Hermeto Pascoal

[A Lark Ascending]

One of many highlights of this years Cheltenham Festival in the UK, Hermeto Pascoal pulled off one of the most joyous jazz concerts I've attended.

Leading a crack 20 piece UK band (Henry Lowther, Claude Deppa, Julian Arguelles, Chris Biscoe, Jason Yarde, the Mondesir brothers to name just a few) with a few Brazillian accomplices, this was some of the most exciting, inventive, funny, downright odd big band music I've heard. We had great Brazillian rhythmic pieces, some absolutely wonderful orchestration, teapot playing (a speciality, I believe!), accordion playing, a little folksy quintet.

Pascoal is something of a legend in the UK. He toured here about ten years ago and made a huge impression on the Brits he played with; but I suspect the influence goes much earlier as I can hear his style in so much of the UK jazz that came up in the mid-80s. People like Django Bates, Iain Ballamy and Julian Arguelles clearly worship him!

But what came across so much was the warmth of the man - his love of playing, his love of the musicians and his determination to connect with the audience (who he had eating out of his hand, via a translator).

He let us know he very much wants to record with this particular band. I really hope that one comes off.

[jazzbo]

I'll bet that was indeed a great concert! I love Hermeto's music. . . . His writing for big bands is really wonderful, as witness one of his very first recordings outside Brazil, the Cobblestone/Muse huge band recording. . . .

I've never seen him perform, but that joy of playing (and that exploratory drive and real mastery of so many many instruments) comes through in his recorded performances, indeed.

[A Lark Ascending]

Joy is very much the word for that concert. Reminds me of a Gianluigi Trovesi concert I saw last year where the sheer thrill of playing marvellous music with sympathetic musicians and an enthusiastic audience came across.

I have two recordings by him but otherwise his recordings seem quite hard to track down.

I notice 'Slaves Mass' from the 70s has just been reissued - one I recall getting very enthusiastic reviews.

[jazzbo]

I can recommend an album that is available by Aleuda that Hermeto produced, arranged, and plays an awful lot of the accompanying music on, that Dusty Groove has been stocking for some time. . . .

Very interesting session. . . ! Has a fusion feel, has that Hermeto wackiness too.

Edited May 4, 2004 by jazzbo

[A Lark Ascending]

That's one of my two Lon!

Every time I go to London and search the jazz and 'world' racks that's what I find!

Great disc as you say.

AMG has this to say about 'Slaves Mass':

"This LP was reissued in the Mestres Da MPB series in its entirety, only with the track order changed. Not a jazz album in the strict sense, it has strong themes and very little improv. The album has the fusion "Mixing Pot," where Hermeto Pascoal really improvises and Alphonso Johnson shines. In "Missa Dos Escravos," Hermeto's emblematic pig gives his first growls in a song dominated by Brazilian Indian references and with no improv. "Aquela Valsa" is a beautiful 6/8 theme that turns into a samba, also with no improv, but presents a beautiful trombone solo by master Raul de Souza. "Cannon" is only incidental noise. "Chorinho Para Ele" is a beautiful and modern choro with a somewhat challenging glissando bridge that really proposed new directions for the traditional genre. Atonalism dominates the piano solo "Escuta Meu Piano," which also presents bits and pieces of different styles (like baião) and songs (that have an Egberto Gismonti flavor). Hot samba improvisation is again found in "Geléia de Cereja," though it is troubled by lack of motivic development"

[jazzbo]

Yes, Slave's Mass looks great. .. I'm hoping to snag a copy from Dusty Groove when they become available. . . .

[JSngry]

Hermeto's nuts!

[sidewinder]

Missed the Pascoal but did get to see some good performances at this fest. Two of the 'John Taylors' (Big Band and International Quartet with Abercrombie and Mark Feldman), the Joe Locke and the Drew Gress Quintet were all memorable. The Gerard Presencer commissioned suite was also hugely enjoyable - nice to see Cheltenham commisioning original work of this ilk. Great acoustics in the Everyman Theatre too !

Too bad that owing to time constraints after the John Taylor Big Band I only caught about 5 or 10 minutes of the Harry Beckett. I would have liked to have heard more of that one - a truly under-rated player on the UK scene.

Edited May 4, 2004 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

Sidewinder,

A superb festival all round. I managed 17 concerts in three and a bit days and only flagged in a couple. Great exercise dashing between the Everyman (as you say, wonderful venue) and the Town Hall (where I liked the Pillar Room too apart from, well, the pillars!).

The Arnie Somogyi Hungarian Project was my fave alongside the Pascoal. Three Brits, one Brit of Hungarian extraction and six Hungarians, all using Hungarian music as the launch pad for some superb improvisations. Beautiful colouring from cimbalon and violin...but the Hungarian jazzers were out of this world.

The three Taylor gigs were superb. I was especially moved by the short talk at the end and a very brief solo spot. Made me realise just how distinctive and special Taylor is.

Wonderful young musicians too - alto player Chris Bowden is going to be something. Acoustic Ladyland, David Okumu, Tom Arthurs all produced thrilling performances.

