Photo: Festival Sensacional · CC BY-SA 2.0 · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Hermeto Pascoal
Person · male · Brazil · Arapiraca · born 1936 · died 2025 · recording since 1964
Brazilian composer, musician and record producer (1936–2025)
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Also known as Hermeto Paschoal · Pascoal*Hermeto · エルメート・パスコアール
Timeline
26 events▣ Album 22◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1✦ Award 1† Death 1
1930s
1960s
· Debut release
Debut release: Roteiro Noturno
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography777 words · 5 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1379391115
Biography
Hermeto Pascoal Oliveira da Costa best known as Hermeto Pascoal (22 June 1936 – 13 September 2025) was a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. Pascoal was best known in Brazilian music for his orchestration and improvisation, as well as for being a record producer and contributor to many Brazilian and international albums.
Early life and career
Pascoal was born on 22 June 1936 in Olho d'Água das Flores in Northeastern Brazil, in an area that lacked electricity at the time he was born. He learned the accordion from his father and practiced for hours indoors, as, being born with albinism, he was incapable of working in the countryside with the rest of his family. As a child, Pascoal idolised baião accordionist Luiz Gonzaga, and he inspired both Pascoal and his brother, José Neto, to pursue music.
From an early age, Pascoal played the button accordion. At age seven, he started with the flute. Pascoal was a self-taught child prodigy, not only learning the accordion but also learning scat singing and being good at whistling, being able to do birdcalls. When he was eleven, he started performing in musical groups with his brother and father. He and his family moved between Recife and Caruaru several times. Pascoal starting playing in some groups there that would start getting radio time. With his brother and Sivuca, who both also had albinism, he formed an accordion trio called O Mundo em Chamas for a short time.
Pascoal taught himself piano, woodwind and percussion instruments. At the end of the 1950s, Pascoal had moved to the south of the country and eked out a living as a musician in Rio and São Paulo. In 1960, he picked up the saxophone and created the group Som Quatro.
In 1964, he played in the Sambrasa Trio, with Airto Moreira and Humberto Clayber. They released only one album, Em Som Maior. Then he joined Trio Novo (Airto Moreira, Heraldo do Monte, Theo de Barros) and in 1967 the group, renamed Quarteto Novo, released an album that launched the careers of Pascoal and Moreira. Pascoal would then go on to join the multi-faceted group Brazilian Octopus. In 1969, at the invitation of Flora Purim and Airto Moreira , he traveled to the United States and recorded two LPs with them on Buddah Records, serving as composer, arranger, and instrumentalist: Pascoal also managed to record his debut album in 1970 for Cobblestone Records with the help of Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Joe Farrell and Googie Coppola.
International fame
Pascoal initially caught the international public's attention with an appearance on Miles Davis's 1971 album Live-Evil, which featured him on three pieces, which he also composed. Davis allegedly called Pascoal "the most impressive musician in the world". Later collaborations involved fellow Brazilian musicians Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. From the late 1970s onward, he has mostly led his own groups, playing at many prestigious venues, such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1979. Other members of the group have included bassist Itibere Zwarg, pianist Jovino Santos-Neto and percussionists Nene, Pernambuco, and Zabelê.
Between 1996 and 1997, Pascoal worked on a book project called Calendário do Som, which contains a song for every day of the year, including 29 February, so that everyone would have a song for their birthday.
He later returned to the Jabour neighborhood in Bangu, Rio de Janeiro, where he spent much of his time composing, rehearsing and hosting musicians from all over the world.
In 2019, his album Hermeto Pascoal e Sua Visão Original do Forró
Hermeto Pascoal e sua Visão Original do ForróSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Forró pela manhã2:012Pantanal brasileiro3:133Sivucando no frevo2:464Pernambuco falando para o mundo3:345Academia de forró do frei Raimundo3:416Quadrilha na roça4:287Agora eu quero instrumental4:318Forró na toca7:119Forró para vovó Rosa Maria5:4510De Natal para Mossoró4:3311O ovo3:2412A ova6:4313Forrozinho brejeiro3:2214Uriama5:1015Avestruz do Fabrício na madrugada4:2616Adelzon Alves no forró5:1917Isto é Brasil2:34 won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Portuguese Language Roots Album.
Personal life
Pascoal was married to Ilza da Silva, to whom he dedicated many compositions, from 1954 until her death in 2000. They had six children, Jorge, Fábio, Flávia, Fátima, Fabiula, and Flávio, and many grandchildren. Hermeto was later married to Aline Morena from 2003 until 2016, while living in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
Pascoal died from multiple organ failure in Rio de Janeiro, on 13 September 2025, at the age of 89.
