If you ask jazz players from many countries and generations which Brazilian musicians they admire the most, Hermeto Pascoal will surely be among their favorites. And that is easy to explain: the songs from this genius multi-instrumentalist and composer, born in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, has all elements valued by jazz players – free improvisation, beautiful tunes and harmonic sophistication. This “wizard” also used unusual objects (kettles, bowls, bottles and glasses) as instruments. André Marques – talented pianist, composer and arranger who plays in Hermeto’s group for 21 years, in Curupira trio and in Vintena Brasileira orchestra – was able to see Hermeto’s international reputation during an European tour in 2013. When they met the musicians from Wayne Shorter’s band, André saw the bass player John Patitucci and the drummer Brian Blade bowing to Hermeto, in a way that only the most loyal fans do. In this casual meeting, André was able to put into practice an idea that he had months ago. He wanted to start a project dedicated to Hermeto’s work and to record an album with foreign instrumentalists who hadn’t been in touch with this kind of music yet. “I wanted to introduce a different sonority to Hermeto’s music. Doing it with such renowned musicians is great”, says André. He asked Rogério Boccato, percussionist from Sao Paulo who current lives in New York, to contact Patitucci and Blade. They both accepted André’s invitation, and Boccato was responsible for the album’s executive production. The partnership between André and Borandá, a record label from Sao Paulo, Brazil, responsible for the album’s production and distribution, was crucial for the project. “I contacted Borandá because I have known Fernando Grecco for many years. In my first experience in a group, he played the electric guitar. I was only 15 years old. We talked a lot, I met Gisella Gonçalves and we established the partnership for producing this CD, which made me very happy”, says André. The album “Viva Hermeto” was recorded in New Jersey, USA, in November, 2014. As usual among jazz players, André and his new partners only met in the studio. “I sent them the scores and the songs in piano. There was no rehearsal. We went to the studio and recorded all tracks played by the trio on the same day”, says André, who recorded the piano solos the next day. One week later, the album was already mixed and mastered. The repertoire contains Hermeto’s classics such as “Bebê”, “Chorinho pra Ele” and “Tacho”, along with some songs he decided not to record. “I chose some well known songs, so the listener would recognize the tunes and compare the original song to the new version created by these musicians”, explains André. That is exactly what happens with the baião-style song “O Ovo” (originally recorded in 1967 by Hermeto and Quarteto Novo), the first track of the album. “Mi idea was to play it freely, almost entirely improvised. There was no point in asking Brian and John to play it in baião-style.” “Música das Nuvens e do Chão” (recorded by Hermeto in the album “Cérebro Magnético”, in 1980) is also widely known. Thanks to the bow Patitucci uses to pluck the strings of his acoustic bass, the song presents a different sonority. “As this song has some parts in 7/4 rhythm, I mixed it with ‘Capivara’, which was composed the same way”, explains André, referring to a song composed by Hermeto and recorded by the pianist Sergio Mendes in his album “Oceano”, in 1996. André has also selected songs known by very few Hermeto’s fans, such as “Ramos de Girassol”, which was never recorded by the musician. “I have always loved this song. The tunes are so beautiful. My idea was to play it with a single arrangement, playing the bass with a bow. I composed the tune one octave lower, but John wanted to make things more complex and played it following his feelings: an octave higher, in high-pitch tone and slower”, remembers André. Among Hermeto’s unpublished or unknown songs, “Ferragens” sounds more contemporary. “I read the score and played it my way. Every single note of this song is written, like a classical piece in four short movements”, says André. His technique and interpretation are impressive, as he plays metallic sounds in the piano. “Na Guaribada da Noite” (which Hermeto used to play in shows in the 80’s, but did not record) was arranged by André to the trio, and Brian Blade drove the rhythm. “I chose this song precisely because of him. I imagined him playing the drums in a totally free manner”, says the pianist. “Boiada” (recorded by Hermeto in the album “Eu e Eles”, in 1999) is the last track. It is accelerated, with 5/4 rhythm and many repetitions played in the double bass. Only an instrumentalist like John Patitucci could play it so nicely in a single take. “He told me he didn’t want to record it again, because if he played it all again he might lose his arm”, says André. “Viva Hermeto” is a very creative and well deserved tribute to the work of this great master of universal music. It also proves that André Marques is ready to be in the international jazz scene, along with renowned musicians such as Brian Blade and John Patitucci. Hermeto must have been proud to see that another mentee is about to be recognized all around the world. Carlos Calado is a journalist, editor and music critic July, 2015