Luis Diego Bonilla is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and educator of Costa Rican descent. In New York, he connected with Lester Bowie, with whom he played trombone in the band, drawing continuous inspiration from Bowie as they toured and recorded extensively together.
As a session musician and sideman, he has performed with legends such as McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Astrud Gilberto, Willie Colón, and Toshiko Akiyoshi. His versatility as a musician is evident from his collaborations and recordings with artists like Tito Nieves, Phil Collins, Tony Bennett, Alejandro Sanz, Diana Ross, Marc Anthony, La India, and Mary J. Blige.
Bonilla was a member of the Mingus Big Band and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, and he toured and recorded extensively with Dave Douglas. From 1999 to 2018, he served as the second trombonist for the renowned Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. In February 2009, he received two Grammy Awards with this orchestra and also performed with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. Both bands, with Bonilla as part of the ensemble and as a soloist, received numerous accolades.
In 2010, Bonilla demonstrated his versatility as a trombone artist, performing as a classical soloist on The Chamber Wind Music by Jack Cooper and as a jazz soloist on the large ensemble recording Coming Through Slaughter – The Bolden Legend (SkyDeck). In 2014, he was the lead producer and trombonist on the album Mists: Charles Ives for Jazz Orchestra, which garnered international acclaim.