For Your Grammy® Consideration
Best large Jazz Ensemble Album
Danny Jonokuchi BIg Band - A Decade
Best Arrangement (Instrumental or A Capella)
“Ping Pong”
About “A Decade”
At its core, A Decade is a story. Danny Jonokuchi, now well-known and beloved for his prowess as a trumpeter, began his career by overcoming a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. Born with a congenital lung disease that remained malign through his young childhood, the condition manifested suddenly and aggressively. Already on track to be a powerhouse trumpeter, Jonokuchi was faced with a lung collapse that required surgical intervention. The life-saving surgery worked, but removed part of his lung. This forced a halt on his playing, and likewise forced him to reevaluate and rediscover his relationship with music.
The album serves as an autobiographical tale of recovery over 10 years in NYC. With A Decade , Danny Jonokuchi has established himself as more than a writer, more than a trumpeter, and more than a vocalist; he has proven that his is an artist, a poet, a creator capable of wearing his heart on his sleeve and presenting an exhibit filled with a degree of honesty and brilliance that it veritably overflows.
For Best Arrangement (Instrumental or A Capella)
“Ping Pong”
A Decade includes the The International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers (ISJAC) award-winning arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s “Ping Pong”. Jonokuchi learned more about his musical heroes, and in so doing discovered some of the hardships Wayne Shorter endured during his lifetime. Deeply moved by this knowledge, Jonokuchi felt compelled to honor Shorter’s legacy and arranged his piece. Jonokuchi chose to use Mambo elements in this arrangement not only as a nod to Shorter’s original arrangement, but also to imbue the piece with a sense of tenacity.
