Ambrose Akinmusire

Ambrose Olusiji Akinmusire ( born May 1, 1982) is an American avant-garde jazz trumpeter and composer.

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. The same year, he released his debut recording, Prelude... to Cora, on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. Akinmusire's quartet in Rotterdam, November 2017. : Sam Harris, Akinmusire, Harish Raghavan, and Justin Brown. 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 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. 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.

In the 2026 Grammy Awards, he received a nomination for the album Honey from a Winter Stone in the Best Alternative Jazz Album category.

On August 20, 2026, Akinmusire performed at London's Royal Albert Hall, in the BBC Proms for the Miles Davis Centenary, with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Miho Hazama.

Selected discography

As leader

As sideman