Jazz Articles about Luis Bonilla

Luis Bonilla: I Talking Now

by Franz A. Matzner
March 8, 2010

Trombonist, composer, bandleader and professor Luis Bonilla is not a tortured artist. One cannot imagine him careening from one imbalanced extreme of self- reflection to the other or participating in anything particularly self-indulgent, whatsoever. He is a loving husband and a father who seems to inhale and exhale commitment to his two-year-old daughter. The middle son of a Costa Rican father and mother, he grew up in a workingman's home and is a hard working man himself, dedicated to getting ...

Luis Bonilla: I Talking Now!

by Chris May
March 8, 2010

The exuberant, New York-based, trombonist Luis Bonilla has been recording as leader since 1998, when he released Pasos Gigantes ("giant steps") on Candid. I Talking Now! is his fourth album. But he is still probably best known for his work with other artists. Currently a member of trumpeter Dave Douglas' Brass Ecstasy, Bonilla began the 1990s with trumpeter Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy and has since worked with a string of illustrious leaders including pianists McCoy Tyner and Toshiko Akiyoshi, trombonist ...

Luis Bonilla: I Talking Now!

by J Hunter
September 20, 2009

The cover art for I Talking Now gives a visual demonstration of how trombonist Luis Bonilla's father took control of conversations at the family dinner table. When things got a little too animated for him, Bonilla's dad would bark out his signature admonishment, “You Chuttup! I talking now!" Both Doctors Phil and Spock would probably take issue with that approach. However, it is, in essence, the same approach Bonilla has taken with his PlanetArts debut.

Along with being part of ...

Luis Bonilla: Terminal Clarity: Live at the Jazz Gallery

by Laurel Gross
February 7, 2008

During its first seconds, Trombonilla's Terminal Clarity: Live at the Jazz Gallery sounds like a band tuning up or a bit of traffic gridlock with an impatient honk or two. But then it advances full swing into an enjoyable post-bop exploration worthy of intent listening. Luis Bonilla, a talented and focused New York-based trombone player, performs in several well-regarded big bands, including the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Mingus Big Band and Arturo O'Farrill's AfroCuban Jazz Orchestra. But here, ...