BY ROSE DE LA MONTAÑA
Man, isn’t it a good feeling when your latest musical project starts to take form and come to life?
My newfound octet Hermeto Magnético is getting close to sharing the beautiful music our members have been working on together – beautiful music composed by Hermeto Pascoal, whose genius is magnetic.
But you’ve probably never heard of him. Somehow, his music hasn’t received the attention in Australia as it has in other parts of the world, but that’s totally okay. Because now you have a good reason to come to our launch gig at the end of July (hehehe…).
But wait, I babble. First, let me introduce you to this legendary improviser, prolific composer and virtuosic multi-instrumentalist.
Hermeto Pascoal is a truly original voice in music. Hailing from the far northeast of Brazil, he was born in 1936; albino, cross-eyed, and with absolute pitch. Being albino, he couldn’t work with his family under the sun, and as a young boy he began teaching himself music; first on simple bamboo flutes he handcrafted himself known as pifano.
By age 7, he was playing accordion at the social dances with his brother; and by age 14, the two ran away to the closest capital city where they began playing with local regional groups on live radio.
Soon after, Hermeto began working in jazz clubs in other capital cities of Brazil, and towards the end of the 1960s started travelling internationally. With Quarteto Novo, a short-lived but impactful group that released one original album in 1967, we can hear the first recordings of some of Hermeto’s compositions in this period. This was followed by travels to the United States in 1970, where he lived for 10 years and recorded his first solo album titled Hermeto (followed by a string of other notable albums in this period, such as Slaves Mass (1977) and Live at Montreux Jazz Festival (1979) with Hermeto Pascoal e Grupo).
I’m still barely scratching the surface of the details of Hermeto’s music-making and history. From the 1970s, Hermeto became renowned internationally as a virtuoso improviser and innovator. He now has more than 10,000 compositions to his name, and is known for being a multi-instrumentalist, including piano, accordion, flute, teapots, his beard, saxophone, piglets, and toys in his music making.
Now an octogenarian, Hermeto’s life in music has been long, historical, and full of incredible music making and collaboration. He refers to his music as ‘universal music’, as a way to avoid casting any labels on his sound and to express the feeling of music making and creativity. The aforementioned albums are prime examples of his diverse music influences, from popular Brazilian regional rhythms and styles of music to atonal soundscapes, always in his distinct voice.
As I was living in Brazil in 2015, I was lucky to find myself (literally and figuratively) in the Universal Music workshops that are run by the bassist of Hermeto’s band, an incredible musician and composer called Itiberê Zwarg. After this wonderful experience, I was inspired to put together a band in Melbourne, given that the sounds of universal music are little known or heard live around here. And so Hermeto Magnético was born, with the acoustic stylings of voice, three flutes, guitar, mandolin, bass guitar, and percussion.
As we work together in each rehearsal, each member’s individuality shines through in playing music that is so free to artistic license. It’s also challenging. Hermeto’s music is as virtuosic as it is eclectic and gorgeous. One of the songs we are playing (end of July, not babbling, see details below, hehe) is the title track of the Slaves Mass album. What would Hermeto think of us playing this one!? While a handful of his compositions are standards in popular Brazilian or even jazz repertoire (such as Bebê, O Ovô, and Chorinho pra Ele), there are also many compositions and recordings of his that are so unique and rare to hear in a live setting.
But I love the story behind the song, Slaves Mass. From the beginning of the song, the otherworldly harmonies of the guitar transport the listener to another life. It’s about two groups of runaway slaves who by chance find each other deep in the forest. As a way to celebrate their newfound freedom, they hold a mass. The sound of pigs in the recording symbolise the event, as they will form part of the feast. The trance-like chant that forms the crux of the piece alludes to recto tono, ritual and the spirit world. It’s a trip and a half.
So, there you have it. My mum was trying to remember the name of this group, and she asked me, ‘Is it Hermeto Magnífico?’.
That would’ve worked, too.
Hermeto Magnético will perform on July 28 at JazzLab.
Hermeto Magnético is an octet dedicated to uncovering the repertoire of the legendary Brazilian virtuoso Hermeto Pascoal, whose musical genius is magnetic.
An eclectic mix of popular Brazilian rhythms and influences to free improvisation and other-worldly soundscapes, this ensemble features stellar musicians of Melbourne’s music scene; percussionist Alistair Kerr, bassist Sean Connelly, flautists Asha Henfry, Emma Knight and Erin Kersing, mandolinist Jake Piddington, singer Heather Brooks, and bandleader Montaña Rose on guitar.
The group is the only ensemble in Melbourne dedicated to the music of Hermeto Pascoal. Stay in the know by visiting the Hermeto Magnetico website or Facebook page.
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The information in this article is informed by Rose de La Montaña’s 2017 Masters thesis on Hermeto Pascoal. Visit this page for a full list of sources.
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Images supplied. Featured image of Hermeto Pascoal credit Takahiro Kyono via Flickr CC BY 2.0.
