Bakhari S. Nokuri

(b. 2005)

Bakhari S. Nokuri (b. 2005) is an African-American composer, producer, and drummer based in Los Angeles. He is a recipient of ASCAP’s Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award and Morton Gould Young Composer Award, as well as a winner of the National Young Composers Challenge.

Though he grew up in Howard County, Maryland, Bakhari’s heart and soul are rooted in Baltimore, where he spent much of his time with his mother, Charmaine (Michelle) Nokuri, a jazz performance major at the Peabody Conservatory. His music reflects this dual influence: while drawing from the bold orchestral voices of Mahler, Bernstein, and Hazo, his work also carries the improvisatory spirit of jazz greats such as Robert Glasper, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea, layered with the colors of contemporary artists like Thundercat, Tyler, the Creator, and Hiatus Kaiyote. Constantly searching for new textures and grooves, Bakhari infuses his music with an energy that is both fresh and deeply engaging.

Bakhari’s journey began in 2015 with nothing more than a music app on a tablet, which he treated as a “creative sandbox game.” Through middle and high school, he composed small arrangements for marching, symphonic, and jazz bands, often experimenting on MuseScore. As he grew more serious, his inspiration expanded—shaped by performances with ensembles such as HCYO, Maryland All-State, and GT Band, as well as live jazz at Baltimore’s Keystone Korner and An Die Musik. He sought feedback tirelessly, submitting regularly to the Maryland Music Educators Association’s Young Composers Project, where he earned five Superior ratings for works including Triumph (2019), Ode to Fanfare (2022), Final Thoughts, Ring of Fire, and Prayers and Tribulation (2023). His first live premiere came in 2023, when Glenelg High School debuted his piece Prayers and Tribulation.

In 2024, Bakhari gave back to his communities by revitalizing his family’s benefit concert series, the Nokuri Foundation’s Night of Hope. Leading his own big band, he wove stories of his Cameroonian and African-American heritage into the music, with proceeds supporting Ray-Est Primary School in Limbe, Cameroon.

Now a third-year undergraduate composition major at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, Bakhari studies with Camae Ayewa (Moor Mother). Primarily self-taught until 2023, he has also studied with Adrian B. Sims, Andrew Norman, Ted Hearne, and Will Kennedy.

He is deeply grateful to his family, friends, and his middle and high school band directors, Andrew Spang and Chris Winters, for nurturing his artistry and encouraging his best qualities.

View Bakhari's Resume.

Honors & Awards

2025

ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards - Winner for piece “REPUBLIQUE”, (also the youngest winner in 2025!)

2024

ACCBDA James E. Croft Grant for Young and Emerging Wind Band Composers - Winner for piece “Afrospire”

ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards - Honorable Mention for piece “Afrospire”

2023

National Young Composer's Challenge - Winner for piece “David”

MMEA's Young Composers Project  - Winner for pieces “Ring of Fire”, “Final Thoughts”, and “Prayers and Tribulation”

MMEA Senior All-State Band - First Chair for percussion