Arismar do Espírito Santo is one of those enigmatic figures in music. He is a prolific composer, and is very much beloved in Brazil and abroad. Many of his compositions are already modern day standards, and I think most would agreed that it's fair to label him a living legend.
Beyond his incredible writing, Arismar plays most instruments to a very high level. Many other multi-instrumentalists seem to have a primary instrument, and then happen to be good at others as well. I'm not sure that is the case for Arismar. He seems to gig regularly on guitar, bass, piano, and drums, and many of his albums are multi-tracked with him playing every instrument.
About a year ago he released a series of videos on his YouTube channel in which he talks about and plays many of his instruments. My Portuguese isn't great, and he tends to speak fairly quickly and colloquially, but still, the musical content is fantastic. Even if you don't speak a word of Portuguese, the playing alone makes it worth the watch. His style is incredibly creative, while being steeped in tradition.
Below are the videos on drumset and percussion, but as a rhythm section player the others are certainly worth a watch as well.
Thanks. This is great! I don't understand a single word, but he sounds fantastic. This is highly inspiring!
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