Hermeto Pascoal, the influential Brazilian composer, has died at the age of 89.
His death was announced via his Instagram page on Saturday (September 13). “At the very moment of his passing, his group was on stage, just as he would have wished: making sound and music,” the post read. “As he always taught us, let us not be ruled by sadness: listen to the wind, the birds, a glass of water, a waterfall – universal music keeps breathing.”
Pascoal was known as “The Sorcerer” and his idiosyncratic approach to music saw him traversing genres such as jazz, samba, ambient and forró.
Born in Lagoa da Canoa in 1936, Pascoal came to wider attention through the 60s and 70s, performing with leading Brazilian musicians and later contributing to Miles Davis’ Live-Evil. He went on to play as part of a number of musical ensembles, releasing a number of different full-length projects across his decades-long career.
The London-based label Far Out Recordings, which specialises in highlighting Brazilian music, reissued a number of Pascoal’s projects in recent years.
