Donato was born in Rio Bronco, but moved to Rio de Janeiro at a young age, and by his teens he was already playing the accordion professionally. The single “Eu Quero Um Samba” by Donato’s group Os Namorados in 1953 introduced the bossa nova beat, and he penned the bossa classic “Minha Saudade” with his friend João Gilberto. He emigrated to the US, where he collaborated with Latin jazz greats Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria, and later recorded the landmark jazz funk album “A Bad Donato” with Deodato. Donato played with virtually every Brazilian jazz master and continued to record and produce well into his 80s.
