T R O M B O N I S T

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“I am greatly impressed by his music. This includes trombone performance, improvisation, arranging and composing, as well as leading his wonderful ensemble.”

- Art Baron, trombonist (Duke Ellington)

 

“Creative” - Vincent Herring (Grammy Winner)

 

“An extraordinary artist with a proven track record of excellence”

- Sam Burtis, trombonist (Charles Mingus and Tito Puente)

 

“Dunkel has breathtaking virtuosity, a beautiful melodic sense, and a deep knowledge of the jazz tradition and repertoire”

- Bruce Barth, pianist (Tony Bennett)

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Jazz trombonist Amadis Dunkel embodies all the traits of a great, multi-talented, creative spirit. He thrills audiences with his breathtaking virtuosity and beautiful melodic sense; his compositions reveal a very deep and interesting level of creativity, in addition to a profound knowledge of the jazz tradition. Dunkel leads his own quartet and big band; his big band debut recording is planned for the winter of ’24/25. Dunkel is scheduled to tour Asia in the spring of ’25 and Europe in the summer of the same year.

He has performed with the legendary Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, with Grammy winners Vincent Herring and Luis Bonilla, and with the legendary Ray Anderson. Dunkel is the recipient of the Jimmy Heath Award, 2013 and a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) from Stony Brook University, 2023.

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A Swiss citizen, Amadis Nicolas Dunkel was born in Spain and grew up in Switzerland and Italy. In 1994, Dunkel moved to Washington, DC, where he studied jazz trombone with the legendary Calvin Jones. After returning to Switzerland, Dunkel releases his debut album in 2004 and started touring in Europe and the Middle East. In 2005 he founded the Syrian-Swiss Jazz Orchestra and the “Jazz Lives in Syria” festival. In the following years, Dunkel began composing extensively for film and tv, including the soundtrack for the 2009 animation feature “The Jasmine Birds” (Golden Prize in Cairo, Egypt, Silver Prize in Rotterdam, Holland), music for the feature film “Jameela,” a Jordanian production that speaks out against honor killings, and numerous television productions. In 2011 Dunkel relocated to New York to relaunch his performance career in the world’s capital of jazz. He quickly become an in-demand trombonist. In 2013 he receives a Masters Degree from Queens College and is given the prestigious “Jimmy Heath” Award.

 

Over the course of his performing career, Dunkel has had collaborations with Luis Bonilla (Phil Collins), Ray Anderson (6 times in Down Beat's Critics Poll winner), Sam Burtis (Tito Puente), Calvin Jones (original Ray Charles Big Band), Charles Davis (Kenny Dorham Quintet), Vincent Herring (Grammy winner), Antonio Hart (Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Holland), Korean jazz legend Sungjo Jung, Bryan Davis (Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra), Bruce Barth (Tony Benett), Tarek Yamani, Allyn Johnson, Ziad Rahbani, Mike Longo (Dizzy Gillespie), Butch Warren (Thelonious Monk Quartet), Jeff Andrews (Wayne Shorter, Mike Stern, Blood Sweat & Tears), Andy McKee (Elvin Jones), Corcoran Holt (Kenny Garrett), Ben Perowski (Michael Brecker, John Scofield), and vocalists Kathryn Farmer, Hiba Tawaji (The Voice, France), and YouTube sensation Robyn Adele Anderson. 

 

Originally inspired by his work in film scoring, Dunkel has extended his creative vision to music production. In the past several years he has established himself in New York’s competitive environment as a sought-after producer for jazz, rock, classical and experimental electronic music and is well known for his signature sound. He is the owner of the BLUE FROG recording studio in Long Island City, New York.

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Recent recordings include:
Amadis Dunkel Octet/Sextet (Jazz Lives!)
Amadis Dunkel & Luis Bonilla: A Mighty Good Thing

Sungjo Jung Big Band in New York (Cj E&M)

Vincent Herring: Brooklyn Sessions
Roberto Blanco Swinging New York (Connector)

Wael AlKak Neshama
The Red Birds
Afro Peruvian New Trends Orquestra (blue spiral)

Suhee Choi: Superbly Sunny League

Hyuna Park: Her Morning Waltz (Internova Records)

Gary Fogel Lagtet: In the Nick Of Time (Finetime Records)

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International festival appearances include:

“Montreux Jazz Festival” in Switzerland;

“Cairo Jazz Festival” in Egypt;

“Zagreb Jazz Festival” and “Grožnjan Festival” in Croatia;

“Jazz Lives!” and “Music On The Road” in Syria;

“Beirut Jazz Festival” and “Byblos International Festival” in Lebanon;

“Xi Hu Blooms Festival” in Hangzhou, and the “Shanghai Jazz Festival” in China; 

“Jarasum Jazz Festival” in South-Korea.

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