Jovino Santos Neto
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Jovino Santos Neto (born in 1954) is a Brazilian pianist and composer.
Santos Neto grew up in Realengo, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, and studied classical piano from the age of 12. His interests expanded rapidly to include everything from British Invasion rock to jazz and a wide range of Brazilian music. He joined the band of multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal from 1977 to 1992. Since then, he has worked with Airto Moreira and Flora Purim's group, Fourth World, Mike Marshall, Richard Boukas, Celso Machado and Chitravina N. Ravikiran. He has recorded albums with flutist Gary Stroutsos and toured Europe in 1994 with Swiss cellist David Pezzoti.
Santos Neto's 1997 debut solo album, Caboclo, was followed by Ao Vivo em Olympia in 2000 and Canto do Rio in 2003. Canto do Rio was commissioned by Chamber Music America's New Works program and was nominated for a 2004 Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. He also received commissions by the IAJE and ASCAP, Jack Straw Foundation, Seattle Arts Commission, Artist Trust and Meet the Composer. Jovino was the recipient of a Golden Ear Award as the Best Jazz Instrumentalist of the Pacific Northwest in 2004. Jovino's Roda Carioca was nominated to the 2006 Latin Grammys as Best Latin Jazz Record.
Relocating to the United States in 1993 after performing on Sergio Mendes' Grammy award-winning world music album, Brasileiro, Santos Neto studied conducting at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. He continues to teach piano, composition, and jazz ensemble there. He lectures and gives workshops on Brazilian music worldwide, including frequent stints at California Brazil Camp, and continues to collaborate with his long-time mentor Hermeto Pascoal as the music director of the Hermeto Pascoal Big Band.
