Decades with Brazil’s musicians. A lifetime devoted to Música Instrumental Brasileira (MIB).

MIB is a rich and sophisticated expression of Brazil’s musical traditions, shaped by beautiful melodies, intricate harmonies, rhythmic diversity, and a spirit of musical freedom.

Led by Danish pianist, composer, and bandleader Jesper Hedegaard, BrasilExperience brings this living tradition to the stage. With five decades immersed in Brazilian music, including 12 years living and working as a pianist in Brazil, Jesper brings a lifetime of experience with this musical tradition to BrasilExperience.

BrasilExperience has performed extensively in Portugal, Brazil, and Denmark. The repertoire features compositions by Brazilian masters including Antônio Carlos Jobim, Guilherme Vergueiro, Arismar do Espírito Santo, and Adriano Giffoni, alongside original compositions by Jesper Hedegaard. The music draws on a rich variety of Brazilian rhythms, including samba, choro, baião, and samba-canção.

In Denmark, BrasilExperience has performed at venues and music events across the country, including Kulturværftet in Halsingør, Viften in Rødovre, Portalen in Greve, Giant Steps in Svendborg, Paradise Jazz in Copenhagen, Aarhus Jazz Society, and Kulturhuset Islands Brygge in Copenhagen, among others.

An international ensemble

BrasilExperience brings together musicians from Brazil, Sweden, Cuba, and Denmark. The lineup may vary from concert to concert, depending on location and logistical considerations, while maintaining the same musical spirit and commitment to Brazilian music.

Line-up:
Jesper Hedegaard (DK) – piano
Mats Andersson (SE) – guitar
Yasser Pino (CUB) – bass
Pedrinho Augusto (BRA) – drums

BIO – A life devoted to Brazilian Music  

Jesper Hedegaard is a Danish pianist, composer, producer, and bandleader who has devoted more than five decades to Brazilian music. His deep connection with Música Instrumental Brasileira (MIB) grew through years of musical exploration, collaboration, and first-hand experience of Brazil’s rich musical traditions.

At the age of 24, Jesper travelled to Brazil, where he spent 12 years living and working as a performing pianist. Immersed in the country’s musical life, he developed a profound understanding of its rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and cultural roots.

During his career, Jesper has performed alongside many of Brazil’s respected musicians, including Miúcha and Zezé Motta, as well as musicians associated with Djavan and Ivan Lins. In 1987, he received the Troféu Caymmi in Salvador, Bahia, in recognition of his artistic work.

Since 1976, Jesper has also played an important role in cultural exchange between Brazil and Denmark, bringing more than 100 Brazilian musicians and artists to Denmark. Through concerts, festivals, national tours, and educational work, he has helped introduce Brazilian music to audiences and musicians across Denmark and beyond.

His international career has taken him to stages in Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the United States. He has performed at events including the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and the European Festival in Coimbra, Portugal, and has taught Brazilian music at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory and MGK in Denmark, as well as at a university and jazz school in Lisbon.

His recordings reflect an ongoing commitment to the Brazilian musical tradition. In 2012, he released Time to Changewith the Jesper Hedegaard Trio, which received an excellent review in Jazz Special. In April 2025, he released Frutos do Nagé in collaboration with Dominique, further demonstrating the continuing development of his musical work.

Today, through BrasilExperience, Jesper continues to share Música Instrumental Brasileira with audiences in Europe and beyond, bringing together a lifetime of experience, a deep respect for Brazilian musical traditions, and a personal voice shaped by decades of musical exchange.

A lifelong immersion in Brazilian music has shaped Jesper Hedegaard as a pianist, composer, bandleader, and producer.

In 1987, he was awarded the prestigious Troféu Caymmi in Salvador, Bahia, in recognition of his artistic work.

For more than five decades, Jesper has performed Brazilian music alongside many of Brazil’s leading musicians across Brazil, Portugal, and Denmark. He spent 12 years living in Brazil, working as a performing pianist, and has collaborated with a wide range of renowned artists, including Miúcha, Zezé Motta, and musicians associated with Djavan and Ivan Lins.

