US EditionBrazilian Musician Hermeto Pascoal, Known as ‘The Mad Genius,’ Dies at 89
- Hermeto Pascoal, a Brazilian multi-instrumentalist known as 'The Sorcerer,' died on Saturday, September 13, 2025, surrounded by family and fellow musicians.
- Pascoal's death followed a decades-long international career sparked by his collaboration with Miles Davis in the 1960s, including work on the 1971 album Live-Evil.
- He created music blending jazz, samba, Brazilian popular music, bossa nova, chorinho, and forró using traditional instruments and unconventional objects like toy trains and piglets.
- Pascoal said in a 1989 interview, "I don't play one style, I play nearly all of them!" and described music as "diving into the sea with all my body and soul."
- His passing prompted widespread tributes celebrating his profound influence on Brazilian music and jazz, including recognition from Caetano Veloso and a 2023 honorary doctorate from Wynton Marsalis.
104 Articles
104 Articles
He was one of the defining figures of Brazilian music, which he expanded with influences from classical music and jazz. On Saturday, the brilliant and charismatic artist died 89 years old.
Brazilian musician, composer and performer Hermeto Pascoal died on September 13 at the age of 89. Creative and innovative, this exceptional musician has brought a beautiful touch of freedom to the music of the last 60 years.
The Brazilian Hermeto Pascoal made music with skin and hair. Now he died at the age of 89.
Hermeto Pascoal, Brazilian Musician Known as ‘The Mad Genius,’ Dies at 89
Hermeto Pascoal, the eccentric and prolific Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger known affectionately as “The Sorcerer of Sounds” and “The Mad Genius,” has died. He was 89. “With serenity and love, we announce that Hermeto Pascoal has passed on to the spiritual realm, surrounded by family and fellow musicians,” his family and team said in a statement late Saturday (Sept. 13) on Instagram. The statement did not provide a cau…
Appreciation: Hermeto Pascoal, dead at 89, was a singularly gifted music innovator
Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis publicly disagreed about a number of music-related topics. But the two jazz trumpet superstars were of the same mind when it came to Brazilian music giant Hermeto Pascoal, whose death Saturday at the age of 89 robs the world of a singularly gifted and daring sonic innovator. The notoriously difficult-to-please Davis called Pascoal “the most impressive musician in the world” after recording with him. Davis was so i…
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