Jovino was born on September 18, 1954 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He started playing piano at age 13, and by 16 was playing organ in a band called "The Vacancy Group" in Bangu, West Zone of Rio. Jovino got a degree in Biology, from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and later from MacDonald College of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In 1977 he joined the group led by the legendary Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal.

In the 15 years that followed, Jovino, along with his colleagues Carlos Malta (saxophones and flute), Itiberê Zwarg (bass), Marcio Bahia (drums), Fabio Pascoal (percussion) and Pernambuco (percussion), created an ensemble under the leadership of Hermeto, that has been considered one of the premier groups in the world. They rehearsed for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, and Hermeto, inspired by their talent and dedication, composed hundreds of themes that extend the boundaries of contemporary music. It was in this school that Jovino sharpened his talents as a pianist, flutist, composer and arranger.

The Hermeto Pascoal Group made several records, all of them co-produced by Jovino Santos Neto, and they played hundreds of concerts all over the world. In 1993, Jovino left the Group to pursue his individual career. He moved to Seattle, in the United States, and studied orchestral conducting at Cornish College of the Arts. Soon after that, he was granted resident alien status by the U.S. Government, on the basis of his extraordinary musical talent. He was invited in 1995 to join Fourth World, the group led by the Percussionist Airto Moreira and singer Flora Purim. Jovino composed, arranged, recorded and performed with Airto Moreira and Flora Purim in the United Sates, Europe, Brazil and Asia. Since then, he has been involved in a number of different projects, projects, always using his inspiration, experience and knowledge to create new and challenging music.