Music
Pascoal was a multi-instrumentalist who would switch between instruments in performance. Known as o Bruxo (the Sorcerer), he often made music with unconventional objects such as teapots, children's toys, and animals, as well as keyboards, button accordions, melodica, saxophones, guitars, flutes, voices, various brass and folkloric instruments. He used nature as a basis for his compositions, as in his Música da Lagoa, in which the musicians burble water and play glass bottles and flutes while immersed in a lagoon: a Brazilian television broadcast from 1999 showed him soloing at one point by singing into a cup with his mouth partially submerged in water. Folk music from rural Brazil is another important influence in his work.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 27 | 88.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 33 | 91.2th |
| Studio albums | 23 | 97.2th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 26 | 95.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 58 | 96.8th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (33 release groups · 23 studio albums)
Albums · 23
1964 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks
A1TabernaA2HomenagemA3Nos Braços De IsabelA4Somos IguaisA5CastigoA6Arranha CéuB1NuncaB2RugasB3Você VoltouB4MulataB5Meus Vinte AnosB6Chão De Estrelas1970 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 43:31
A1Yogurt (Coalhada)2:58A2Hermeto5:16A3Bells (Guizos)6:14A4The Love Flower (Flor do Amor)5:50B1Pliers (Alicate)4:52B2Mourning (Velório)10:15B3The Marianas (As Marianas)4:25B3Fabiola3:411977 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 42:50
A1Mixing Pot (Tacho)9:19A2Slaves Mass (Missa dos escravos)4:19A3Little Cry For Him (Chorinho pra ele)2:11A4Cannon (Dedicated to Cannonball Adderley)5:20B1Just Listen (Escuta meu piano)7:08B2That Waltz (Aquela valsa)2:47B3Cherry Jam (Geleia de cereja)11:461979 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 41:46
1São Jorge2:362Rede6:273Pimenteira6:274Suíte paulistana5:275Santo Antônio4:076Alexandre, Marcelo e Pablo5:167Suíte norte, sul, leste, oeste3:558Susto3:039Mestre Mará4:281980 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 36:59
1Voz e vento3:212Música das nuvens e do chão3:533Dança da selva na cidade grande4:444Amor, paz e esperança2:375Diálogo3:546Correu tanto que sumiu1:257Festa na Lua3:278Eita mundo bom!2:329Religiosidade2:0710Arrasta pé alagoano4:2211Vou esperar1:4612Auriana1:0313Banda encarnação1:48Lagoa da Canoa, Município de Arapiraca
1984 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 52:28
1Ilza na feijoada4:052Santa Catarina3:343Tiruliruli3:404Papagaio alegre4:495Vai mais, garotinho3:456Monte Santo4:527Casa de Farinha5:188Spock na escada4:379Mestre Radamés0:5910Aquela coisa5:3011Frevo em Maceió0:2812Desencontro certo4:16137 x 886:35A música livre de Hermeto Paschoal
1986 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 37:32
A1Bebê4:26A2Carinhoso6:39A3Plin2:39A4Sereiarei4:39B1Asa branca4:22B2Gaio da roseira14:471987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 19 tracks · 1:11:51
1De sábado prá dominguinhos4:352Meu barco0:503Viagem4:254Zurich9:305O correio0:496Intocável3:007Flávia5:038Candango4:159Suíte mundo grande4:0310Parnapua1:0511Canção da tarde2:3512Mente clara2:1313Ilha das gaivotas4:4914Republiço2:3615Convento0:5316Quiabo5:1417Menina azul8:4118Garrote3:0319Rancho das sogras4:12Por Diferentes Caminhos - Piano Acústico
1989 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:39:58
1Pixitotinha5:412Bebê5:373Macia2:414Nascente9:555Cari1:006Fale mais um pouquinho2:017Por diferentes caminhos3:438Eu te tudo4:059Nenê5:2810Sintetizando de verdade11:2911Pout Pourri: Assum preto / Última inspiração / Pau de arara8:3612Ê São Paulo10:3913Nostalgia5:2414Amanhã9:4015Rosa7:0816Eu e a brisa6:51Renato Borghetti E Hermeto Pascoal
1993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks
1Peleia2Barra Do Ribeiro3Sétimo Do Pontal4Redomona5Parceria6Fronteira7Segura Essa8Miscelânea Brasileira9Menina Ilza10Improviso I11Improviso II12Asa Branca13Oujundami Crame Jundami1998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 46:20