Nice to hear the Gress/Raney/Robson/Noble collaboration - very interesting music. And amazing to think they'd first got together the day before. I enjoyed the Gress Quintet the night before too though this got mixed reactions from those around me.

The Earthworks Underground performance at the end was a lot of fun. Gerard Presencer was even more impressive than in his own concert on Saturday. Iain Ballamy continues to impress - I'd say he's our most distinctive saxophonist, a real sound of his own. A joy in the Django Bates gig on Friday as well.

I'd have liked to have seen Beckett too - as you say, much under-rated. A player with a totally distinctive sound.

Ah well, four weeks break and then Bath.....

[sidewinder]

Bev, I caught most of the performances on Saturday and the Taylor International Quartet on the Sunday. Yes, Chris Bowden's set was impressive - a name to watch. Hint of the Joe Harriott's about his playing - also liked the sound of his band, sort of 'Bitches Brew' crossed with early 70s John Surman/Gil Evans.

Yes, Ballamy continues to impress. He shone at the John Taylor Big Band gig too - although Julian Arguelles was featured more prominently. Nice to hear Oren Marshall's tuba sound filling out the Taylor Big Band. The real highlight of the big band set though for me was the trio combination of Taylor, Martin France and the rock-solid Chris Marshall. Too bad that this one wasn't a bit more rehearsed but nevertheless - good stuff.

As you say, John Taylor played superbly throughout. A most engaging stage presence too - very agreeable !

The Gress Quintet I found hard work at first but it was only when you closed the old eyes that you noticed that these guy's mastery of space and timbre was astonishing. Somewhat 'clinical' music in terms of style but impressive nonetheless.

What I saw of the Harry Beckett gig looked like a bit of a missed opportunity. Harry, Chris Biscoe and co. were playing Mingus 'Better get it In Your Soul' to a crowd of mainly clubbers in the Town Hall who were clearly there to see Giles Peterson and his twin decks. Harry played a mighty fine solo, transcending the surroundings but a more intimate venue would have worked much better.

Maybe in 2005 Cheltenham can make Harry Beckett the featured artist and put on a big band show for him. perhaps also a recreation of 'Flare Up'?

Next year I'll try and stay over at Cheltenham. I had a two hour drive each way on the Saturday and Sunday so was wiped out by the end of it and passed on the Monday.

Yes, as you say not long now until the Bath Fest. Time to swot up on accordian stylists ..

Edited May 4, 2004 by sidewinder

[David Williams]

I only got the chance to see Tom Arthurs and Chris Bowden - both interesting - Bowden is a favourite: his trio has played in Cardiff twice in the last year or so. Didn't see Beckett at Cheltenham, but he was in Cardiff a few weeks ago and I though he had real trouble actually getting a sound from his trumpet (and flugelhorn), or am I just not appreaciating his style?

[A Lark Ascending]

You might not be wrong. I saw him a couple of years back with the Robert Wyatt tribute band that Annie Whitehead does - Soupsongs - and he seemed very unsteady. There was little of the agile featheriness you hear on the recordings he made in the 60s and 70s.

But I hear this in Kenny Wheeler too these days.

Age perhaps catching us up?

[Green Dolphin]

Great to see "Slaves Mass" back in circulation-has "Hermeto" from 72 ever seen a CD issue?

[mikeweil]

Hermeto is great! I saw him live two or three times and even had the pleasure of joining in at a jam session after a Frankfurt concert. He is such a nice humble guy, just said "Thanks for loving music" to us all at the end. Just the opposite of his excentric zappaesque genius in the music. I saw him do the teapot solo, too! Too little of his music in print - he's largely neglected by the large companies, and runs his own label, Som da Gente, The Sound of The People, in Brazil.

Here's a nice article: (link)

[mikeweil]

This page has a discography - there's more available than I had expected. There's a link at the bottom to another feature.

[A Lark Ascending]

Thanks for those links, Mike. I'd like to track down a little more of his music on disc.

[freeform83]

That's one of my two Lon!

Every time I go to London and search the jazz and 'world' racks that's what I find!

Great disc as you say.

AMG has this to say about 'Slaves Mass':

"This LP was reissued in the Mestres Da MPB series in its entirety, only with the track order changed. Not a jazz album in the strict sense, it has strong themes and very little improv. The album has the fusion "Mixing Pot," where Hermeto Pascoal really improvises and Alphonso Johnson shines. In "Missa Dos Escravos," Hermeto's emblematic pig gives his first growls in a song dominated by Brazilian Indian references and with no improv. "Aquela Valsa" is a beautiful 6/8 theme that turns into a samba, also with no improv, but presents a beautiful trombone solo by master Raul de Souza. "Cannon" is only incidental noise. "Chorinho Para Ele" is a beautiful and modern choro with a somewhat challenging glissando bridge that really proposed new directions for the traditional genre. Atonalism dominates the piano solo "Escuta Meu Piano," which also presents bits and pieces of different styles (like baião) and songs (that have an Egberto Gismonti flavor). Hot samba improvisation is again found in "Geléia de Cereja," though it is troubled by lack of motivic development"

"Cannon" is so much more than "incidental noise"...