Mundo Verde Esperança [Import]

1. Taiane

2. Celso

3. Airan

4. Uína

5. Caio

6. Taynara

7. Joyce

8. Ilzinha

9. Aluxan

10. Ursula

11. Camila

12. Renan

13. Victor Assis Brasil

14. Ailin

Tracks:

Taiane
Celso
Airan
U
Caio
Taynara
Joyce
Ilzinha
Aluxan
Ursula
Camila
Renan
Victor Assis Brasil
Ailin

Customer Reviews:

Check Him Out!.......2006-07-15

I was exposed to Hermeto Pascoal's "Mundo Verde Esperança" while taking a class on Global Jazz. His music immediately appealed to me, not because I "got it", but because I had a reference for it. Sonically, his music reminded me of some of my favorite 70's fusion work. Bill Bruford's early solo material circa "Master Strokes" came to mind, as did some of Gentle Giant's instrumental work, but most strongly the reference I had (and still have) for Mundo Verde Esperança was Frank Zappa's instrumental work from the 70's.

Hermeto's compositional use of angularly extended melodies, his comfort with speech-related rhythms, and his overall choice of instrumentation brought to mind Zappa's work on "Hot Rats", "Waka/Jawaka", and "The Grand Wazoo". However, this similarity does not seem referential, but coincidental. While much can be found on the internet about Hermeto, for the limited purposes of an initial Amazon review, I find his formative years particularly compelling. In particular, it is interesting to consider the way that his path (which in some ways was diametrically opposite to Zappa's) came to produce such an immediately recognizable similarity.

Hermeto showed prodigious strength as a musician very early. His father exposed him to music on the 8-button accordion, at which he immediately excelled. However, his most important musical influences were even less formal. During the day, when most of his family was working in the sun, his albino condition forced him to take shade. To occupy himself during this time, he would experiment with found objects, creating new musical instruments to musically dialogue with his environment. The sounds of nature proved to be a profound influence on him, and he came to view all sounds as inherently musical. This perspective would affect his music as he continued his training, learning to formally read and write music later in life. Eventually, he evolved into a compelling and respected composer and multi-instrumentalist.

This self-directed and organic musical pedagogy that was closely tied to the sounds of nature lies in direct opposition to Zappa's distinctively Western technologically-based evolution. However, the end results yield compelling post-modern similarities. The "found" objects that influenced Zappas were pieces of recorded tape, whether it was speech (Lumpy Gravy) or the xenochronic interactions of unrelated musical events (Jazz From Hell).

Hermeto's found objects include teakettles played with tuba mouthpieces, squeak toys, and water-filled soda bottles. In addition, his melodic sense is informed by more traditional Brazilian music styles like the Choro. His angular, meandering, focused conception of melody and rhythm comes from these experiences. However, despite this disparity of experience, the sonic similarities he shares with to Zappa is compelling, even though they probably had little or maybe even no contact with each other. In both cases, tradition, environment, and "modernity" collided to create something that did not comfortably align itself with any of those narratives.

The Lowdown: While it is highly likely that many U.S. listeners are not familiar with Hermeto, this does not in any way reflect the vision and talent of this amazing musician. If you are a fan of 70s prog-jazz-fusion, you should absolutely check out this recording. His fascinating background is worth a web search. Hermeto has made many recordings, but this one is the easiest to acquire and is a good place to start.

Of course.......2006-05-10

I wouldn't expect anything less than something brilliant from Hermeto, especially after such a long recording drought. He is one of the greatest musical geniuses of the past century, capable of vast creative exploration while maintaining a level of accessability that many great creative musicians do not attempt. Of course this album is amazing, I would expect nothing less.

Hermeto Pascoal-the legacy continues.......2004-08-23

This 2002 release was the first from Hermeto's 'Grupo' after a 10 year recording hiatus. The Grupo here is Hermeto, Fabio Pascoal (perc), Alexandre Marques (piano), Itiberê Zwarg (bass), Marcio Bahia (drums), and Vinícius Dorin (sax/flute). Also featured are members of Itiberê's 'Orquestra Família'(their first recording 'Pedra do Espia' is available here at Amazon), delivering incredible performances of fourteen tunes, each named for one of Pascoal's grandchildren.
The music here is fresh, challenging, and inspiring; everything you would expect from 'O Bruxo'. The musicianship is virtuostic; especially from the 'Orquestra' members, none of whom is over 25 years of age! This, along with all the great musicians to have passed through Hermeto's tutelage, is Hermeto's legacy; his 'Universal Music' will live and grow forever.
A must for any Hermeto collection; and required listening for jazz fans who want to discover contemporary Brazilian improvised music.

Rock Music:

Rock Music

rock music

Recommended Music:

Music Review: 21st. Century NOW!

Rendezvous of Angels: Horn Concertos - Mozart

Myth America

At The Dance

Room 222/Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies [Soundtrack]

Per Un Pugno Di Euri [Import]

Preservation: Acts 1 & 2

Passionoia [Import]

Letters From Afar

Prokofiev: Romeo And Juliet/Pushkin Waltz No.2, Op.120

Noir

Sacred Chants of Gayatri

Rebel Soul

Mozart: Serenades and Divertimenti for Winds

Standards in Gray