1Mentalizando a cruz8:092Surpresa3:263Peixinho3:274Era pra ser e não foi5:185Crianças (cuida de lá)3:316O tocador quer beber4:447Arapuá6:388Salve, copinha2:279E nem dá pra dizer3:5510Sempre feliz2:3411Calma de repente2:111999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 44:53
1Chorinho MEC3:522Viva Jackson do Pandeiro2:243Caminho do sol1:214A sua benção, Brasil3:405Fauna universal3:346Vai um chimarrão, tchê?4:167Miscelânia vanguardiosa5:118Linguagens e costumes3:319Merco som4:2710Boiada3:5911Capelinha e lembranças5:3712Parquinho do passado, presente e futuro3:012000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 55:32
1Água limpa4:412Encontro com as águas4:093Campo Grande3:464Brinde às raízes4:055Bruxo5:026Tapari-Calmaria4:317Chorinho da vovó3:288Saudade do Tietê5:399Maior que o mar3:5810Marco zero3:2111Ilza mentalizando a feira5:1812Valsa HSG3:2413Pra Ilza4:102002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 38:47
1Sorrindo2:232Magimani Sagei4:433Lá na Casa da Madame Eu Vi2:354De Bandeja e Tudo5:475Série de Arco3:556Novena3:337Moreneide1:458Cores5:289A Taça3:5110Briguinha de Músicos Malucos no Coreto4:472002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:06:05
1Taiane4:532Celso5:203Airan2:284Uína5:005Caio5:276Taynara4:007Joyce5:158Ilzinha5:349Aluxan4:3410Ursula3:0911Renan4:3612Camila5:2613Victor Assis Brasil5:0314Ailin5:202006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 19 tracks · 53:16
1Subindo a seba3:222Aline frevando2:373Uriama2:544Xote cavaco1:515Mestre mara cuspindo fogo na zacumbira2:346Mudança2:497Divina na milonga3:338Salada à brasileira1:199Garrote2:3210Soltando os bichos0:5511Mistura do brasil moderno2:2412Batucando nas matas3:4613Kein wort4:0214Nós4:1815Galope e dança sanfonada2:4616A Cappella1:4717Baile de candeiro2:5318Bem-te-vi3:1319Família3:412010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 46:26
1Casa di Xaquér3:442Capivara3:163Túnel3:534Futricando na rua1:585Viola caipira no choro3:166Bem coladinho1:497Terra Brasil2:158Casinha do olho d’água2:219Jogando confete na Aline1:5410Años de soledad3:3111Canguruzando2:1112Palhinha universal para Governador Valadares1:5513Nenhum talvez3:1614Recunguê3:3815Balaio, aroeira e chula1:5616Berrantes e vozes3:0017Viagem do subconsciente2:332017 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:09:30
1Obrigado mestre4:192Viva o Gil Evans5:473Choro árabe4:224Pulando a cerca6:165Brasil universo9:246Pirâmide5:057Menina Ilza8:068De Cuba lanchando3:529Apresentação7:4410O som do sol7:3711Jegue e meu jumento mimoso6:58Viajando com o som (The Lost ’76 Vice-Versa Studio Session)
2017 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 44:23
1Dança do pajé9:002Mavumvavumpefoco3:383Natal (Tema das flautas)5:114Casinha pequenina26:342018 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 52:59
1Moment of Collapse5:262Waltz for Hermeto6:013Palmares Fantasy5:214Said6:135Montreux10:016The Conversation4:517Tudo Que Você Podia Ser (All That You Could Be)3:468The Blonde5:049Your Way Not My Way6:16Hermeto Pascoal e sua Visão Original do Forró
2018 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:12:41
1Forró pela manhã2:012Pantanal brasileiro3:133Sivucando no frevo2:464Pernambuco falando para o mundo3:345Academia de forró do frei Raimundo3:416Quadrilha na roça4:287Agora eu quero instrumental4:318Forró na toca7:119Forró para vovó Rosa Maria5:4510De Natal para Mossoró4:3311O ovo3:2412A ova6:4313Forrozinho brejeiro3:2214Uriama5:1015Avestruz do Fabrício na madrugada4:2616Adelzon Alves no forró5:1917Isto é Brasil2:342022 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:58:16
Disc 11Amor, Paz e Esperança / Homônimo Sintróvio32:452Samba Do Belaqua13:193Vou Pra Lá e Pra Cá13:274Bombardino8:55Disc 21Era Pra Ser e Não Foi12:152São Jorge / Ilza na Feijoada14:343Duo de Bateras7:094Duo de Bateras II1:165Ferragens4:216Jegue10:15— · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 57:41
1Coalhada2:592Hermeto4:213Guizos6:204Flor do amor5:505Alicate3:596Velório8:377As Marianas4:338Fabíola3:509Vou pra Rio Claro5:5310Minha família6:2611Suddenly4:53
Single · 3
