" data-original-title="" title="">Danny Jonokuchi, the path to success—in music and in life—has never been smooth or trouble-free. Born with a congenital lung disease, Jonokuchi needed life-saving surgery while in high school to treat a collapsed lung, which caused him to put his trumpet playing aside, at least temporarily. Years later, and almost a continent away from his native Los Angeles, Jonokuchi was viciously attacked in south Philadelphia, resulting in traumatic injuries to his mouth and embouchure. This time, Jonokuchi had to learn to play the trumpet again from square one.

End of story? Not by a long shot. Jonokuchi used his time away from playing to focus on composing and arranging, moved to New York, started playing and singing again, earned some awards for his writing and formed a big band whose fifth album, A Decade, represents in musical terms Jonokuchi's forward progress in the face of obstacles that would have sidelined many less upbeat and determined musicians. These are Jonokuchi's charts, and they are almost always bright and powerful, as is the leader's sturdy New York-area band.

To underline the personal chronology, Jonokuchi has chosen to lead with