Niel Levonius, San Francisco trumpet player, performing on stage with his big band's trumpet section

San Francisco Bay Area · North Bay

Niel LevoniusJazz bands & trumpet for corporate events, galas, and private parties across the San Francisco Bay Area

First-call trumpet, bandleader, contractor, and sound engineer for the San Francisco Bay Area jazz scene

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Niel Levonius at a glance

  • Niel Levonius is a first-call freelance trumpet player based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • He leads the Local Edition Jazz Orchestra (Tuesdays, 8–11 PM, at Local Edition, 691 Market St., San Francisco, since 2021) and is musical director of the LMR Jazz Orchestra.
  • He contracts and produces jazz bands for corporate events, galas, holiday parties, festivals, and private and public events, in 3-, 6-, and 13-horn sizes, each with a rhythm section.
  • Music: traditional to modern jazz, for concerts and dancing.
  • He can bring a full PA system and run live sound; he mixes regularly at Local Edition and the Dawn Club and has mixed at Keys Jazz Bistro.
  • Trumpet credits include the Pete Escovedo Orchestra, the GRAMMY-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Kurt Elling, Emmet Cohen, Seal, and Sheila E. Voting member of the Recording Academy.
  • Recorded on 21 albums and a documentary film: see the discography.
  • Serves the entire San Francisco Bay Area, including Marin, Napa, and Sonoma.

For event planners

One call for the music, the musicians, and the sound

Niel leads two San Francisco Bay Area jazz orchestras, contracts musicians for events of every size, and mixes live sound at San Francisco jazz clubs. Planners get a single point of contact for a 3-, 6-, or 13-horn band, the PA, and the engineer to run it.

Corporate

Corporate event, gala & holiday party band

A 3-horn band for a reception up to a 13-horn big band for a gala or company holiday party, anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Corporate events

Private & public events

Galas, festivals & private parties

Traditional to modern jazz for concerts and dancing at benefits, festivals, private parties, and public concerts across the San Francisco Bay Area.

The bands

Musicians

Trumpet player & horn section for hire

Niel on trumpet in your band, section, show, or session, or a full horn section contracted and run by an experienced event music contractor.

Trumpet for hire

Looking for a San Francisco trumpet player or a Bay Area trumpet player? Here's who Niel is, what he plays, and where to hear him.

Trumpet player for hire

A first-call trumpet player on the San Francisco Bay Area scene

Niel Levonius is a first-call freelance trumpet player in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born and raised in the Bay Area, he has played trumpet since age 11.

He has performed or recorded with the Pete Escovedo Orchestra, the GRAMMY-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Kurt Elling, Emmet Cohen, Seal, and Sheila E. He is a voting member of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs).

He has toured Europe with Louie Bellson, Jon Faddis, and the Pete Escovedo Orchestra, with appearances at the Montreux, North Sea, Umbria, and Vienne jazz festivals. Bandleaders and productions hire him to play trumpet in their bands and horn sections, or to put together a complete horn section.

Niel Levonius playing trumpet in a live big band, framed by a trombone slide

Standout artists Niel has performed or recorded with

  • Pete Escovedo Orchestra
  • Pacific Mambo Orchestra
  • The Temptations
  • The Four Tops
  • Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
  • Kurt Elling
  • Emmet Cohen
  • Seal
  • Sheila E.
Full list of artists Niel has performed or recorded with
  • Gladys Knight
  • Dave Brubeck
  • Arturo Sandoval
  • Jon Faddis
  • Tom Scott
  • Dee Dee Bridgewater
  • Louie Bellson
  • Tierney Sutton
  • Jane Monheit
  • Patti Austin
  • Gordon Goodwin
  • Larry Goldings
  • Victor Wooten
  • Delfeayo Marsalis & Uptown Jazz Orchestra
  • Wycliffe Gordon
  • Bobby Hutcherson
  • Billy Higgins
  • Marvin Stamm
  • Michael Feinstein
  • Johnny Mathis
  • Patti LaBelle
  • Martha & the Vandellas
  • B.B. King
  • Huey Lewis
  • Steve Miller
  • Robby Krieger
  • Zac Brown
  • Garth Brooks
  • Eric Church
  • Clint Black
  • Jimmy Buffett
  • Bernadette Peters
  • Frankie Avalon
  • Bobby Rydell
  • Paul Shaffer
  • Mike Patton
  • Robin Williams
  • Bob Newhart
  • Deltron 3030
  • Lyrics Born
  • Chali2na (Jurassic 5)
  • DJ Q-Bert
  • Lara Johnston
  • Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey Orchestras
  • Cab Calloway Orchestra
  • Realistic Orchestra
  • Jazz Mafia Hip Hop Symphony
  • Rudy Salvini Jazz Orchestra
  • Santa Rosa Symphony
  • Peninsula Symphony
  • South Valley Symphony

The bands

Big band for hire in the San Francisco Bay Area: two orchestras

Local Edition Jazz Orchestra trumpet and saxophone sections performing at Local Edition in San Francisco

Bandleader

Local Edition Jazz Orchestra

Tuesdays · 8–11 PM · Local Edition, 691 Market St., San Francisco

Niel leads the Local Edition Jazz Orchestra, the Tuesday-night residency band at Local Edition in downtown San Francisco. In 2021 Niel took over the long-running Tuesday tradition started by the Fil Lorenz Orchestra and renamed it the Local Edition Jazz Orchestra. Drawing on a deep library that runs from 1940s dance and swing music to contemporary and modern jazz, the band plays traditional to modern jazz for listening and dancing. It has backed guests including Kurt Elling, Billy Valentine, and Tom Scott.

