João Theodoro Meirelles, known as J. T. Meirelles, was a Brazilian saxophonist and flautist born on October 10, 1940, in Rio de Janeiro. He began his musical studies at eight and graduated from Berklee School of Music. In 1957, Meirelles started his career with João Donato's group. In 1963, he formed Meirelles e Os Copa 5, considered one of the main bands of samba-jazz. That same year, he arranged "Mas que nada" for Jorge Ben. The group released their debut album, O Som, in 1964, followed by O Novo Som in 1965. Meirelles worked as a musician, conductor, arranger, and musical producer for Odeon. In 2001, Dubas Record reissued Meirelles e Os Copa 5's albums and recorded the album Samba Jazz!!. The group subsequently released Esquema Novo in 2005. Meirelles passed away on June 3, 2008.
