Pianist and composer João Donato de Oliveira Neto, better known as João Donato, was born on August 17, 1934 in Rio Branco, State of Acre, Brazil. He spent his early years in the Amazon region of Acre, a state that borders Peru and Bolivia. By eight, he was playing accordion and even wrote his first song, “Indio Perdido,” which he would later re-record under the title “Lugar Comum” thirty-three years later with lyrics provided by tropicalist pop star, Gilberto Gil.
Donato’s family moved to Rio de Janeiro when he was sixteen and he met with other teenagers who were interested in jazz in the suburbs of Rio. By 1958, at the age of twenty-four, Donato became one of the most respected musicians in Rio.
Donato moved to the United States and spent 15 years living in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. He returned to Brazil in 1973, but he had been forgotten by the general public, although he had become a legend to a younger generation of musicians, including Marcos Valle, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa & Gilberto Gil.
Asked how he would describe his own work, Donato says, “It’s my style of music, the way I think about [music]. I don’t even think about it, it’s just the way I do things. I don’t know if it even has a name.”
In recent years, Donato made a comeback, recording numerous albums and collaborating with a wide range of musicians, from Brazil and abroad, old and young.
In 2010, the album Sambolero by the João Donato Trio, won the Latin Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 10th Latin Grammy Awards.
Partial Discography:
A Bossa Muito Moderna De Donato E Seu Trio (Polydor, 1963)
The New Sound of Brazil (RCA Victor, 1965)
Sambou Sambou (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
A Bad Donato (Blue Thumb, 1970)
Quem e Quem (Odeon, 1973)
Donato Deodato (Muse, 1973)
Lugar Comum (Philips, 1975)
Leilíadas (Elektra Musician, 1986)
Coisas tão simples (Odeon, 1995)
Café com Oão with Eloir de Moraes (Lumiar Discos, 1997)
Só Danço Samba (Lumiar Discos, 1999)
Remando Na Raia (Lumiar Discos, 2001)
Ê Lalá Lay-Ê (DeckDisc, 2001)
Managarroba (Deckdisc, 2002)
Wanda Sá Com João Donato (Deckdisc, 2003)
A Blue Donato (Whatmusic, 2005)
João Donato Reecontra Maria Tita (Lumiar Discos, 2006)
Dois Panos para Manga with Paulo Moura (Biscoito Fino, 2006)
Uma Tarde Com Bud Shank e João Donato (Biscoito Fino, 2007)
O Piano De João Donato (Deckdisc, 2007)
Donatural (Biscoito Fino, 2009)
Água with Paula Morelenbaum (Biscoito Fino, 2010)
Live Jazz in Rio Vol 1 – O Couro Ta Comendo! (Discobertas, 2014)
Donato Elétrico (Selo, 2016)
Sintetizamor (Polysom, 2017)
Raridades (Anos 70) (Discobertas, 2018)
Gozando a Existência (Discobertas, 2018)
João Donato (Jazz Is Dead, 2021)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.