ALL THAT JAZZ

Wednsday, July 17
Luštica Bay breakwater, 9 p.m.
ALL THAT JAZZ

JM Jazz World Orchestra
Luis Bonilla, conductor

JM Jazz World Orchestra kicks off this year’s tour in Grožnjan (Croatia), led by renowned American trombonist Luis Bonilla. As a Jeunesses Musicales project, the Orchestra comprises 19+ top musicians from 14+ countries across 4 continents, selected through rigorous auditions. Over the past twelve years, the Orchestra has performed at numerous festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Brosella in Brussels, Jazz Midelheim in Antwerp, the Gaume Jazz Festival in Rosigol, Liburnia in Lovran, the More than Jazz Festival in Udine, Novi Sad Music Summer, and Barone Fortress in Šibenik, in addition to performances in Germany, Switzerland, Norway, and Slovenia. It has collaborated significantly with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Maria Schneider, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and other renowned musicians such as Renee Manning, Jim Rotondy, Karlheinz Miklin, John Riley, and Boris Kozlov. The Orchestra’s debut album, titled Jazz Pops / Pop Swings, released in 2019, showcases the vibrant energy and talent of young artists from around the globe. Featuring ten tracks, the album offers a unique blend of popular music from the last century along with original compositions by Bonilla.

Luis Bonilla, trombonist, composer, and educator, has studied and specialized in performing a wide range of musical genres. He has performed with giants such as McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Astrud Gilberto, Willie Colon, and Toshiko Akiyoshi, among others. The diverse genres he explores reveal his inclination towards delving into the most complex and demanding music of today. Luis Bonilla was a member of the Mingus Big Band, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and the Lincoln Center’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra. He performs with Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy and has been touring with Phil Collins for the past two years. In 2009, Luis Bonilla won two Grammy Awards with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. He was the recipient of Downbeat magazine’s Rising Star Award for 2010 and 2011, and Jazz Times critics named him the best trombonist for 2011. He has recorded numerous solo albums, as well as albums with projects like Africando, featuring Lester Bowie, Dave Douglas, George Gruntz, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and others. Luis Bonilla has been a regular lecturer at the Manhattan School of Music, Temple University, and the New England Conservatory, and he is currently a full professor in the Jazz Department at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz.