João Theodoro Meirelles (October 10, 1940 – June 3, 2008), better known as J. T. Meirelles, is a Brazilian saxophonist and flautist. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and died at 67 years old in that same city. Meirelles is considered one of the creators of the samba-jazz rhythm, along with Manfredo Fest.