Miles Davis said that Hermeto Pascoal is “one of the most important musicians on the planet”. On the Planetário Da Gávea recordings, Hermeto is cast as the “sorcerer” or the “cosmic emissary”, exhibiting an intuitive sense of harmony and melody beyond that of our own world. A live recording of a performance on a balmy Brazilian night in February 1981, in Rio de Janeiro’s Gávea neighbourhood under the iconic dome of the city’s Planetarium. Most of the compositions performed that night had never been recorded before, and many are unique to this album. Wild improvisation meets groovy, virtuosic vamping on progressive, extended psychedelic jams. The tracks are generally built around a beautiful, transcendent melody; instantly recognisable as being Hermeto’s, and present a plethora of powerfully delivered rhythms.