Since 1976, Jesper Hedegaard has led an extensive cultural exchange initiative, bringing more than 100 Brazilian musicians and artists to Denmark. He has also produced major events such as Festival Brasil in 1994 and 2001 and organized more than ten national tours in Denmark.

His international career has taken him to stages in Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the United States. He has performed at prominent events including the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and the European Festival in Coimbra, Portugal.

In addition to performing, Jesper has taught Brazilian music at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC) and MGK in Denmark, as well as at university and jazz school in Lisbon.

In 2012, he released the album Time to Change with the Jesper Hedegaard Trio, which received an outstanding review from Jens Lohmann in Jazz Special.

In April 2025, he released Frutos do Nagé in collaboration with Dominique. The album was met with highly positive reviews, reaffirming the artistic maturity, contemporary relevance, and lasting significance of his work.

The band

Jesper Hedegaard (DK) – pianist, composer, and producer – has devoted his life to the Brazilian music tradition. For five decades, he has performed Brazilian music with leading Brazilian musicians in Brazil, Portugal, and Denmark. He lived and performed in Brazil for 12 years, where he received the Troféu Caymmi award in 1987. There, he collaborated with artists such as Miúcha, Zezé Motta, Sizão Machado (Djavan), Marcelo Martins (Djavan, João Bosco), Renato Massa (Azymuth), Rodrigo Villa (Família Jobim, Mart’nália), and Diogo Gomes (Ivan Lins).
In 2012, he released the CD Time to Change, which received excellent reviews in Jazz Special. His new album Frutos do Nagé was released in April 2025 to critical acclaim.

Mats Andersson (SE) – guitar – graduated from the Malmö Academy of Music in 1998 and has been a lecturer there since 2001. He plays a prominent role in Sweden within the Brazilian music tradition, both as a performer and educator. Through numerous trips to Brazil, he has developed a deep understanding of the music alongside some of the country’s leading musicians.
He has performed internationally in Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, England, Finland, Italy, Japan, Croatia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Germany, the USA, and throughout Sweden. He has collaborated with artists such as Miriam Aida, Joyce Moreno, Mimi Terris, Vitor Casagrande, Luis Barcelos, Marco Pereira, Magnus Lindgren, and Rosalia de Souza.

Yasser Pino (CUB) – bass – born in Havana in 1976 and now based in Copenhagen. He graduated as a classical guitarist and teacher from the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Havana in 1995, and later as a double bassist from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen in 2006.
In Cuba, he worked with artists such as Gerardo Alfonso, Raul Torres, Polito Ibáñez, Chucho Valdés Jr., Roberto Fonseca, and many others. An in-demand musician, he collaborates widely and has worked with artists including Morten Grønvad, Jonas Johansen, Jakob Dinesen, Calixto Oviedo, and members of groups such as Afro-Cuban All Stars and Cubanismo. He is also an active educator.

Pedrinho Augusto (BRA) – drums & percussion – from Brasília, with more than 10 years of international experience as a performer, educator, and session musician. He holds degrees from Berklee College of Music and the University of Louisville.
He has worked with artists such as Gilberto Gil, Dominguinhos, Victor Wooten, Jovino Santos Neto, and Michael League. He has performed and taught in Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, the USA, Cape Verde, the UK, Portugal, Spain, and France, and has appeared at festivals including Formentera Jazz Festival, Jazz à Juan, and Havana Jazz Plaza Festival.

Photos

Videos

4 videos from Giant Steps

Time to Change by Jesper Hedegaard

Reviews

“A great master and composer. Jesper Hedegaard is so deeply rooted in his craft that ‘Brazilian’ should be listed as his nationality.” – Thorsten Rasmussen, Chairman, Hornbæk Jazz Club

“The music is beautiful and captivating, and Jesper is almost more Brazilian than Danish.” – Jens Lohmann, Jazz Special

“Jesper Hedegaard truly knows his samba, and the music blended beautifully with his piano playing.” – Søren Damving, Helsingør Dagblad

Tech Spec

Get in touch

For bookings or general enquiries get in touch using the form or direct email: mail(@)jesperhedegaard.dk