Valvulado: Hermeto Pascoal & Sambrasa Trio

Samba-jazz group formed in the 1960s by Hermeto Pascoal (piano), Humberto Clayber (bass) and Airto Moreira (drums). In 1965, he released his only album, "Em Som Maior", containing the tracks "João Sem Braço" and "Lamento Nortista", both by Humberto Clayber, "Coalhada" (Hermeto Pascoal), "Sambrasa" (Airto Moreira ), "Mourinho" (Edu Lobo and Ruy Guerra), "Samba novo" (Durval Ferreira), "Clerenice" (José Neto Costa), "Duas cuentas" (Garoto), "Neither the sea knew" (Roberto Menescal and Ronaldo Bôscoli), "Arrastão" (Edu Lobo and Vinicius de Moraes) and "A jardineira" (Benedito Lacerda and Humberto Porto). The track "Hallelujah" was included in the collection "Bossa Festival", released that same year.

A rarely early bossa recording from Hermeto Pascoal -- heard here on both piano and flute, and working in a pre-Quarteto Novo trio alongside a young Airto Moreira on drums! The sound is much more conventionally bossa than any of Hermeto's later work -- but still filled with a tremendous sense of fluid grace and invention -- a markedly different mode than some of his contemporaries of the time, and a sound that really hints at the genius to come. Airto's totally great too -- hitting the drum kit in all sorts of unusual ways, and already demonstrating a strongly melodic approach to percussion. The last member of the group is bassist Humberto Clayber, who also plays a bit of cool harmonica -- and titles include "A Jardineira", "Clerenice", "Duas Contas", "Arrastão", "Sambrasa", "Aleluia", and "João Sem Braço".

Sambrasa Trio - Em Som Maior (1965)