Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jovino Santos Neto. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jovino, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
In 1992, I quit the Hermeto Pascoal Group, the band I had been playing with for 15 years. It was a great group, and we toured the world playing concerts, jazz clubs and festivals. I felt that I needed to stretch my musicality and move somewhere else. In September 1993 I moved to Seattle, WA with my whole family – wife and 2 kids. This move was a big risk, because I came as a student and did not have a work visa. In the next few months, many things happened, from chance encounters with people who helped us a lot to making new friends and finding my own musical voice. In less than a year I went from being a student to being a professor at the same school, and formed my band, the same one I still play with today. The life of an independent artist is not easy – we need to reinvent ourselves everyday.
With the arrival of the pandemic in 2020, I lost my teaching job and once again we needed to create a new way to make a living, since there were no more live performances. I started offering live online classes, and that has again saved our lives.
Jovino, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and was raised in its inclusive cultural and musical ambiance of the 1960s. Music was an integral part of life, mainly through radio broadcasts and records. I studied piano starting at the age of 13, but soon gave up because I found the lessons boring. However, listening to the music on the radio inspired me to continue playing by ear. I studied biology in Rio and later in Montreal, while playing in rock and jazz groups. In 1977 I was invited to join the Group led by the legendary multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal, who became my mentor over the 15 years we worked together, touring around the world and recording several iconic albums.
In 1993 I moved with my family to Seattle, WA, where I started my own career as a composer and band leader. Since then I have produced many recordings and was nominated for a Latin Grammy 3 times. I take pride in being fluent in many musical languages, from fully notated to totally improvised. My Brazilian heritage is present in everything I do. I am also an educator, having taught music at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts for 26 years. Since the pandemic I have been teaching online classes and workshops on a variety of musical topics, combining my experience with my training as a biologist.
Is there a mission driving your creative journey?
I am always looking for ways to integrate the many possibilities that music allows into one creative career. As a pianist, I challenge myself to unlearn a piece I have played for years so I can find new ways of interpretation.
I also enjoy working with musicians at both ends of the age spectrum, from children and seniors. Working with an invisible medium such as sound, I create visual analogies inspired by the processes of Nature – dynamics, growth, beginnings and endings, evolution.
Every time a complex solution appears, I try to translate it into the simplest possible terms, using those analogies.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
My attention span is very short, so I enjoy the fact that I can work with different musical streams. I am happy working with symphony orchestras, small jazz ensembles, big bands and percussive groups.
I love sharing music and inspiring other people to enjoy it in its endless variety.
Interestingly, that also taught me how not to be distracted and to focus on one musical issue at a time. I don’t believe in multi-tasking, but I am convinced that we can speak many different languages, one at a time.
No artist can create without a support structure of some kind. I am grateful to have an awesome family that helps and supports my musical endeavors. We essentially run an artisanal mom-and-pop
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jovisan.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jovinosantosneto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JovinoSantosNeto
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jovinosneto
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JovinoSantosNeto
- Other: https://jovinosantosneto.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
photo credits are included in each image’s filename. Please contact me for more info.