Danny Jonokuchi

Danny Jonokuchi is an award-winning jazz artist and has been called “a sound of this era” (Nextbop). As a New York City-based jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, producer, vocalist, and educator, few artists are as diversely involved in their craft. You can hear his original compositions and “world-class arrangements” (Broadway World) in renowned jazz clubs, listen to albums he has arranged and produced, and hear him perform on Broadway stages.

In 2020, he was unanimously named winner of the inaugural Count Basie Great American Swing Contest by a panel of noteworthy judges. Vibraphonist Stefon Harris noted that Danny ”understood the feel of the music—the importance and the value of the spiritual energy that’s embodied in swing.” DownBeat Magazine remarked, “The music is expertly executed and offers an infectious, kinetic quality.” Danny was also the recipient of the 2020 ASCAP Foundation Louis Armstrong Award.

A multi-talented bandleader, Danny currently leads three large ensembles: The Danny Jonokuchi Big Band is a 17-piece collection that performs Danny’s original works. Danny Jonokuchi & The Revisionists are dedicated to performing for the international Lindy Hop community and have “a classic swing sound you wouldn’t think possible” (Syncopated Times). Lastly, Danny conducts and co-leads The New Alchemy Jazz Orchestra composed of “some of the best musicians New York City offers” (Broadway World).

Composing and arranging have always been Danny’s passion and his “well-crafted arrangements” (Jazz Weekly) have been performed by an incredible array of artists including Lady Gaga, Grammy-nominated vocalist Nicole Zuraitis, Post Modern Jukebox singer Hannah Gill, The Duke Ellington Legacy, The Budapest Scoring Orchestra, The Terell Stafford Quintet, Brian Newman, Charles Turner & Uptown Swing, Ulysses Owens Jr.’s New Century Big Band, The Birdland Big Band, The South Philly Big Band, Svetlana, Peter Bernstein, The Gordon Webster Band, and The Dick Oatts Sextet.

Danny has performed on dozens of studio albums, subbed with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and can be heard trumpeting on the acclaimed game Red Dead Redemption 2. His playing has also been featured on PBS, NPR, HBO, and Good Morning America. Danny has performed on distinguished stages including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Broadway’s Lyceum Theater, Birdland Jazz Club, The Bimhaus (Netherlands), and the North Sea Jazz Festival. A frequently traveling musician, Danny has performed in the U.K., South Korea, Israel, Germany, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Belgium.

Danny is originally from Los Angeles and holds a Master’s degree in composition from The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College with the support of the Sir Roland Hanna Memorial Scholarship, and an undergraduate Jazz Studies degree from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance.

His notable mentors include jazz luminaries Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts, Luis Bonilla, Bruce Barth, and John Swana. He has studied composition & arranging with Michael Philip Mossman, John Clayton, Darcy James Argue, Norman David, and David Berger. His early champions were Matt Finders, David Washburn, Ira Nepus, & John Mosley.

Awards

2020 Inaugural Count Basie Swing Contest Winner 2020 ASCAP Foundation Louis Armstrong Award