbê-bum-á'' * 1979: ''Ao vivo Montreux Jazz Festival'' * 1979: ''Nova história da Música Popular Brasileira'' (compilation) * 1980: ''Cérebro magnético'' * 1981: ''Planetário da Gávea'' * 1982: ''Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo'' (reissued by Westwind Germany on CD as ''The Legendary Improviser''. The reissue appears to be a copy from vinyl.) * 1984: ''Lagoa da Canoa, Município de Arapiraca'' * 1986: ''Brasil Universo'' * 1987: ''Só não toca quem não quer'' * 1988: ''Hermeto solo: por diferentes caminhos'' * 1992: ''Festa dos deuses'' * 1993: ''Instrumental no CCBB'' (with Renato Borghetti) * 1998: ''Música!: o melhor da música de Hermeto Pascoal'' (compilation) * 1999: ''Eu e eles'' * 2002: ''Mundo verde esperança'' * 2006: ''Chimarrão com rapadura'' (with Aline Morena) * 2010: ''Bodas de Latão'' (with Aline Morena) * 2013: ''Hermeto Pascoal: The Monash Sessions'' * 2017: ''No Mundo dos Sons'' * 2017: ''Viajando com o som'' (recorded in 1976) * 2017: ''Natureza Universal'' * 2018: ''Made of Music'' * 2018: ''E sua visão original do forró''

As contributor

* 1956: ''Ritmos Alucinantes'', by Clovis Pereira * 1959: ''Batucando no Morro'', by Pernambuco do Pandeiro e seu regional * 1970: ''Natural Feelings'', by Airto Moreira * 1970: '' Electric Byrd'', by

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

* 1970: ''

Sergio Mendes Presents Lobo ''Sergio Mendes Presents Lobo'' is a 1970 album by Edu Lobo, produced by Sergio Mendes. Reception ''Billboard'' magazine reviewed the album in their April 24, 1971 issue and wrote that ""To Say Goodbye" and "Ponterio" are outstanding vocals". ...

'', by

* 1970: ''

It Could Only Happen with You ''It Could Only Happen with You'' is the final album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson featuring performances recorded in 1970 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1974.

'', by Duke Pearson * 1970: '' Live-Evil'', by

* 1971: ''Cantiga de Longe'', by

* 1971: ''Seeds on the Ground'', by Airto Moreira * 1975: ''Di Melo'', by Di Melo * 1976: '' Imyra, Tayra, Ipy'', by

Taiguara Taiguara Chalar da Silva (9 October 1945 in Montevideo – 14 February 1996 in São Paulo), whose stage name was Taiguara, was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. Taiguara was one of the most censored Brazilian artists to date, having over 200 son ...

* 1976: '' Open Your Eyes You Can Fly'', by Flora Purim * 1976 ''Goldenwings'', by Opa * 1977: ''Orós'', by

Raimundo Fagner Raimundo Fagner Cândido Lopes (born in Orós, Ceará, October 13, 1949) is a Brazilian singer, composer, musician, actor and music producer. He is commonly known by the stage name of Fagner. Biography The youngest of the five children of José F ...

* 1978: ''Robertinho no passo'', by Robertinho de Recife * 1979: ''Sivuca'', by

Sivuca Severino Dias de Oliveira (May 26, 1930 – December 14, 2006), known professionally as Sivuca, was a Brazilian accordionist, guitarist and singer. In addition to his home state of Paraíba, Brazil, and cities Recife and Rio de Janeiro, he worke ...

* 1979: ''Live in Montreux'', by

* 1980: ''Stone Alliance'', by

Márcio Montarroyos Márcio Montarroyos (8 July 1948 – 12 December 2007) was a Brazilian jazz trumpet player. Starting his studies with classical piano, he later went to trumpet and jazz. In the 1970s, he traveled to the US to study at Berklee School of Music. In 1 ...

* 1983: ''Cordas vivas'', by

* 1984: ''Ponto do músicos'', by Nenê * 1986: ''Balãozinho'', by Eduardo Gudin * 1986: ''Cordas mágicas'', by

* 1986: ''Pindorama'', by

Pau Brasil ''Paubrasilia echinata'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. It is a Brazilian timber tree commonly known as Pernambuco wood or brazilwood ( pt, pau-de-pernambuco, ...

* 1987: ''Flávio Pantoja'', by Flavio Pantoja * 1987: ''Dharana'', by Dharana * 1996: ''Brasil Musical - Série Música Viva - Pau Brasil E Hermeto Pascoal, Brasil Musical - Série Música Viva'' (with Pau Brasil) * 1998: ''Maritmo'', by

Adriana Calcanhotto Adriana Calcanhotto (born October 3, 1965) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter. Her melancholic songs are often categorized in the MPB genre. She began her professional career in 1984 and released her first studio album in 1990. Career Born from ...

(on track "Canção por Acaso") * 2000: ''Oferenda'', by Aleuda * 2000: '' Nação Nordestina'', by

Zé Ramalho Zé Ramalho (born José Ramalho Neto on October 3, 1949 – Brejo do Cruz, Paraíba, Brazil) is a Brazilian composer and performer. Zé Ramalho has collaborated with various major Brazilian musicians, including Vanusa, Geraldo Azevedo and A ...

(on track "Violando com Hermeto") * 2003: ''Serenata: The Music of Hermeto Pascoal'', by Mike Marshall and

Jovino Santos Neto Jovino Santos Neto (born September 18, 1954) is a Seattle-based Brazilian-American jazz pianist, flutist, composer, arranger, educator and record producer. Career Jovino Santos Neto started playing piano at age 13 and by 16 was playing keyboard ...

* 2006: ''Roda Carioca'', by

References

External links

The official site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pascoal, Hermeto People from Alagoas Samba musicians Brazilian jazz (genre) flautists Brazilian jazz (genre) saxophonists Latin jazz flautists Latin jazz pianists Latin jazz guitarists Latin jazz saxophonists People with albinism Miles Davis Brazilian jazz pianists Brazilian jazz composers Brazilian jazz guitarists Brazilian jazz keyboardists Brazilian multi-instrumentalists Melodica players 1936 births Living people Brazilian saxophonists Male saxophonists Male jazz composers 20th-century pianists 20th-century guitarists 20th-century saxophonists 21st-century pianists 21st-century guitarists 21st-century saxophonists 20th-century jazz composers 21st-century jazz composers Brazilian male composers Male pianists Quarteto Novo members Sambrasa Trio members Latin Grammy Award winners 20th-century flautists 21st-century flautists