Trombonilla

The California-Costa Rican trombonist, composer and arranger Luis Bonilla is a prominent force in the New York and international Jazz and Latin scenes. Initially, he arrived at the trombone almost by chance and certainly by good fortune: “Making lamps and ashtrays in junior high school was what I thought “Beginning Brass” was all about. You can only imagine my surprise when I had a trombone in my hands!” Luis quickly discovered that he had a talent for playing the instrument and was energized by both the urge to improvise and by the desire to learn more about Jazz.Undaunted, he continued his musical education and has since received a Bachelor’s degree from Cal State Los Angeles and a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance & Composition from Manhattan School of Music. All of his hard work paid off, because now Bonilla finds himself on the other side of the educational spectrum, and is a faculty member both at Temple University and Manhattan School of Music.Sideman to such musical greats as McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Astrud Gilberto, Willie Colon and Toshiko Akiyoshi, has honed Luis’ trombone elocution. Studio dates with a long roster of players like Billy Childs, Gerry Mulligan, Tony Bennett, Marc Anthony, La India, Paquito d’Rivera and Mary J. Blige have sharpened his ear and stretched his range as a composer and arranger. Luis is currently a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra.His two recordings on Candid, ¡Escucha! (2000) and the earlier Pasos Gigantes (1998) were critically praised and acknowledged for their range and seamlessness. Pasos Gigantes found its way onto the Jazziz top ten Latin list. Bonilla’s leadership is noted for its sophisticated use of tonal colors and selections of music that celebrate his remarkable artistry in both the Latin and Jazz idioms.Bonilla’s latest recording, Terminal Clarity, is both an extension of and a departure from, his other projects as a leader. Perhaps more than any of his earlier recordings, this one draws inspiration from his mentor and friend Lester Bowie (Bonilla toured and recorded with for many years as a member of Bowie’s Brass Fantasy). “My experience with Lester contributed hugely to my sensibilities as a performer and served as an apprenticeship for creating and leading my ensembles as well as performing with other artists.” Clearly the debt here is also a profoundly musical one. Terminal Clarity not only references Brass Fantasy, but also Bowie’s earlier work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Bonilla, especially in pieces like the title track, seeks to weave traditional Latin rhythms with more open musical structures, thus allowing plenty of space for the musicians to improvise freely.“The fabric of my music reflects my natural inclination towards Latin rhythms meshed with rhythm and blues, free jazz, funk, rock and even the sounds of AM radio from the ’70’s. Employing Jazz, with its improvisational protocols, as the foundation of my music maximizes the opportunities for individual and collective creativity and expression.”Terminal Clarity represents the next major step forward for this innovative creative musician and composer.