World-class guitarist José Neto and his band, the Netoband, have been performing together for over 25 years. For the last 18 years, Neto has also been touring internationally as Steve Winwood’s guitarist, collaborating on numerous songs and projects together. Neto’s life and diverse musical journey from Brazil to the United States and England was the subject of the award-winning documentary, The Man Behind the White Guitar, which was released to international film festivals in 2019.
The Netoband (from left-to-right) features:
Frank Martin – piano
Celso Alberti – drums
José Neto – guitar
Gary Brown – bass
About JOSÉ NETO
José Pires de Almeida Neto has a sophisticated fan base, those who understand the power of his music and the spirit it carries. He came to the United States in 1978 at the age of 24 without speaking much English and to follow his music passion. Soon after his arrival in 1979, Neto auditioned for the legendary Harry Belafonte who then invited Neto to join his band. For thirty years Neto toured and performed with Belafonte and then became his music director as well for ten years.
José is a founding member of the band Fourth World with the legendary master percussionist Airto Moreira and Brazil’s Queen of Jazz Flora Purim who started José’s journey at Ronnie’s Scotts Jazz Club in 1990. Neto is still composing and recording with Airto Moreira today.
In 1995, Jim Capaldi, the great drummer and songwriter of Traffic, came to Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in London one the afternoon and jammed with José Neto and Airto Moreira. After Capaldi saw their band Fourth World perform that night, he brought master musician Steve Winwood the very next day to hear the band and Neto’s “apocalyptic sounds” as his music has been described in The London Times. That introduction to Steve led them to a musical friendship with multiple jams with Neto’s own band, The Netoband. A few years later Winwood asked Neto to join him in an Organ Trio, Winwood’s new project (more Traffic style) and they recorded About Time. Neto has been Winwood’s guitarist for the last 16 years and has collaborated with Winwood on several songs for the CDs About Time and Nine Lives.
Neto has been leading his own band The Netoband for over 25 years. Those members are Gary Brown, Frank Martin, Celso Alberti and Café. They’ve toured internationally and each member is a highly respected musician in his own right.
Neto also plays, performs and records with producer and master drummer Narada Michael Walden and Kirtan master Jai Utall.