Rhythm and the Genius of Bernardo Sassetti
Bernardo Sassetti, whose work continues to resonate within the world of jazz and contemporary classical music in Portugal, deserves much broader study and appreciation beyond his home country. His music, characterized by its sophisticated interplay of rhythm and melody, is highly innovative but also explores new intellectual ground. I’ve wanted to write on Sassetti since his premature death in 2012 (he was only 41), and this post is a kind of ice-breaker. My hope is to examine his contributions to art and music through an analytical lens that combines musicology with philosophical inquiry.
Early Life and Musical Foundations
Born in Lisbon in 1970 to a prominent Portuguese family, Sassetti began his formal music education at the age of nine. He studied classical piano under the tutelage of renowned Portuguese musicians and eventually moved to jazz by his teens.
Sassetti’s initial foray into jazz was marked by an intense study of seminal figures such as Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. These influences are evident in his nuanced approach to harmony and rhythm. However, what sets Sassetti apart is his ability to synthesize these elements with a uniquely Iberian sensibility—an integration of fado’s melancholic undertones with the improvisational freedom of jazz. There are likely few jazz composers (including Miles Davis) who more fruitfully exploited the possibilities of silence.
Rhythmanalysis
One cannot discuss Sassetti without addressing his profound (if unspoken) engagement with rhythmanalysis—a concept originally formulated by Portuguese philosopher Lúcio Pinheiro dos Santos and further developed by Henri Lefebvre. Rhythmanalysis involves the study of rhythms as they manifest across different contexts: natural phenomena, urban life, and artistic expressions. In Sassetti’ s work, this manifests as a meticulous, even obsessive focus on temporal structures within his compositions.
For instance, in albums such as Unreal: Sidewalk Cartoon (2006) and Dúvida (2007), one observes a deliberate manipulation of rhythmic patterns that evoke both tension and resolution. These works are not merely collections of pieces but rather cohesive narratives where rhythm serves as both subject and medium. His use of polyrhythms—multiple contrasting rhythms played simultaneously—creates a complex auditory tapestry that challenges listeners to engage actively with the music. One finds a similar exploration of temporality and rhythm in his movie soundtracks, such as in Marco Martins’s 2005 film, Alice. His Timbuktu Solo Sessions from not long before his death are likewise a masterclass in rhythm and silence.
Another profound aspect of Sassetti’s work is his photography. He was photographing near the Praia do Abano (Cascais) when he fell to his death, and his commitment to visual art is unexpectedly tied to his focus on rhythm. His photographs often make their way to his album covers, and one can see some of this work at the Casa Bernardo Sassetti website. His "Passagem" series is a kind of musical composition in its own way. Watching/hearing him improvise alongside Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 film La passion de Jeanne d'Arc at the 2011 Arts Festival in Coimbra also provides a powerful way of appreciating his commitment to the interruption of flow in image and sound.
Sassetti’s genius lies not just in technical prowess or compositional skill but also in his ability to weave together disparate strands—from jazz improvisation to literary allusion—into coherent yet multifaceted works. His contributions extend beyond mere entertainment; they invite us into deeper contemplation about time, narrative structure, and creative potentiality.
If my 2020 book of rhythm looks mostly at Presocratic and more recent African ideas on rhythm as form, it may be that a focus on Sassetti and rhythmanalysis allows for a more focused examination of how rhythm conditions our lives.
