Daniel Santiago is a composer, guitarist and music producer who for the past 20 years has been an active and key contributor to the Brazilian and world music scenes. Originally from Brazil, Santiago is deeply rooted in the traditional sounds of his homeland, and also cites English rock of the 1970’s and 80’s and the contemporary aesthetic and complexities of modern jazz as major influences upon his unique and diverse musical world.
His work is characterized by the development and search for an original sonic language, and a remarkable ability to translate deep, resonant emotion through whichever musical medium he chooses. As the acclaimed composer Guinga said of Daniel’s music “Nostalgic and futuristic, this is the way to Santiago.”Daniel Santiago began his musical studies as a child, and at age 19 he founded his first band, Brasilia-Brasil Trio.
In addition to collaborations with Milton Nascimento, Joao Bosco, Hamilton de Holanda, John Paul Jones, Hermeto Pascoal, Joshua Redman, Greorie Maret, and many others, Santiago has released three of his own records. With Hamilton de Holanda, Daniel has recorded more than ten albums and their work together has been nominated for four consecutive Latin Grammy Awards.
In 2017, Santiago was again nominated for his work on the album Casa de Bituca, alongside Hamilton de Holanda and Marcos Portinari. An artist constantly expanding to new musical horizons, Santiago formed a duo with fellow Heartcore Records artist Pedro Martins in 2015. Together they released “Simbiose”, an album of wondrous musicianship and interplay between two singular entities in contemporary music. Following the initial success of “Simbiose”, Santiago and Martins were subsequently invited by Eric Clapton to participate in the 2019 Crossroads Guitar Festival.The duo’s performance was met warmly by an audience of over 20,000 guitar enthusiasts, and Santiago and Martins were featured amongst the most prominent figures in modern guitar music. In 2023 the duo relaeased their second record titled "Movement" on Heartcore Records.
In addition to his extensive body of work as a recording artist, Santiago has excelled in his role as a music producer and composer for the band O Teatro Magico, and his partnerships with Fernando and Gusto Anitelli have yielded millions of views on Youtube and widespread streaming success. In 2010 he produced Pedro Martins’ debut CD “Dreaming High”, an album met with widespread critical acclaim throughout the international jazz community.
Daniel Santiago has opened yet another chapter with his first Heartcore Records release “Song For Tomorrow”, produced by himself together with Kurt Rosenwinkel and Pedro Martins. A return to Santiago’s musical origins, “Song For Tomorrow” is an ambitious new collection of original songs through which the guitarist and composer communes with his greatest musical influences. The sounds of Brazil, the attitude and power of classic rock, and the ingenuitive disposition of modern jazz all coalesce into a brilliant sonic journey. The album reveals Daniel Santiago, a mature artist with deep emotional capacities and fiery virtuosity long known and respected by his peers, to the world.
