Biography
Luis Muñoz stands among the most honored figures in contemporary jazz as a recording artist, composer, producer, arranger, and percussionist. A native of Costa Rica, he completed his formal studies at the University of Costa Rica and the National Music Conservatory. His first U.S. release as a bandleader arrived in 1996 with the album Fruit of Eden, followed two years later by the purely instrumental set Compassion. The 2004 project Vida earned him Costa Rica’s ACAM industry award as Jazz Composer/Producer of the Year. A second ACAM honor followed for the 2010 recording Invisible. The 2013 album Luz spotlighted vocalists Magos Herrera and Téka Penteriche and was cited by NPR among that year’s outstanding jazz releases. Muñoz returned in 2015 with Voz, again enlisting Herrera and Penteriche while adding Chilean singer Claudia Acuña; the disc received the ACAM Award for Jazz CD of the Year. His 2017 instrumental outing The Dead Man was named “Best Record of the Year” by Jazziz magazine. In 2019 he took the Arranger of the Year prize for The Infinite Dream, a widely praised partnership with Guyanese singer Lois Mahalia. During a 2024 TedX appearance in Costa Rica, the bandleader introduced Glimmering Path, his second project with Mahalia.
Albums
