Hermeto Pascoal

Hermeto Pascoal is one of the biggest legends of jazz. But you probably won’t find him in many histories of jazz, and someone in his band plays a clog.

As part of the N&N festival, Hermeto is joined on stage by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO). With a range of trombones, saxophones, trumpets, a guitar, upright bass, percussionist, flute and a French horn, they make for a forceful big band sound. They’re full of energy, each solo is performed with remarkable skill. At first the NYJO open, after a brief interlude of free, somewhat atonal improvisation, they begin vocal interjections – various yelps, squawks – seemingly whatever comes to whichever musician when, it acts as a bit of a flavour of what’s to come. Vocal acrobatics has always been something Hermeto has been a fan of. Later in the set he even involves the crowd in a call and response – something that never seems to happen at any jazz gig. It’s a bit odd that it doesn’t, it feels a bit like Hermeto’s music and performance forms these great links between folk and jazz tradition.

The whole evening is perfectly curated, with a gradual appearance of members, the NYJO opening, Hermeto joining, then his band. What follows is a charming dialogue between the three units. It adds another dimension to Hermeto’s music – a generational communication. You’re left with a taste of sweetness. The admiration shared between musicians and the support is a beautiful thing to watch. Whether it’s members of the NYJO awestruck by the incredible virtuosity of Hermeto and his band, or Hermeto and his band mates intently following the young musician’s solos. The concert was a vehicle of the spirit of jazz music. Communication through music. Hermeto Pascoal brings a playfulness, which to some degree is childish, but the impishness of it is what fills it with character. The 2nd percussionist utilizes an eccentric range of instruments – one of which is the aforementioned clog. Despite the strangeness, it’s remarkably successful (thanks to its hollowness one would assume). This brings it crucially back to what made the concert so good – the charm and playfulness. There is little ego or pretension. It’s all for fun, entertainment and crucially good and full music.

The final set concludes with both bands joining together and the NYJO conductor joining with a melodica, to boot. Making their way off the stage, the entire set of performers form a train, playing their instruments all the way back into the venue’s green room. The statement is clear – community and communication are key. Throughout the evening, Hermeto Pascoal & the NYJO created a bright atmosphere of joy. The inter-generational element of the performance, bringing young and old jazz musicians together only added to the atmosphere. An excellent evening.