Giannis Notaras was born in Athens. His first musical influences were from his uncle Alexandros Vassiliadis, a drummer of the Greek jazz scene of the 70's.

He studied classical percussion at the National Conservatory of Athens with teachers Savvas Zannas and Christos Liatsos. He started jazz drum lessons with George Trantalidis and participated in seminars with John Engels, Bruno Castelucci and Stephan Galland in Belgium. He then took private lessons with Jeff Williams for 4 years.

He has collaborated on records and concerts with many well-known artists. He was a founding member of Full Circle, Take the Money and Run and Schema Enseble. He is also a member of the Mob trio.

He teaches at the National Conservatory.