1934

Born in the State of Acre (North of Brazil), João Donato started playing the accordion when he was a child. Donato moved to Rio de Janeiro in the 40’s and started performing by the beginning of the 50’s. While playing with Johnny Alf at the Plaza nightclub in Rio de Janeiro, Donato became interested in jazz and bossa nova. In that same period he made friends with Tom Jobim, João Gilberto, Luiz Bonfá and others. Still in the 50’s, Donato made a few albums, and in 1959, he moved to Mexico and then to the U.S., where he lived for a few years. Donato toured with João Gilberto around Europe and returned to Brazil in 1962, recording the album "Muito à Vontade". Before long he went back to the U.S., remaining for 10 more years. In the United States, Donato made solo albums and recorded with other artists. Some of his songs from that period include "Amazonas", "A Rã" and "Bananeira", which introduced an original rhythm for the piano part.

Back to Brazil in 1975, Donato released "Lugar Comum" in collaboration with Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. His songs, which possess a strong instrumental nature, include lyrics written by several acclaimed artists, like "A Rã" (by João Donato and Caetano Veloso), "Amazonas" (by João Donato and Lysias Ênio), "A Paz" and "Lugar Comum" (by João Donato and Gilberto Gil), "Nasci para Bailar" (by João Donato and Paulo André Barata) and "Gaiolas Abertas" (by João Donato and Martinho da Vila).

Donato’s compositions have been recorded by singers like Gal Costa ("Flor de Maracujá"), Adriana Calcanhotto ("Naquela Estação"), Angela Rô Rô ("Simples Carinho") and Nana Caymmi ("Até Quem Sabe"). Donato’s skills as arranger are very much sought after. Donato has orchestrated music pieces for Fagner, Gal Gosta and Martinho da Vila.

In 1996, after a long period of oblivion, Donato recorded "Coisas Tão Simples", followed by "Café com Pão", with Eloir de Moraes (1997), "Só Danço Samba" (1999) and the three volumes of his songbook, published by Lumiar. These releases brought one of the most original songwriters back to the BPM scene. In that period, Donato performed and toured Brazil. In 2000, American label Elephant Records released the CD "Amazonas", including some of his greatest hits, like "Sambolero", "Vento no Canavial" and "Aquarius".