More about the bands
Group portrait of the LMR Jazz Orchestra, musical director Niel Levonius's Napa Valley big band

Musical director

LMR Jazz Orchestra

Long Meadow Ranch · Festival Napa Valley · San Jose Jazz Summer Fest

Niel is musical director of the LMR Jazz Orchestra, the all-star ensemble founded at Long Meadow Ranch in St. Helena in 2013. The orchestra has appeared at Festival Napa Valley and San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, and Niel co-produced its album Missa Iubileum Aureum: Golden Jubilee Jazz Mass (Origin Records), featuring Tierney Sutton and Kurt Elling.

Orchestra line-up

Watch

See the Local Edition Jazz Orchestra live

Recorded at the band's Tuesday residency at Local Edition in San Francisco: the same players you can book for a corporate event, gala, or private party.

Video still: Local Edition Jazz Orchestra · The Swizzle

The Swizzle

Benny Carter's “The Swizzle,” arranged by Greg Johnson, recorded live at Local Edition in San Francisco on January 20, 2026. Niel plays trumpet and was the audio engineer.

Video still: Local Edition Jazz Orchestra with Greg Johnson

Greg Johnson sings with the Local Edition Jazz Orchestra

Greg Johnson sings standards, including “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall” and “Change Partners,” with the Local Edition Jazz Orchestra.

More on the Local Edition Jazz Orchestra YouTube channel

Event music contractor

The right band for the room

Niel's bands perform, and he produces and contracts the musicians, for corporate parties, galas, holiday parties, festivals, and private and public events.

Choose a 3-horn, 6-horn, or 13-horn band, each with a full rhythm section, playing traditional to modern jazz for concerts and dancing. Niel builds the lineup, handles the musicians, and can bring a full PA system and run sound himself, so planners get the band, the gear, and the engineer from one contact.

  • Corporate parties
  • Holiday parties
  • Galas & benefits
  • Festivals
  • Private events
  • Public concerts
  • Full PA & sound
Plan your event

Sound engineering

Live sound for jazz bands, from a player's ears

Niel is a leading sound engineer for jazz and jazz-adjacent bands, bringing a working musician's ear to the mix.

He mixes regularly at two San Francisco jazz clubs, Local Edition and the Dawn Club, and has also mixed at Keys Jazz Bistro. He also regularly does sound for The Art Khu Trio and Rob Dehlinger's Alpha Rhythm Kings.

For events, Niel can bring a full PA system and run sound himself, whether for his own bands or for yours. Hire a jazz sound engineer.

Artists mixed include

  • The Art Khu Trio
  • Rob Dehlinger's Alpha Rhythm Kings
  • Aly & AJ
  • TANK
  • Cosmo Alley Cats
  • Mitch Polzak & the Royal Deuces
  • Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums
  • Fog City Swing
  • Hellafitzgerald
  • and many more
Niel Levonius playing trumpet, seen through the bell of a trombone on a dark jazz club stage

FAQ

Questions from planners

Don't see your question? Send an inquiry.

Do you play corporate events, galas, and holiday parties?

Yes. Niel's bands play corporate parties, galas, holiday parties, festivals, and private and public events across the San Francisco Bay Area. He contracts the musicians, leads the band, and can bring the PA and run sound himself.

What size bands are available?

Three configurations, each with a full rhythm section: a 3-horn band, a 6-horn band, and a 13-horn big band. Niel can also contract a horn section for your band or production, or be hired to play trumpet in it.

What kind of music do the bands play?

Jazz, from traditional to modern, for concerts and for dancing. The bands draw on the Local Edition Jazz Orchestra's large library, which runs from 1940s swing and dance music to contemporary jazz.

What areas do you serve?

The entire San Francisco Bay Area: San Francisco, the North Bay (Marin, Napa, and Sonoma counties), the East Bay, the Peninsula, and the South Bay.

Can we hear the band live before booking?

Yes. The Local Edition Jazz Orchestra plays every Tuesday, 8–11 PM, at Local Edition, 691 Market St. in downtown San Francisco.

Do you handle sound?

Yes. Niel can bring a full PA system and run sound at your event himself. He is a working live sound engineer who mixes regularly at Local Edition and the Dawn Club in San Francisco, so the band is set up to sound right in the room.

Hear Niel live

Upcoming gigs

  • Tue3Nov

    LEJO Nonet

    Local Edition, San Francisco · 8 PM

  • Fri6Nov

    Sound for Fog City Swing at Dawn Club

    San Francisco · 8 PM

  • Sat7Nov

    Sound for Wobbly World at Local Edition

    San Francisco · 8:30 PM

See the full gig calendar

Contact

Book a jazz band or trumpet player

Corporate event, gala, holiday party, private party, a contracted lineup, or a sound engineer: tell Niel what you have in mind and he'll get back to you.