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Porco na festa / Rainha do marSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 8:34APorco na festa3:47 BRainha do mar4:47 | 1975 | ||
| 1985 | Música da LagoaSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 4:171Música da Lagoa4:17 | 22 June 1985 | ||
| 2018 | A Música LivreSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 4:211A Música Livre4:21 | 20 March 2018 |
Album · 6
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Montreux Jazz FestivalSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 15 tracksDisc 1 A1Pintando o sete A2Forro em Santo André A3Remelexo A4Bem vinda B1Sax e aplausos B2Lagoa da Canoa Disc 2C1Fatima C2Terra verde C3Naturi C4Quebrando tudo D1Ilza D2Forro Brazil D3Montreux D4Voltando ao Palco D5E Adeus | Live | 1979 | |
| 1993 | Música viva: Pau Brasil / Hermeto PaschoalSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 6 tracks · 1:06:161Cordilheira dos Andes / Tubofone / Sem nome17:56 2Metrópole tropical / Olho d'água / Bambuzal23:16 3Harmonia sem cronologia5:11 4Viajando pelo Brasil4:41 5Mesclando9:49 6Rainha da Pedra Azul5:23 | Live | 1993 | |
| 1998 | O melhor da música de Hermeto PascoalSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 47:291Chorinho pra Ele2:10 2Fátima5:50 3Pintando o Sete2:31 4Forró Brasil2:40 5Aquela Valsa2:44 6Santo Antonio2:59 7São Jorge2:35 8Arrasta Pé Alagoano4:20 9Forró em Santo André7:32 10Eita, Mundo Bom!2:27 11Pimenteira6:28 12Cannon5:13 | Compilation | 1998 | |
| 2013 | The Monash SessionsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 6 tracks · 35:131Bebê9:48 2Fátima5:35 3Música das nuvens e do chão7:55 4Chorinho pra ele4:28 5O susto5:36 6Sounds of Hermeto1:51 | Compilation | 2013 | |
| — | Mestres da mpbSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 7 tracks · 42:401Tacho9:16 2Missa dos escravos4:19 3Aquela valsa2:48 4Cannon5:18 5Chorinho pra ele2:12 6Escuta meu piano7:09 7Geléia de cereja11:38 | Compilation | — | |
| — | A Música Brasileira Deste Século Por Seus Autores e Intérpretes Vol. 5 - CD 06Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 56:251Gaio da roseira8:23 2O passarinho verde6:20 3A volta da asa branca1:39 4Asa branca10:05 5O ovo3:21 6Nem um talvez1:19 7No rancho fundo11:45 8Asa branca2:57 9O trenzinho do caipira - Tico-tico no fubá - Vassourinhas7:12 10Bem-te-vi atrevido0:35 11Qui nem jiló1:28 12Brasileirinho1:21 | Compilation | — |
EP · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Made Of MusicSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 17:541Copo D'agua4:43 2Sanfona2:34 3Flauta3:27 4Piano 14:35 5Piano 22:35 | 15 April 2018 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Hermeto Pascoal head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 27 | 88.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 33 | 91.2th |
| Studio albums | 23 | 97.2th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 26 | 95.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 58 | 96.8th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Order of Cultural Merit (Brazil) | won |
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarteto Novo(band) | — | present | transverse flute |
| Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo(band) | — | present | eponymous,original |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:03_230624_-_Bruno_Figueiredo_-_SENSA_-_082_%2853045415791%29.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c7a4c4a0-9544-44e3-87f2-5779d18b753fdiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c7a4c4a0-9544-44e3-87f2-5779d18b753fcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q560969genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q560969seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeto_Pascoalbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeto_Pascoal
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Brazilian musicians
Tier rule: notable long tail (listeners 0, 27 language versions)
Image: Festival Sensacional · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q560969 · MusicBrainz: c7a4c4a0-9544-44e3-87f2-5779d18b753f
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