Early life, musical education and influences Luis Bonilla was born and raised in
Eagle Rock, California to parents who had immigrated to the
United States from
Costa Rica. He was introduced to music and jazz while attending
Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles. Bonilla was enrolled in a 'brass class' (believing it to be a metal shop class) only to find himself learning to play trombone. At
Eagle Rock High School he studied under trumpeter John Rinaldo in a well established, award-winning music and jazz program that had produced musicians such as
Roger Ingram,
Carlos Vega, and Art Velasco. During this time he was heavily influenced by the playing and recordings of legendary trombonist
Carl Fontana. After graduating from
Eagle Rock High School he studied music at
California State University, Los Angeles earning a
bachelor's degree in music. During his time at
C.S.U.L.A. he was a member of both the #1 big band and the top jazz quintet taking top honors at the West Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival. Bonilla recorded on five notable recordings with the C.S.U.L.A. big band as a featured soloist and doing arranging for one of those LP's. He studied in Los Angeles with
Don Raffell, Roy Main, David Caffey and former
Stan Kenton trombonist/producer
Bob Curnow. When later moving to
New York City, he earned a
master's degree in Jazz Performance and Composition from the
Manhattan School of Music. He has supported himself as a
session musician and a sideman performing with
McCoy Tyner,
Dizzy Gillespie,
Tom Harrell,
Freddie Hubbard,
Astrud Gilberto,
Willie Colón, and
Toshiko Akiyoshi. He has demonstrated his versatility as a musician working and recording with artists as varied as
Tito Nieves,
Phil Collins,
Tony Bennett,
Alejandro Sanz,
Diana Ross,
Marc Anthony,
La India, and
Mary J. Blige. He has been a member of the
Mingus Big Band and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra; he has also toured and recorded extensively with
Dave Douglas. Most notably, he served as the 2nd trombonist (jazz chair) for the
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra for 19 years (1999–2018). Both of these groups have won numerous honors with Bonilla as part of those ensembles and as a featured soloist. Showing his versatility as a trombone artist, in 2010 he was featured as a classical soloist on
The Chamber Wind Music of Jack Cooper and as a jazz soloist on the large ensemble recording
Coming Through Slaughter – The Bolden Legend (SkyDeck). He served as main producer and trombonist in 2014 on the
Mists: Charles Ives for Jazz Orchestra CD (
Planet Arts, 2014) which garnered international acclaim.
Honors and recognition Luis Bonilla is the winner of
Downbeat magazine’s Rising Star honor in 2010 & 2011. As a trombone artist he was placed on the
Downbeats’ Readers Poll in 2012. Bonilla was also named onto the 2011
JazzTimes critics poll for top trombone artists that year. ==Teaching ==