American Artist ~ Bonzai

You never know who you’ll meet over a glass of wine. That was the case with Bonzai, who was enjoying a glass of red as I was taking a short break from curating a big art show at Town Square in Las Vegas. A couple of days later, he visited my opening, and we have been friends and occasional creative collaborators ever since.

In celebration of American Artist Appreciation Month, I am honored to share the legendary music of my dear friend Bonzai. This month of celebration recognizes artists from various disciplines, including painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, writers, poets, and performers. American art has influenced artistic movements worldwide and challenged traditional modes of expression.

James “Bonzai” Caruso is a six-time Grammy Award-winning recording and mixing engineer, music producer, music arranger, and songwriter with over three decades of experience working with high-profile recording artists.

Bonzai started his career as a teenager, attending the world-renowned Institute of Audio Research in Greenwich Village. He then began honing his skills in New York City’s finest studios. By his early twenties, Bonzai was already making a name for himself.

Bonzai was credited with creating new sounds with multiple renowned artists, including Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Africa Bambaatta, and Ice-T, to name just a few. His mixing style caught the ear of producers and artists such as Sean “Puffy” Combs, Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Jodeci, Faith Evans, C+C Music Factory, Madonna, Nas, and many others.

Bonzai’s work on “Shy Guy” by Diana King led to a call from Stephen Marley, son of the late, great Bob Marley. Stephen and Bonzai formed a collaborative musical relationship that continues to this day. Together, they have collaborated on many chart-topping hits, including Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock”; Stephen Marley’s debut album, Mind Control; Nas and Damian Marley’s Distant Relatives album; Stephen Marley’s Revelation albums; Damian Marley’s Stone Hill double album; and many more.

Bonzai’s work can also be heard on Chronixx’s Chronology album, as well as in music by Alicia Keys, Protoje, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Missy Elliot, Erykah Badu, Bette Midler, Lenny Kravitz, Cher—and the list goes on and on.

In addition to producing and mixing for artists, Bonzai composes original music for film and TV. Recently, he has written music for several independent films, pieces for Philip Morris, CMT, Adidas, and several soon-to-be-released campaigns.

Bonzai also recorded and mixed all the music for the 2006 Winter Para Olympics opening ceremonies in Torino, Italy. He recorded and mixed the compositions with composer Enrico Cremonesi and the 64-piece Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra.

Listing Bonzai’s accomplishments is impressive, to say the least. While my musical needs are far less than those listed above, I have enjoyed including his music in a few of my art videos, including The Creation of Eternal, An Eternal Time Out, and a few others.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Bonzai believes his best is yet to come. We’re looking forward to hearing more, Bonzai.

Until then, check out his latest track, “Don’t Make Me Go” by Sophie Yoder.

Visit BonzaiCaruso.com for more.