Luiz Santos was born in the USA and grew up in a musical household. Both of his Brazilian parents were passionate for music and inspired in Luiz a love for different rhythms. When he started playing drums at the age of 9, Luiz demonstrated talent well beyond his years.
While living in Rio De Janeiro, at age of 13, he started playing professionally with older musicians exploring various musical styles. Having developed his own capacity for variety, Luiz started performing with Eduardo Duzek all over Brazil, performing and recording television series for ‘Globo Network playing drums and piano.
Luiz Santos played with well known studio musicians like bassist Arthur Maia(Gilberto Gil, Djavan,Caetano Veloso,Gal Costa, Leny Andrade, keyboarder William Magalhaes (Banda Black Rio, Paralamas do sucesso), guitarist Heitor T. P.(Simply Red), Paulinho Guitarra (Tim Maia) ,Marcelo Frisieiro(Neil Young)Alex Rocha,Claudio Zolli(Tim Maia, Ed Motta)among others. Then Luiz Santos played with ‘Hermeto Pascoal Group’.
However, Luiz was not content just performing. His growing passion for music propelled him to become self taught instrumentalist and composer using piano, drums and percussion.
Luiz started composing and arranging full orchestral pieces, combining typical Jazz sounds with Classical and Brazilian percussion and creating unique flavors of music. He also wrote compositions for everything from Jazz to Contemporary Classical, Modern Music to String Quartets. At the same time developing original Brazil drums, extending to world drums like djembe, congas, surdo and other ethnic percussions.
Luiz began touring Europe very offen. It all started when he was invited to play with 'Brazil Fusion' in Zurich, Switzerland, creating a new style that is active till this very day. From there, he performed throughout Europe, lending his talents to a number of musical projects and bands in Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Greece, Luxemburg and Italy.
LUIZ SANTOS IN EUROPE
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- Switzerland & Germany -
'Brazil Fusion' - Luiz Santos - drums: Eduardo Souza - bass; Edgar Wilson - piano. Special Guest Omri Ziegler on Sax
Opening concerts with ‘Brazil Fusion’ for Alphonse Mouzon, Larry Coryell, Wolfgang Schimidt, Michael Urbaniak. Luiz played piano on Alphonse Mouzon's drum clinic.
Performing with ‘Kuno Schimid Group’
Coqui Reca ‘El Calefon’ Latin Jazz - Flamenco Band on Latin percussion
Shows with brazilian singer Diana Miranda from Geneve, Switzerland
- France, Holland, Belgium and Germany -
On drums touring with ‘Bireli Lagrene Quartet and Trio’ with Jan Jankeye on bass
- Greece -
Shows with ‘Copa Rio’ show in Athens.
- Norway and Sweden
Performed with ‘The Hakon Graf Group’.And guitarist Ulf Wakenius.
Also Celio de Carvalho and Claudio Latini.
- Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy.
Tour with Copa Rio Show and Amazonas. Hermeto Pascoal in Oslo.
- Germany -
Lends his talents to ‘Hermeto Pascoal Group’(Jovino Santos / Carlos Malta / Marcio Bahia / Itibere Zwarg) on tour
Shows with ‘Los Reyes – Gypsy Kings’ in Germany and Switzerland
Luiz Santos ‘Brazil Contemporary Culture’ with bassist Paulo Cardoso
Participations with Raiz De Pedra / Marcio Tubino and Pedro Tagliani (Egberto Gismonti,Joe Zawinul and Alegre Correa).
Shows with saxophonist Rick Keller ( Billy Cobham, Wolfgang Schmid)
Bassist Carlo Mombelli and pianist Tizian Jost
Shows with ‘Hannes Beckmann Sinto Group’ in Munich
Performed on piano recording own compositions with Marcio Tubino
Performing with classical guitarist Dominik Frohner unplugged, playing Latin American Classical Works Live concerts with Jolly Kunjappu
Luiz Santos Quartet feat. Mario Schoenhofer on bass.
Also Julio Barbosa 'Embalo'
Luiz Santos played in several European Venues like Hamburg Fabrik, Quasimodo Berlin,Atlantis Basel, Mannheimer Feuerwache, Nefertitti Goteborg,Birdland Hamburg Fabrik and so many more.
LUIZ SANTOS IN USA
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- New York City-
Most recently played with Nilson Matta's Brazilian Voyage including Helio Alves on piano, Monika Oliveira on vocals at Castle on the Hudson by jazz forum arts and Mark Morganelli on flugehorn. Also with his trio featuring wellknown guitarist Vic Juris.
