Master pianist, flutist, composer, arranger, conductor and educator Jovino Santos Neto joins host John Floridis on this edition of Musician's Spotlight. Currently based in Seattle, Washington Jovino was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has released 20 recordings under his own name, toured internationally for decades with a wide variety of collaborations and is a Three-time Latin Grammy Award nominee.
Jovino talks about his early introduction to music while growing up in Rio de Janeiro during the 'golden age of radio." He listened to everything from the Mantovani Orchestra to the Beatles and Stones, from jazz and soul to progressive rock and of course the wide range of Brazilian music available on the radio at that time. The key though was being able to figure out how to rig a reel to reel tape recorder to the radio so that he could record music and teach himself how to play it on the piano.
Jovino also talks about his deep relationship with Hermeto Pascoal the legendary Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and composer known as "O Bruxo" (The Wizard) or "The Mad Genius" of Brazilian music. His journey takes him to Seattle where he has lived for many years but then full circle with his most recent recording "A Onça e o Pajé" recorded live at the Teatro Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil, in July 2024, during the Amazonas Green Jazz Festival by the Amazonas Band.
Beyond music, Jovino goes into great detail to talk about the history of Rio de Janeiro and much of the rich cultural heritage that makes it such a dynamic city.
