The Brazilian artist Hermeto Pascoal died on Saturday evening at the age of 89. He died in the hospital, his family writes down . Pascoal was known for its unique and innovative style of composing, which he released with his own Ensemble Grupo, among other things. He has three Latin Grammy Awards won for his work.
Pascoal grew up in a small, poor village in the northeast of Brazil. Because of his albinism, he could not work on the land in the sun, and then he learned to play accordion.
He grew into “one of the most creative and original figures in Brazilian music,” writes the Brazilian news site Brasil 247. The American jazz composer and trumpet player Miles Davis has recorded several songs on the album Live-evil And would have called him “one of the most important musicians in the world.”
Screaming Big
Pascoal was always looking for new forms of sound expression. Children’s toys, cow horns or even a living piglet; Everything was enough for Pascoal to make music with it. Because of this he was also called the ‘wizard’.
What Pascoal died is unknown. He still continued to release music in his eighties. Including in 2024, with the album Pra você,, ” Ilzathat he dedicated to his deceased wife. It earned him the Latin Grammy for best Latin jazz album that year.
He was also on tour in Europe this year. On July 29 he performed in the Melkweg in Amsterdam.
The family of Pascoal has asked his fans to celebrate his life in a joyful way. “Let’s listen to the wind, the singing of birds, a glass of water, the waterfall – the universal music lives on,” is the explanation.