Hermeto Pascoal
« If there is a religion, mine is music, » Hermeto Pascoal once declared — one of countless affirmations that set him free as a musical poet. His unruly white hair became an unforgettable part of his image. An indefatigable composer, credited with more than 19,000 pieces, he opened Brazilian and Afro-American jazz to the sound of every conceivable and improbable instrument — from his own body to conventional instruments and even the everyday objects and tools of Brazil’s Nordeste countryside (1).
On 7 August 2025, Hermeto Pascoal performed Calendário do Som at the Jazz In Marciac festival — his final concert in France — with his 6tet featuring Jota P. (sax), André Marques (pno), Itiberê Luiz Zwarg (bass, a member of his group since 1977), Ajurina Zwarg (drms), and his son Fabio Pascoal (perc), for whom he composed the famous tune Bebê. The 366 compositions of this 1996-1997 project were conceived as a sacred folk work — a birthday gift for each human being.
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(1) For more information, see the essential book Le Jazz Brésilien by Isabelle Leymarie (Jasmin Musique, 2021, in French).
