Itiberê Zwarg bass · Fábio Pascoal percussion · André Marques piano · Ajurinã Zwarg drums · Jota P. saxes & flutes
Hermeto’s Mothership brings together the musicians who accompanied Hermeto Pascoal on stage and in the studio for decades, now performing tribute concerts with a 100% Hermeto repertoire. They are the core unit that lived daily inside his Música Universal—the Maestro’s (the Campeão’s) practice of precise writing, collective improvisation, and fearless timbre exploration.
The programme spans multiple eras—classics, rarities, and recent works—performed in Hermeto’s own arrangements. The setlist is shaped show by show to celebrate the composer, multi-instrumentalist, and “sorcerer” who released more than 35 albums, wrote over 10,000 pieces, and coined ideas such as Música Universal and Som da Aura.
The current line-up features:
• Itiberê Zwarg (bass) — in the group since 1977, a reference for the ensemble’s rhythmic and harmonic architecture.
• Fábio Pascoal (percussion) — member since the late 1980s and recording director on all Hermeto albums since 1999.
• André Marques (piano) — pianist and arranger with extensive international experience, in the group since 1994, and musical director of a Latin Grammy-winning big band project.
• Ajurinã Zwarg (drums) — drummer, composer, and educator with long involvement in the group’s stage and educational projects.
• Jota P. (saxes/flutes) — featured soloist on recent tours and recordings, with a strong artistic voice of his own.
Over the decades with Hermeto, the members of Mothership have toured across all continents, performing at major festivals and venues and extending the Maestro’s international recognition. Recent highlights include the Latin Grammy for Pra Você, Ilza (2024), an album dedicated to the memory of Dona Ilza, Hermeto’s wife.
Having travelled the world with the Campeão for so many years, this is the group that best carries his stage language and keeps Música Universal alive.
Hermeto’s Mothership is both tribute and continuity: the musicians who toured the world with Hermeto and who, with historical authority and their own voice, continue to bring his musical vision to life on stage.
