Born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Jonny Mansfield grew up surrounded by music.

He has worked with respected musicians including Chris Potter, Orlando Weeks and Yazz Ahmed. He has toured worldwide and performed at major venues such as the Bimhaus, SXSW festival and the Royal Albert Hall.

In Summer 2019, Jonny released his debut album with his 11-piece ensemble 'Elftet' accompanied by a Arts Council funded 14 date UK tour.

Jonny was the recipient of the Tebbut Exhibition Award, Richard Turner Award, Scott Philbrick Jazz Scholarship and the Principal's Award from the Royal Academy of Music. In 2018, Jonny was awarded the Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize and subsequently signed to Edition Records to release his album featuring Chris Potter, Gareth Lockrane and Kit Downes.

In August 2020, Jonny set himself the challenge to compose, record, mix and master a whole album in a day. The reason was to capture this strange unique time in music and reflect some of the feelings generated from lockdown. Hear the music here. 

As a composer, he was commissioned by Marsden Jazz Festival to write an hour-long suite setting Simon Armitage (Poet Laureate) poems. This was recorded for a BBC 3 Jazz Now broadcast and has subsequently been nominated for an Ivors Award - ‘Best Large Ensemble Jazz Composition’. Jonny was also commissioned to write a vibraphone and trombone duo for London Symphony Orchestra principals - Neil Percy and Peter Moore which was premiered at LSO St. Lukes.

Jonny has taught at Chetham's School of Music, Aberdeen and Leicester Universities as well as being commissioned to write new works for their jazz ensembles. Jonny currently teaches at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

“There's something of a Mike Gibbs feel to Mansfield's compositions with some Loose Tubes sensibility thrown in for good measure, but none of these allusions detracts from the sheer originality his music exudes. A promise of magnificent things to follow.” - All About Jazz

"Really beautiful music.” - Jorge Rossy

"A musical vision beyond his years.” - Evan Parker

 Equipment

Jonny is proud to endorse Acoustic Percussion Mallets and Murat Diril Cymbals.

Check out Jonny’s Acoustic Percussion Signature Mallets

Purchase Jonny’s Signature Mallets from Southern Percussion

Jonny plays on a Musser 55G vibraphone and a 60s Sonor Teardrop kit with a Gretsch 60s Round-Badge Snare.

Press

Laboratorium - https://www.laboratoriummuzycznychfuzji.com/2019/10/jonny-mansfield-elftet.html - PL - “Jonny Mansfield presents youthful, intellectual audacity, hardness, independence, and in a full sense even aggression, in the form of new ideas emerging from every corner”

Textura - https://www.textura.org/archives/m/mansfield_elftet.htm - CA - “Like Wheeler, Ellington, and Schneider, Mansfield composes with the group in mind, careful to work solo space into big band material rich in polyphony and counterpoint.”

Rondo - https://www.rondomagazin.de/kritiken.php?kritiken_id=10745 - DE - “The cleverness with which Jonny Mansfield classifies the basic characteristics of this variety of styles in his personal sound makes "Elftet" an album full of allusions, whose diversity he bundles with his individual stylistic handwriting to create a great musical package.”

Jazz Magazine - Revelation! - FR - “The originality and the modernity of his arrangements and vibraphone playing create framework that his bandmates take pleasure to implement, projecting it brilliantly. 

Jazz Thing - DE - "in these refined, Ellington and Mendoza-influenced arrangements, no instrument is over-looked. Four horns provide a classic big band orientation, the more melodic parts reminiscent of old MPS recordings. An ambitious, impressive debut of elegance.”

All About Jazz - https://www.allaboutjazz.com/elftet-jonny-mansfield-edition-records-review-by-roger-farbey.php - UK - “There's something of a Mike Gibbs feel to Mansfield's compositions with some Loose Tubes sensibility thrown in for good measure, but none of these allusions detract from the sheer originality his music exudes. A promise of magnificent things to follow.”

Hi-Res Mac - http://www.highresmac.de/review-jonny-mansfield-elftet/ - DE - “The instruments are always easy to locate, the space is well used and dense passages remain audible. This makes Elftet from Jonny Mansfield a great album.” 

Healthy Music Obsession - Top Albums 2019 - https://healthymusicobsession.com/topalbums/

Jazzwise - UK - “the promise of tunes such as ’T&C’s Apply’, ‘Flying Kites’ and ‘For You’. Mansfield suggests enormous promise for the future.”

Maria Schneider - “I listened and enjoyed it very much! Great playing as well.”

 Media