Neusa Martins

The enlightened and extra-terrestrial Brazilian genius-multi-instrumentalist flies to Asturias in 2008 to give a music workshop. His journey takes us on another: that of his career, the ostracism with which he would be punished, his perpetual crusade for the materialization of “the idea”, his unique inspiration and incredible sense of humour. All emitted through his words and those of the people that surround him. An authentic pioneer, a free and cosmic spirit.

Dive into the inventive universe of Tom Zé. Through intimate interviews with artists, family members and longtime collaborators, the film retraces the singular trajectory of one of Brazil's most original musical minds. The documentary brings together voices that reflect on his boundless creative unpredictability, highlight the technical mastery behind his sonic experiments and portray his music as the result of an expansive creative process, where ideas unfold like "pills of sound".

In 1968, Tom Zé moved from Bahia to São Paulo, went to the movies, had lunch with Caetano Veloso, and one morning composed the song that would go on to win the main music festival on Brazilian television that year. In "História de Música", the most São Paulo–minded of Bahian artists tells how filmmaker Luiz Sérgio Person introduced him to the paulista capital at one of the city's most famous intersections.