The composer, singer, and guitarist Jards Macalé died in Rio de Janeiro on Monday (17) after suffering a cardiac arrest while hospitalized at a hospital in Barra da Tijuca, in the Southwest Zone of the city. The artist was being treated for pulmonary emphysema and had been undergoing medical procedures.
In the statement published by the family and reproduced by G1, the text laments the loss and recalls the musician’s creative spirit. “Jards Macalé left us today. He even woke up from surgery singing ‘Meu Nome é Gal’, with all the energy and good humor he always had. Sing, sing, sing. That’s how we’ll always remember our master, teacher, and beacon of freedom. We already thank everyone for the affection, love, and admiration. We will soon provide details about the funeral.” The note also recalls one of his memorable phrases: “In the sum of all these things, what remains is art. I no longer want to be modern; I want to be eternal.”
A radical and essential creator for MPB
Born in Rio in 1943, Jards Anet da Silva began his musical career in the 1960s, when his first composition was recorded by Elizeth Cardoso in 1964. His vanguardist stance, combined with a refusal to follow commercial formats, marked his identity and positioned him as the “torto angel” of MPB—an expression used by journalist Mauro Ferreira to analyze his singular contribution to Brazilian music.
His first major national impact came in 1969, during the IV International Song Festival, thanks to the explosive performance of “Gotham City”. Three years later, in 1972, Macalé released his first solo album, a milestone that consolidated his hybrid and experimental aesthetic, combining rock, samba, jazz, blues, baião, and song. From that phase came classics immortalized also by Gal Costa and Maria Bethânia, such as “Hotel das Estrelas”, “Mal Secreto”, and “Vapor Barato”.
Partnerships, legacy, and artistic coherence
Over the decades, Macalé maintained creative dialogues with names like Waly Salomão, Torquato Neto, and José Carlos Capinan, building a body of work permeated by strangeness, poetry, and a radical defense of aesthetic freedom. His affinity with Luiz Melodia reinforced this path of resistance to pressures from record labels in the 1970s and 1980s.
His ruminative vocal mark, combined with a classically trained guitar, consolidated an unmistakable style, present both in his own compositions and in interpretations of Ismael Silva, Lupicínio Rodrigues, and other pillars of Brazilian music. Even after a long career, he remained active and relevant: in 2019, he released “Besta Fera”, an album acclaimed by critics and pointed out as one of the great works in his discography.
Jards Macalé leaves a body of work that remains a reference for invention, boldness, and artistic integrity in Brazilian music.
Lula: ‘Jards Macalé made history against authoritarianism’
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote on Monday (17) a message to highlight the legacy of singer Jards Macalé, who died at 82 in Rio de Janeiro, where he was being treated for pulmonary emphysema. “He always defended the valorization of culture and transformed his talent and art into a constant struggle against authoritarianism,” the PT member stated on social network X.
“Jards Macalé said that love is a political gesture. And that in times of hate and intrigue, few people talked about love, which is why it was so important to sing it.
The president commented on how he met the musician. “I was with Jards in the fight for redemocratization. We met again several times over the years. Jards Macalé made history as a singer and composer of some of the brightest songs in our MPB. To all those missing Jards Macalé, I send a warm hug”.
Source: brasil247.com