Adriano Santos was born in São Paulo, Brasil in 1966. Part of a new generation of Brazilian drummers, he begun his drum studies at the age of twelve at Zimbo Trio Music School (CLAM) in his hometown.

In 1988 he moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music where he acquired his B.A. in Film Scoring. Moving to New York in 1995, Adriano started his Masters Degree at City College of New York where he had the chance to enjoy ensemble lessons with the great jazz legend Ron Carter.

As a professional he has performed with top international artists such as Astrud Gilberto, Gal Costa, Leny Andrade, Luciana Souza, Vinicius Cantuaria, Romero Lubambo, Nelson Faria, Leo Gandelman, Paulo Moura, Eumir Deodato, John Pizzarelli, Slide Hampton, Harry Allen, Cliff Korman, Santi Debriano, Hendrik Meurkens, Dave Pietro, Vana Gierig, Eileen Ivers, Paul Winter and the Boston Pops, to name a few. Adriano is currently performing with the Vinicius Cantuaria Group, Hendrik Meurkens Samba Jazz Quintet and the Afro-Brazilian band Hanhanhaes.