Cezar Santana takes pride in saying how lucky he is to do what he loves the most: music. But good fortune alone may not be the only necessary ingredient in a blend of raw talent and sheer determination which usually follows those who succeed. This Brazilian artist is no exception to the rule.

Born in the remote state of Acre in the Amazon Basin, Santana traveled thousands of miles south with his family, moving to Rio de Janeiro, when he was only 3. "My family was determined to start a new life of prosperity away from the hardships of the life in a predominantly rural region", says Cezar. He declares: " determination is a lesson I had to learn early on in my life". And perhaps he was right.

Santana's determination might have been truly put to the test when, in 1980, as he was about to graduate with a major in Agronomy, he dropped out of school in Rio de Janeiro to follow his heart's mandate. His talent, nonetheless, had sprung out much earlier, when at age 7 he asked for his first guitar. "My mother used to sing all the time and that's what inspired me in the first place", explains Cezar, referring to his love for music since early childhood.

In 1981 Santana moved to Madrid, where he spent the next five years. It was in Spain that he launched his professional career and also perfected his musical skills. In 1982, he produced Spain's first Brazilian radio show called "Clube da Esquina". It was also in Spain that Santana won his first prize as a professional musician, playing with "Batuke", a Brazilian fusion band created by him, ranking third at the Madrid Jazz Festival in 1986.

That same year, Santana participated with "Batuke" in the International Music Festival in Marrakech, Morocco, where he shared the stage with famed musicians such as George Moustaki and the pop group Alpha Blondie.

While in Europe, where he toured in Portugal, France and Holland, Cezar Santana also played alongside internationally renowned artists such as Tania Maria, Paquito D'Rivera and Tito Puente during the 1984 Winter Carnival in Helsinki, Finland.

Back in Rio de Janeiro, by the end of 1986, Santana joined the prestigious "Garganta" and toured the whole country with this group in '87 and '88.

In the summer of 1989 Cezar Santana went to Punta del Este, Uruguay, to play with the "Modo Libre Trio", obtaining such a huge success that, by popular demand, they had to return on tour to that country a year later.

In Brazil, Santana started working as a side musician and arranger for several artists. During that time he was invited to direct and coordinate the 1990 Boat Show in Rio, hosted by Oswaldo Sargentelli, one of Brazil's greatest showmen ever. As a result of Cezar's performance, Sargentelli also hired him to do the musical direction of his international project in Aruba in 1992.

In 1993, Santana embraced yet another challenge, perhaps the biggest one in his pro-fessional carrier, and moved to Miami. Since then, he has become one of the most
sought-after musicians in town.

One of his first accomplishments was the creation of the "Southbeat" band. After that, he's had opportunities such as opening for major Brazilian acts like "Asa de Águia", "Boca Livre" and "Paralamas do Sucesso" at the Irving Plaza in New York City". He
has also performed nationally and internationally with a variety of renowned groups
and artists including, most recently, the popular Latin singer Luis Enrique.

During MIDEM Americas, in June 1999, the New Times called Santana a daredevil singer-guitarist. Said publication described "Ze-ba-rum-ba", one of his own compositions, as a Brazilian surfer rock ballad, comparing its style to that of the Beach Boys if they
had been born in Brazil.

The style mentioned by the New Times is what Santana has introduced as the "New South Beat", a unique rhythmic ensemble which combines his own musical experience
and translates it into a mix of English, Portuguese and Spanish lyrics. The compositions harmoniously cover the spectrum that goes from Brazilian beats to Mediterranean melodies.

Cezar Santana is currently working on his own CD, where he applies the "New Groove Beat" as a genuine cross-cultural concept which, he affirms, reminds us of just what a small place the world has become.