Ambrose Akinmusire

Biography

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Akinmusire was a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, where he caught the attention of saxophonist Steve Coleman who was visiting the school to lead a workshop. Coleman hired him as a member of his Five Elements band for a European tour. Akinmusire was also a member of the Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.

Akinmusire studied at the Manhattan School of Music before returning to the West Coast to take a master's degree at the University of Southern California and attend the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles.

In 2007, Akinmusire won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition and the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition, two of the most prestigious jazz competitions in the world. The same year he released his debut recording Prelude... to Cora on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. He moved back to New York City and began performing with Vijay Iyer, Aaron Parks, Esperanza Spalding, and Jason Moran, taking part in Moran's innovative multimedia concert event In My Mind: Monk At Town Hall, 1957. It was also during this time that he caught the attention of Bruce Lundvall, then President of Blue Note Records.

Akinmusire made his debut on the Blue Note label in 2011 with the album When the Heart Emerges Glistening, featuring his quintet of tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Justin Brown. Akinmusire's third album, entitled The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint, was released in 2014. His album Origami Harvest was included in The New York Times Best Jazz of 2018. His sixth studio album On the Tender Spot of every Calloused Moment, again with his quartet of longtime bandmates – Sam Harris (piano), Harish Raghavan (bass), and Justin Brown (drums), was released in spring 2020 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

Akinmusire is featured on the last track of Kendrick Lamar's 2015 release To Pimp a Butterfly.

He has received awards including the 2014 North Sea Jazz Festival's Paul Acket Award and both the Doris Duke Artist and Doris Duke Impact Awards; recognition in the DownBeat Critics Poll has included Jazz Artist of the Year (2011) and winning the trumpet category every year from 2013 to 2020.

For 2026 Grammy Awards, he received a nomination for the album Honey from a winter stone in the Best Alternative Jazz Album category.

Selected discography

As leader

As sideman

Footnotes

References

1. "A SONG TO EXHALE (DIVER SONG)". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
2. {{YouTube. "Ambrose Akinmusire : interview vidéo Qobuz"
3. (1 April 2011). "For a Team Player, the Solo Moments Are Secondary".
4. (8 May 2020). "Ambrose Akinmusire's New Album Is A Circle In Time, Right Back To His First Jazz Show".
5. (5 October 2020). "Ambrose Akinmusire Soundtracks Black Resistance from Oakland to the World".
6. (April 2014). "Ambrose Akinmusire: Life Beyond Ego".
7. "Competition - Past Winners and Judges". Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.
8. Eisensmith, Kevin. "The 2007 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition". International Trumpet Guild.
9. (15 January 2016). "Ambrose Akinmusire".
10. "Ambrose Akinmusire, "When the Heart Emerges Glistening"".
11. "First Listen: Ambrose Akinmusire, 'the imagined savior is far easier to paint'".
12. (10 October 2018). "Ambrose Akinmusire's Trumpet Takes a Back Seat to His Pen on 'Origami Harvest'".
13. (6 December 2018). "Best Jazz of 2018".
14. "Akinmusire Biography".
15. (22 April 2021). "GRAMMY Award Results for Ambrose Akinmusire".
16. "Ambrose Akinmusire Winner Paul Acket Award". North Sea Jazz Festival.
17. "2015 Doris Duke Artists Awards".
18. (August 2014). "62nd Annual Critics Poll".
19. (August 2015). "63rd Annual Critics Poll".
20. (August 2016). "64th Annual DownBeat International Critics Poll".
21. (25 June 2018). "DownBeat Announces Winners of the 2018 Int'l Critics Poll".
22. (24 June 2019). "Salvant Tops 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll".
23. (6 July 2020). "Terri Lyne Carrington Tops 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll".
24. "2026 GRAMMYS: See The Full Nominations List {{!}} GRAMMY.com".
25. (14 May 2008). "Ambrose Akinmusire: Prelude: To Cora".
26. (28 April 2011). "Ambrose Akinmusire: When the Heart Emerges Glistening - review".
27. (2 March 2014). "First Listen: Ambrose Akinmusire, 'the imagined savior is far easier to paint'".
28. (June 2017). "Ambrose Akinmusire: A Rift In Decorum: Live At The Village Vanguard".
29. (November 2018). "Ambrose Akinmusire: Origami Harvest".