Three-time Latin Grammy nominee Jovino Santos Neto is a master pianist, flutist, composer, arranger, conductor and educator from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After 15 years as a member of the legendary Hermeto Pascoal Group, he moved to Seattle in 1993. Since then, Jovino has established himself as a charismatic performer, whether playing solo piano, leading his Trio, his award-winning Quinteto, or in guest appearances with ensembles and orchestras worldwide. He has shared the stage and the studio with some of the most creative musicians of our times. Jovino’s passion is to study the connections between Music and Nature.

Hans Teuber has been a mainstay on the Northwest jazz scene for over 25 years, working with Wayne Horvitz, Jeff Johnson, Clay Giberson, and others who lean toward progressive jazz. On his first album as a soloist, Teuber relied on his compositions as the framework for his work on alto and tenor saxophone, flute, and clarinet. His orchestrations are engaging pieces of work without becoming raucous or loud. They naturally tend to frame his considerable fluency and facility with the horns, especially the alto which he seems to favor, such as on "More Illusions" where his alto lays down the playing line while members of the rhythm section dart around like bees buzzing around a nest. In contrast, still on alto, "C Minor Waltz uses more abstract figures. "B.C." opens with Teuber's feathery flute giving impressions of a sylvan setting before seguing in somewhat of a controlled, creative free for all with one instrument playing against another. "Bom Pra Caramba" is the result of modern creative jazz ideas applied to a Latin beat. The tenor comes into play on "Old Fellow," giving the music a dreamy aura as Santi Debriano shows imagination on a lengthy bass solo. While the music on this CD is quite pretty, one wishes there were a bit more diversity. After a while, a certain sameness creeps in, which is always a risk when the musical agenda is prepared by the same person. One or two classics or jazz standards would have elevated this CD to a more interesting level. — Dave Nathan

Chuck Deardorf has recorded and toured internationally with such jazz greats as saxophonists Bud Shank and Don Lanphere, pianists George Cables and Kenny Barron, drummer Winard Harper, and guitarist Larry Coryell. As the first call bassist in Seattle for the many years, Chuck has performed with a long list of legendary artists including: Chet Baker, Zoot Sims, Art Farmer, Howard Roberts, Monty Alexander, Kenny Burrell, Marian McPartland, Mel Lewis, Pete Christlieb, Joe Williams, Kenny Werner, Carl Fontana, Joe LaBarbara, and Tal Farlow. Chuck currently performs with the exciting Brazilian Jazz group the Jovino Santos Neto Quarteto, and the Bill Ramsay Big Band, among others. A full Professor at Cornish College of the Arts, Chuck has been the Director of Jazz Studies for many years. He is also writer and host of the Warner Publishing bass instructional video, "Bass Tips; Jazz, Funk and Fusion."