Hi, I'm Jonathan Saraga — Grammy-Winning trumpeter, composer, and Doctor of Musical Arts based based in New York City. I've been performing, recording and competing globally for over two decades and have engaged with audiences in over 500 cities, nearly 70 countries and just short of 100 different universities. I appear in over 230 YouTube videos, can be heard on 30+ albums and have performed throughout Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Asia and the U.S. via multiple national tours. Over the years, my musical work has received over 30 international awards from 25 different organizations.
1 review
Avinash V.
May 10, 2023Jonathan and his crew were great! Jonathan was very responsive right from the beginning, and accommodating for the time we requested. He and his group were able to create a cool vibe during our cocktail hour and our guests loved hearing their music. Would happily coordinate with him for another event and highly recommend him for yours.
Hired as: Jazz Band
Jonathan Saraga
Thanks for the 5 star review! We all enjoyed being a part of the festivities and certainly look forward to playing for you again, anytime! Peace & Love~Jonathan
Price range: $300-$2000
Languages: English
Gig length: 60 - 480 minutes
• 20+ years experience performing at high-profile weddings, parties, gatherings, and corporate functions
• Experience performing in front of thousands of people, celebrities and within high pressure environments
• Extensive knowledge and preparedness of musical repertoire in virtually any style/genre/era of music
• Attention to detail and thoroughness throughout every stage of your event's planning and execution
• Ease, consistency and clarity of communication throughout every stage of your event's planning and execution
• The highest level of artistry and professionalism you'd expect from a seasoned and experienced NYC-based jazz musician
• Ability to provide fully customizable ensemble types, including instrumentation, size and preference for musical repertoire
• Desire to provide you with an overall product that not only suits your vision and budget but that exceeds your expectations
Dr. Jonathan Saraga, a native of New York City, has served over 400+ clients, providing a wide variety of professional musical services and products within the greater New York area, and also globally. Having lived in one of the most competitive cities in the world, and pursued a path within music and the arts for nearly 25 years, Jonathan has established relationships and collaborative conglomerations with thousands of driven, passionate and professionally seasoned musicians whose skills and expertise will exceed your expectations.
Saraga has performed in nearly 1,000 concerts, recorded on 30 studio albums, dozens of singles/EPs, and has appeared on 200+ YouTube videos. He has also received over 30 international competitive musical awards over the course of his career, including 8 for trumpet playing, 9 for composition/songwriting and 13 for overall musicianship.
He's been a part of national tours and international concerts held in places like Malaysia, France, Haiti, Canada and throughout the Caribbean, and has worked for acclaimed/Grammy-winning artists such as Brass Against, Eric Bergin, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, the Birdland Big Band, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society and Orrin Evans' Captain Black Big Band to name only a few.
Jazz Journal (UK) has remarked that Jonathan's music is "intriguing" and that it "comes out of the speakers with a rare confidence and finish, but without the smuggery and sheen that a lot of contemporary jazz has in place of real content." Jazz Magazine (France) notes his group's “astonishing maturity” and Jazzwise (UK) states that they are "assertive" and "inventive."
For more information on products and services as well as over 30 reviews and testimonials, please visit (link hidden)
Friday
Cocktail Party
7:00pm - 8:00pm
•
New York City, NY
1920s Era Entertainment
• “Ain’t Misbehavin’” – Fats Waller
• “St. Louis Blues” – W.C. Handy
• “Sweet Georgia Brown” – Ben Bernie/Maceo Pinkard
• “Dinah” – Harry Akst
• “After You’ve Gone” – Turner Layton
1930s Era Entertainment
• “All of Me” – Gerald Marks
• “On the Sunny Side of the Street” – Jimmy McHugh
• “Cheek to Cheek” – Irving Berlin
• “I’m in the Mood for Love” – Jimmy McHugh
• “Exactly Like You” – Jimmy McHugh
1940s Era Entertainment
• “Take the ‘A’ Train” – Billy Strayhorn
• “How High the Moon” – Morgan Lewis
• “Autumn Serenade” – Peter DeRose
• “Tenderly” – Walter Gross
• “I’ll Remember April” – Gene de Paul
1950s Era Entertainment
• “Moanin’” – Bobby Timmons
• “Blue Monk” – Thelonious Monk
• “So What” – Miles Davis
• “Nica’s Dream” – Horace Silver
• “Solar” – Miles Davis
Acoustic Band (Small-Group Standards)
• “All the Things You Are” – Jerome Kern
• “Body and Soul” – Johnny Green
• “Someday My Prince Will Come” – Frank Churchill
• “My Funny Valentine” – Rodgers & Hart
• “Stella by Starlight” – Victor Young
Big Band (Quartet-Friendly Adaptations)
• “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” – Duke Ellington
• “In a Mellow Tone” – Duke Ellington
• “Li’l Darlin’” – Neal Hefti (Count Basie)
• “One O’Clock Jump” – Count Basie (head chart works with quartet)
• “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” – Count Basie
Bossa Nova Band
• “The Girl from Ipanema” – Antônio Carlos Jobim
• “Wave” – Jobim
• “Desafinado” – Jobim
• “Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)” – Jobim
• “Meditation” – Jobim
Brass Band
• “When the Saints Go Marching In” – Traditional
• “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” – Traditional
• “Bourbon Street Parade” – Paul Barbarin
• “Down by the Riverside” – Traditional
• “Second Line (Joe Avery’s Blues)” – Traditional
Dixieland Band
• “Tiger Rag” – Original Dixieland Jass Band
• “Basin Street Blues” – Spencer Williams
• “Royal Garden Blues” – Clarence Williams
• “Muskrat Ramble” – Kid Ory
• “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” – Louis Armstrong
Funk Band
• “Chameleon” – Herbie Hancock
• “Cissy Strut” – The Meters
• “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” – Joe Zawinul
• “Watermelon Man” – Herbie Hancock
•“Red Clay” – Freddie Hubbard
Latin Jazz Band
• “Manteca” – Dizzy Gillespie/Chano Pozo
• “Afro Blue” – Mongo Santamaria
• “Caravan” – Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol
• “Spain” – Chick Corea
• “Song for My Father” – Horace Silver
Wedding Band (Jazz Quartet Versions)
• “Fly Me to the Moon” – Bart Howard
• “At Last” – Mack Gordon/Harry Warren
• “What a Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong
• “Unforgettable” – Irving Gordon
• “Our Love Is Here to Stay” – George Gershwin
Clifford Brown, Adam Rogers, Tom Harrell, Steve Coleman, Freddie Hubbard, David Sanchez, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Jerry Bergonzi, Chet Baker, Jonathan Kreisberg, Ryan Kisor, Charles Blenzig, Blue Mitchell, Alex Sipiagin, Miguel Zenon, Sam Rivers, Steve Wilson, Ravi Coltrane, Andrew Hill, Wayne Shorter, Vijay Iyer, Nicholas Payton, Herbie Hancock, Steve Swallow, Donny McCaslin, Art Pepper, Loren Stillman, Joshua Redman, John Ellis, Chick Corea, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Art Farmer, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Miles Okazaki, Chris Potter, Art Tatum, Ben Monder, Jimmy Greene, Miles Davis, Aaron Goldberg, Jon Gordon, Donald Byrd, Walt Weiskopf, Kenny Dorham, Seamus Blake, Le Boeuf Brothers, Adam Larson
Jazz Band
