Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Mino Cinelu was born on March 10, 1957 in Saint-Cloud, Haute-de-Seine and was introduced to music as a child playing percussion in concert halls in the suburbs of Paris. He became interested in jazz, rock, salsa eventually expanded into fado, flamenco, African, Japanese and other varieties.

His first instrument was the bongo drums, which led him to decide to try and live from his music. He often played the bongos in the streets experimenting with improvisation. By the end of the 1970s he became more and more interested in the French jazz-fusion scene working with Jef Gilson, Chute Libre and Moravagine

In 1979 Mino moved to New York, met George Benson, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Barron and Cassandra Wilson, added new instruments to his repertoire, and was soon joining Miles Davis on tour.  This recognition led Joe Zawinul asking him to be a part of Weather Report during which time he began composing with the help of Wayne Shorter and Zawinul.

Cinelu also played with Michel Portal prior to beginning his solo career in the 1990s with his self-titled debut album Mino Cinelu was released in 2000, followed by Quest Journey in 2002 and La Californie in 2006. He continues to compose, record and perform.

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