World · Jazz
Meraki
μεράκι (Greek) /me-RAH-kee/
To do something with soul, creativity, and love — to put something of yourself into your work.
Mino Cinélu
Percussion, vocals, guitar
Steve Gorn
Bansuri bamboo flutes, clarinet
Scott Petito
Bass, piccolo bass, keyboards
Three Master Musicians. One Transcendent Vision. Music That Defies Time.
MERAKI creates music that exists in the spaces between worlds — where Indian classical ragas meet Afro-Caribbean rhythms, where jazz improvisation dissolves into meditative trance, where ancient flutes converse with modern bass frequencies.
The trio — Scott Petito, Mino Cinélu, and Steve Gorn — brings together over a century of combined experience performing with legends like Miles Davis, Weather Report, Sting, Paul Simon, Jack DeJohnette, and dozens more. But MERAKI isn’t about credentials. It’s about what happens when three musicians commit fully to the moment, creating soundscapes that are:
- Meditative yet buoyant — inviting deep listening while keeping the body engaged
- Experimental yet familiar — pushing boundaries while honoring ancient traditions
- Improvised yet intentional — spontaneous conversations guided by decades of mastery
What You’ll Experience
A MERAKI performance is a journey. Mino Cinélu’s hands move across percussion instruments from four continents — djembe, congas, frame drums, bells — while his voice weaves wordless melodies that transcend language. Steve Gorn’s bansuri bamboo flute floats above, channeling the ancient vocal traditions of North Indian classical music into something timeless and new. Scott Petito anchors the journey on bass and piccolo bass, creating harmonic beds that shimmer and pulse.
The music draws from:
World Beat & Trance
Rhythmic patterns from West Africa, the Caribbean, India, and the Middle East, layered into hypnotic grooves that invite movement and meditation simultaneously.
Jazz Improvisation
Real-time musical conversations between masters who’ve spent lifetimes learning to listen. No two performances are alike.
Indian Classical Traditions
The melodic sophistication of raga, with its intricate ornamentations and emotional depth, adapted for Western ears without sacrificing authenticity.
Ambient & Electronic Textures
Modern production sensibilities meeting organic instrumentation, creating soundscapes that feel both ancient and futuristic.
The Musicians
Mino Cinélu
When Miles Davis needed a percussionist who could think like a composer, he found Mino Cinélu playing in a New York soul band. That was 1981. The concerts that followed became the legendary We Want Miles album, and Mino’s career exploded.
Since then, his hands have shaped the sound of modern music: Weather Report. Sting. Herbie Hancock. Pat Metheny. Peter Gabriel. Stevie Wonder. Kate Bush. Dizzy Gillespie. Tracy Chapman. Earth, Wind & Fire. The list reads like a history of popular music itself.
Born in Paris to a French mother and a father from Martinique, Mino absorbed everything — Afro-Cuban rhythms from his father’s record collection, the chouval bwa music of the Caribbean, jazz, rock, salsa, Egyptian chants, Romani music, fado, flamenco. Whether playing percussion, drums, guitar, keyboards, or singing, Mino brings warmth and joy to every note.
Mino Cinélu Official Site · All About Jazz Profile
Steve Gorn
Grammy winner. Academy Award-winning soundtrack contributor. One of the few Western musicians to have truly mastered the bansuri bamboo flute and earned recognition from India’s greatest classical musicians.
Steve’s journey began in the 1960s jazz scene, where he noticed how John Coltrane and Charles Lloyd were incorporating Indian music into their playing. Curious, he traveled to India in 1969 and found his way to Kolkata, where he met bansuri master Sri Gour Goswami. That meeting changed everything.
For over fifty years, Steve has bridged worlds. His flute appears on the Grammy-winning Miho – Journey to the Mountain with the Paul Winter Consort and the Academy Award-winning documentary Born Into Brothels. He’s recorded with Paul Simon, Tony Levin, Jack DeJohnette, Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, and Deepak Chopra.
Steve Gorn Official Site · Bandcamp
Scott Petito
With credits on over 1,000 recordings, Scott Petito has quietly become one of the most prolific and respected figures in American music. As a bassist, composer, producer, and owner of NRS Recording Studio in Catskill, NY, he’s worked with artists spanning every genre imaginable.
The short list: James Taylor. The Band. Pete Seeger. Jack DeJohnette. Dave Brubeck. Chick Corea. John Scofield. Keith Richards. Mercury Rev. The Fugs. He recorded and mixed the debut album by jazz supergroup Hudson (Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, John Medeski, Larry Grenadier) and worked with Chris Brubeck on Time Out Outtakes, revealing the evolution of the first million-selling jazz record.
Scott’s own albums — Rainbow Gravity (2018) and Many Worlds (2023) — showcase his compositional vision, drawing inspiration from quantum physics and featuring all-star casts including Steve Gadd, Randy Brecker, Omar Hakim, Peter Erskine, and Bob Mintzer.
Discography & Related Recordings
MERAKI Collaborations
- “A New Dream” — Mino Cinélu & Scott Petito · Apple Music
- “The Alchemist” — Scott Petito feat. Randy Brecker, Rachel Z Hakim, Omar Hakim & Mino Cinélu · Spotify
- “In The Company of Clouds” — Scott Petito & Mino Cinélu · Bandcamp
Scott Petito Albums
- Many Worlds (2023) — Steve Gadd, Randy Brecker, Omar Hakim, Peter Erskine, Bob Mintzer, Mike Mainieri, Rachel Z, Larry Grenadier, Mino Cinélu
- Rainbow Gravity (2018) — Jack DeJohnette, Peter Erskine, Simon Phillips, Omar Hakim, Bob Mintzer, David Sancious
- Sbass Music (2002) — Solo ambient bass — debuted at top of NAV Charts, played on 450+ radio stations
Steve Gorn Selected Recordings
- Luminous Ragas — North Indian classical ragas on bansuri
- Asian Journal — Landmark Indian-Jazz fusion recording
- Between Two Worlds — Introspective work featuring clarinet and bansuri
- Miho – Journey to the Mountain (Paul Winter Consort) — Grammy Winner
Listen Now
- Scott Petito on Bandcamp
- Scott Petito on Apple Music
- Mino Cinélu on Apple Music
- Steve Gorn on Bandcamp
- Steve Gorn on Apple Music
Press & Media
- Scott Petito Many Worlds Review — Making A Scene!
- Scott Petito Leads Powerhouse Sextet — Hudson Valley One
- Making Records: Scott Petito and the Zen of Jazz Production — Hudson Valley One
- Mino Cinélu Profile — All About Jazz
- Steve Gorn Extended Biography
Contact & Booking
Scott Petito Productions / NRS Recording Studio
[email protected]