A lifelong immersion in Brazilian music has been defining for a pianist who chose to risk everything when, at the age of 24, he traveled to the land of samba and bossa nova. He was awarded the Troféu Caymmi in Salvador, Bahia, for Best Group, and for five decades he has performed Brazilian music with some of Brazil’s leading musicians in Brazil, Portugal, and Denmark. As a performing pianist, Jesper Hedegaard has lived in Brazil for 12 years. He has been particularly dedicated to Brazilian instrumental music (MIB), while also being a devoted admirer of Brazilian popular music (MPB), samba, and bossa nova.
Since 2010, the Jesper Hedegaard Trio and Jesper Hedegaard MIB5 have performed concerts in Brazil at venues such as TribOz, Wagner Tiso Jazz Club, Santo Scenarium, Centro Municipal de Referência da Música Carioca, Beco das Garrafas, JazzB, Jazz nos Fundos, Núcleo Contemporâneo, and Avivo Music.
Between 2013 and 2018, Jesper completed six tours in Denmark and, with support from JazzDanmark, brought leading Brazilian musicians to Denmark, including Sidiel Vieira (bass), Fernando Pereira (drums), Dudu Penz (bass), Renato Endrigo (drums), Thais Motta (vocals), Ramon Montagner (drums), and Celso de Almeida (drums). These collaborations resulted in concerts at venues such as Giant Steps, Café Divino, Portalen, Lyngby Jazz Club, Aarhus Jazz Society, Paradise Jazz, Hornbæk Jazz Club, Værket (Randers), Kulturhuset Islands Brygge, and Tranquebar, under the name Jesper Hedegaard Sound of Brasil.
Between 2019 and 2021, Jesper lived in Lisbon, where he performed at venues including Hot Clube de Portugal, Cascais Jazz Club, Be Jazz Café, and Mais Jazz, as well as at the European Festival in Coimbra.
In 2024 and 2025, Dominique & Jesper Hedegaard Sound of Brasil have performed to enthusiastic audiences at venues such as Lyngby Jazz Club, Hornbæk Jazz Club, Aarhus Jazz Society, Svanekegaarden, Giant Steps, and Jazz På Tværs, often receiving standing ovations—along with appearances at Kulturværftet, Viften, and Baltoppen.