Performing NYC trio's with Shan Kenner, Ryan Berg (Rashied Ali) and Dayna Stephens(Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock).
Performed with Jan Leder, Ted Kooshian, David Shaich at the Chelsea market. With B D Lenz ,James Rolacha, And Geoff Mattoon at Groove Club NYC. Trio with pianist Enrique Haneine and bassist Ippei Ichimaru.
Luiz Santos appearing with Jan Leder Quartet at the Chelsea Market.
Tom Lellis, Gary Fisher and Bob Dowen at Cachaca Jazz Club.
Also Mark Weinstein Quartet featuring Nilson Matta on bass and Klaus Mueller on piano at Trumpets.
Monika Oliveira Group with Miho Mobuzane on piano and Nilson Matta on bass.
Performed in several Clubs in Manhattan and venues like Javitts Center and NJPAC in Newark,NJ with Paul Meyers and Vera Mara.
Performed steady in the NYC Brazil jazz Scene at the Via Brazil Restaurant with a ‘Bossa Nova Trio’ including Cidinho Teixeira and Valtinho Anastacio, with special guest Elise Woods and Helio Alves.
Playing with Nilson Matta and Dario Ezkenazi.
Show at the ‘Zinc Bar’ with guitarist Ron Affif and bassist Essiet Essiet.
Sessions with bassist Richard Bona.
Jazz Trio with pianist Rick Dellaratta.
Shows with pianist and singer Tom Lellis.
Sessions with latin jazz bassist John Benitez and Vinny Valentino.
Shows at the ‘Zinc Bar’ with Mariane Ebert including bassist Sergio Brandao. Live sessions with ‘Hector Martignon Quartet’.
Performances with pianist Enrique Haneine and flutist Robert Pitre.
- California -
Brazil jazz performances with: singer Claudia Villela; flutist ‘Kenny Stahl Group’; pianist and composer Weber Lago and percussionist Helcio Milito.
- Florida -
Concerts at the St. Petersburg College Music Center with Haroldo Mauro, Jr. Trio including acoustic bassist Mark Neuenschwander
Recording and performing with the eight time Emmy Award-winning composer/flutist, Kat Epple
Emit Concerts at Salvador Dali Museum playing percussion with Som Do Jazz.
LUIZ SANTOS 'LUI'CD project in Rio de Janeiro,BRAZIL
Luiz Santos Brasil Fusion CD project in Rio de Janeiro. Performing Brasil drums and world drums like djembe and congas, mixing Brazilian rhythms, Caribbean, ethnic percussions, Chamber Music and Jazz on his CD Project of his own compositions - with well known bassist Arthur Maia, Marcelo Martins - alto/soprano sax and flute (Gilberto Gil, Djavan, Gal Costa etc…), Humberto Mirabelli - guitar, Fernando Rosa - bass, Fernando Trocado - tenor sax and flute
An expedition from tropical sandy beaches with exotic birds merging towards heavy weather NYC traffic and millions of people working there way to victory.
A Fusion of Brazilian drumming with downtown fever overtaken by a cyclone of tropical and winterish weather.
The Hope for peace and victory for us all reaches the freedom of our expression.
Burgy for Burghausener freaks sends you through the Alps with an Uruguayan Candombe ride by the Donau River.
Passaros da minha alma as The Dove flies freely in Peace.
Brazy Blues enhances the tropical metropolitan flair with a deep groove.
A jazzy jump into Munich s Isar River swimming towards the alpen dairy.
Dreaming at Munich s Englischen Garten searching realization that Rio s beaches should be in Bayern Germany.
The Maracatu and the Xaxado mingled with a Baiao comes from the deep Northeastern Brazilian jungles blending with piano streams invading the intercities of the world.
Remembering Coltrane on a full moon at the Elbe River in Hamburg with some strong Afro Jazz. Europe will never be the same.
Now the Light has come and the Cascades of Living Waters has reached us at last with extreme Afro Brazilian rhythms blending into swingin’ drives. The next path is unpredictable while the preparation for the new is at hand.
Cascades Of Light was the most recent music expedition written and certainly to be continued. Luiz Santos is ready to unveil more of his musical secrets that has always surprised many, totally unpredictable. The listener will be thrilled with this CD and the soon upcoming surprises. So order this CD, sit back relax and dive into the music.
