Bernardo Sassetti

Who was Bernardo Sassetti?

Bernardo da Costa Sassetti Pais was a Portuguese jazz pianist and film composer.

Sassetti was born in Lisbon. He was a great-grandson of Sidónio Pais, President of the First Republic. He initially played guitar, then began studying piano and music theory at age nine. He became interested in jazz after hearing Bill Evans. By the late 1980s, he was backing visiting musicians and teaching jazz piano in Lisbon. During the 1990s, he worked in London, where he recorded three albums with Guy Barker's group. Anthony Minghella invited them to appear as the Napoli Jazz Sextet in The Talented Mr. Ripley.

His 2006 album Unreal: Sidewalk Cartoon received a four-star rating in The Penguin Guide to Jazz, and was selected for The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1000 Best Albums.

In addition to his jazz work, Sassetti has composed numerous film scores.

Bernardo Sassetti was married to actress Beatriz Batarda, with whom he had two daughters.

He died on 10 May 2012, after falling off a cliff in Guincho Cascais, where he was reportedly shooting pictures for his next book.