Comprised of best young jazz musicians from around the world, the JM Jazz World Orchestra sets off from Grožnjan in Istria on their 2024 tour led by renowned American trombonist Luis Bonilla. The orchestra is a Jeunesses Musicales International project, and to become a part of it, musicians must face tough competition at an annual audition.
For over 12 years, the Orchestra has worked with some of the finest conductors and soloists, touring and performing at prestigious venues and jazz festivals across Europe and the world with renowned musicians such as Renne Manning, Jim Rotondy, KarlHeinz MIklin, John Rilley, Hector Martignon, Gonzalo Rublacaba, Andy Mc Kee, Alex Sipiagin, Dick Oatts, Famoadou don Moye, Boris Kozlow and others. There was also a significant collaboration with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and Maria Scnheider, as well as a performance in Milan with Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Young Croatian musicians who were a part of the Orchestra were Valdemar Kušan, trumpet, Hrvoje Kralj, double bass, Jakov Varezić, saxophone, Hrvoje Štefanić and Zvonimir Marković, trombones, and Borna Pehar, piano.
The JM Jazz World Orchestra continues to thrive under the mentorship of Luis Bonilla, its Artistic Director. Hailing from Costa Rica, Bonilla grew up in California then trained and specialized in the performance of a wide range of musical genres. The trombonist, composer and educator is an internationally recognised force, having been mentored by the great Lester Bowie during his time as trombonist in Bowie’s Brass Fantasy. He has worked with the likes of McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Astrud Gilberto, Willie Colon and Toshiko Akiyoshi. In the pop world, Bonilla has recorded and toured with such icons as Tony Bennett, Alejandro Sanz, Diana Ross, Marc Anthony, La India, Mary J. Blige and, most recently, Phil Collins on his European and Latin American tours. On top of this Luis Bonilla has worked in music education at such institutions as Temple University, the Manhattan School of Music and the New England Conservatory. Since 2019 he is a regular professor at the Kunst University in Graz - jazz department.
