Gileno Santana
Concert
Gileno Santana won the international Jazz competition, Transnational BEJAZZ’14, in the city of Bern (Switzerland) with the Egli-Santana Group. He received the Medal of Honor from the Order of Musicians of the State of São Paulo and was the first Portuguese Brazilian musician to be a speaker at Harvard University in 2019 and Juilliard School in 2022.
Still in Brazil, Gileno Santana began studying music in 2003, and two years later, he participated in the recording of the album by American saxophonist Mike Ellis, Bahia Band.
In 2006, he moved to Portugal to study at Hot Clube Portugal, and in 2008, he enrolled at the Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo.
In 2008, he was invited to join the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos (OJM), the most prestigious Portuguese Jazz Orchestra.
As the Lead-Trumpet of OJM, he worked with Jim McNeely, Chris Cheek, Mark Turner, Ohad Talmor, Andy Sheppard, Lee Konitz, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Maria Schneider, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Dan Weiss, Maria João, Mayra Andrade, Julian Argüelles, Florian Ross, Pierre Bertrand, Michael Mantler, Fred Hersch, among many others. He contributed to the orchestra’s discography with 5 albums, performing in numerous concerts on the most prestigious national stages and at renowned international festivals, including the prestigious Wiener Konzerthaus (Austria) and the famous jazz club in New York, Blue Note.
Gileno Santana’s solo discography began in 2010 as the leader of the GS Quartet, with his first album “Início,” featuring renowned global musicians Hermeto Pascoal and Hamilton de Holanda. His second album, “Metamorphosis,” recorded in 2014 by the Italian label Caligola Record, was considered by national critics as one of the best albums of the year.
In 2016, he presented his third album, “Inevitável” (Caligola Records). This project, a duo with guitarist Tuniko Goulart, reached a level of worldwide popularity, with the composition “Malaco” becoming a viral sensation on social media, involving over 100 musicians from various parts of the world.
With this album, he embarked on an extensive tour through Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, South Korea, and England. In 2017, Gileno, in a duo with accordionist Inês Vaz, released his first EP with the traditional Portuguese music project, “Ciranda,” traveling throughout Europe in collaboration with the Instituto Camões to promote Portugal’s regional music.
His work as an arranger includes collaborations with highly successful Portuguese artists. Constantly sought after for studio sessions and live concerts with some of the country’s biggest artists, ranging from rock to pop.
Internationally, Gileno Santana has collaborated with Tony Allen, Amp Fiddler, Munir Hossn, James Morrison, Edmar Castaneda, Andy Hunter, Marshall Gilkes, Bob Stewart, Thomas Gansch, Dick Oats, Hermeto Pascoal, Adam Rapa, and Maceo Parker.
In 2015 and 2017, he was the guest soloist performing with the Casa da Música Symphony Orchestra in two concerts with singer Gregory Porter. He also collaborated with the Italian project PoLo, with whom he recorded the album “Pleasures” (Auand) and performed numerous concerts in northern Italy. In Switzerland, he is a member of the Egli-Santana Group and the DRO David Regan Orchestra.
Gileno Santana is frequently invited to conduct workshops, notable for his presence on all six continents, with a highlight being the five times he worked in Japan and South Korea as a guest teacher.
As a composer, in all his projects, he includes original compositions. He received a commission from the São Pedro da Afurada parish council to compose the anthem “Senhor dos Aflitos,” a piece used for the patron saint of one of the most typical parishes in the country.
Among his recent significant events, he was the only Portuguese-Brazilian to participate in the Festival of New Trumpet Music in New York, at the invitation of artistic director and trumpeter Dave Douglas.
He delivered a lecture on improvisation at the prestigious Juilliard School, invited by trumpet professors Tatum Greenblatt and Joe Magnarelli.
It’s worth mentioning that he is so far the only Portuguese-Brazilian to be invited to play with the prestigious Mingus Big Band. In the same year, he was the special guest to play with Grammy-winning pianist and composer Steven Feifke, in a concert held at the renowned Birdland.
At the end of 2022, he received the iconic “Proclamation” from the Mayor of the City of Newark, New Jersey, Ras J. Baraka, for his services in promoting culture in the city of Newark.
With his project “Inevitável,” he sold out the hall at the prestigious Wiener Kozerthaus, receiving excellent reviews from the national newspaper Kurier.at.
Invited by Australian trumpeter James Morrison, he represented Latin America at the Trumpet Summit alongside Jon Faddis, Thomas Gansch, James Morrison, Gregory Huchinson, Geoff Gascoyne, and Libor Smoldas. This event was broadcast on German public television on the BR Klassik channel.
As an arranger, Gileno Santana is one of the most sought-after professionals in the country, collaborating on arrangements for pop music artists and working with ensembles such as the Orquestra do Norte, Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos, Orquestra Jazz do Porto with Vitorino Salomé, Orquestra Jazz do Centro with Sofia Escobar, as well as artists like Marta Pereira da Costa and FF, among other formations of various sizes.
With extensive studio experience, he has participated in over a hundred recordings worldwide, making him one of the most experienced trumpeters in understanding the studio atmosphere and its processes.
His historical knowledge of Brazilian music was also put to the test in 2019 when he was invited to give a concert/lecture at the prestigious Harvard University in Boston.
Outside his usual environment, Gileno Santana chose to study classical trumpet during his Master’s in Instrument Teaching, successfully completing the discipline. Shortly after, he accepted an invitation to perform with a classical orchestra under the direction of Maestro Eduardo Lála, interpreting repertoires such as Beethoven’s 5th and 9th symphonies and Guillaume Tell, among other great classics. This experience further solidified his position as one of the most versatile trumpeters in Portugal.
He was also invited by the Orquestra do Norte, under the artistic direction of Maestro Fernando Marinho, to be the soloist in the “Sons do Brasil” concert, a tribute to Brazilian popular music.
Gileno Santana is among the winners of the Plaka competition organized by the Porto City Council.
Associated with various international brands, he is the creator of the LU5A trumpet model for the Austrian brand Schagerl, for which he also developed a line of mouthpieces. Additionally, he works as an ambassador and promoter for brands such as Inderbinen, Applied Microphone Technology, Fred Perry, Dr. Martens, Briston Watches, Electro-Voice, Donat, Hawkins Mute, and Torelli.
This brief biography summarizes part of his professional journey, demonstrating the eclectic capacity of a modern musician, both as a composer, arranger, and educator.