MUSE • Musicians United for Social Equity

Biography

Danny Jonokuchi is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. He has been called “a sound of this era” (Nextbop). You can hear his original compositions and “world-class arrangements” (Broadway World) in renowned jazz clubs, listen to albums he has arranged and produced for a myriad of artists, and hear him perform on Broadway stages. Danny is primarily a trumpeter and splits his time working in New York City and Los Angeles.

In 2020, he was unanimously named winner of the inaugural Count Basie Great American Swing Contest and 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. 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 The New Alchemy Jazz Orchestra composed of “some of the best musicians New York City offers” (Broadway World).

Danny has performed on dozens of studio albums, with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and can be heard 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, The Village Vanguard, 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.

Writing has 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 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.