João Donato

João Donato de Oliveira Neto ( born August 17, 1934 in Rio Branco, Acre ) is a Brazilian pianist, singer and composer in the jazz genre and the Bossa Nova.

Life

Donato, son of a pilot grew up in a musical family and showed an early talent for music. His father played mandolin, his mother sang and Eneyda, his older sister, played the piano. The younger sister, who was fond of literature more later played a great role in her brother's compositions. His first instrument was an accordion with whom he composed his first piece, the waltz Nini at the age of eight years. Before his twelfth birthday his father gave accordions with 24 and 120 basses.

1945, the father was transferred to Rio de Janeiro. Here, he was musical to celebrate with the schools of the district of Tijuca and the surrounding area. Participation in Ary Barroso's talent search on television was rejected because one might show no " prodigies ". Before he became a professional musician in 1949 at the age of 15, he participated in jam sessions in the house of the singer Dick Farney and the Sinatra - Farney Fan Club, where he was also a member. Johnny Alf, Nora Ney, Dóris Monteiro, Paulo Moura and even Jô Soares, on the bongos, were involved in these sessions.

In his first recording with the band of flutist Altamiro Carrilho he played two pieces: Brejeiro by Ernesto Nazareth and Feliz aniversário of Altamiro. Shortly thereafter, he joined the group of violinists Fafá Lemos as a substitute for Chiquinho do Acordeom. In 1953 he played with Os Namorados.

Donato worked with all the major representatives of the bossa nova movement, João Gilberto as with Tom Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes and Johnny Alf. In 1958 he wrote his first hit with Gilberto, Minha Saudade. He is known to combine as a musician various styles such as jazz and Latin music. Donato his band played João Donato e seu on Trio and published, according to Allmusic 29 albums under his own name. In addition, he worked with Altamiro Carrilho, later with Tom Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, and many others. A large part of the 1960s, he lived as well as in the early 1970s in the United States and took up with Bud Shank, Ron Carter, Airto Moreira, Randy Brecker, Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader and then with Eumir Deodato. From 1974, he worked with Gal Costa; with Gilberto Gil, he composed Lugar Comum (1974 ), Bananeira, Emoriô and Tudo Tem (all 1975).