Panama Jazz Festival
Encyclopedia
The Panama Jazz Festival was founded in September 2003 by Panamanian Grammy-winning pianist Danilo Pérez
.
A Fulbright Scholar, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Cultural Ambassador of Panama
, and educator, founder of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute at Berklee College of Music
, (MA, USA), Perez founded the festival with the mission of bettering the lives of people through shared musical experiences as listeners, on stage and in the classrooms.
Perez’s stated vision for the event is that "By offering performances and educational activities of the highest order, as well as practical, hands on training in the music and entertainment business, the Panama Jazz Festival aims to inspire and educate while providing tools and opportunities to build a better future for individuals and their communities."
As such, and while the Festival annually offers a rich program of concerts by leading international jazz musicians, the emphasis is on music education. It has become the largest music education event in the region.
The Panama Jazz Festival provides a week of master classes by some of the finest institutions in the field, including Berklee College of Music
, New England Conservatory, the Golandsky Piano Institute, and the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
. The event has also become a center for auditions for admissions and scholarships for the participating institutions.
Other institutions that have participated in the festival include the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
, the University of Massachusetts
, the Sienna Jazz Foundation, and the Paris Conservatory.
In just seven years, the festival has become a cultural tourism attraction that has already enticed to Panama more than 100,000 people from all over the world. The Festival has also announced more than 1,000,000 dollars in scholarships and more than 10,000 students, many of them international, have taken advantage of the Festival’s educational programs.
Some of the artists featured in the festival include The Wayne Shorter
Quartet, Chucho Valdés
Quartet, John Patitucci
, Joe Lovano
, Rubén Blades
, Randy Weston
, Kenny Barron
, Nnenna Freelon
, Mike Stern
, Lizz Wright
, Jack DeJohnette
, Stanley Jordan
, Billy Cobham
, and Ellis Marsalis
.
The festival supports the year-round educational programs of Danilo Perez Foundation, which brings art and music to children from extremely poor communities in the Republic of Panama.
, Chucho Valdez, Jack De Johnette, John Patitucci
, Joe Lovano
, Randy Weston
, Brian Blade
, Kurt Rosenwinkel
, Nnenna Freelon
, Kenny Barron
, Marco Pignataro, Eddie Gomez
, Regina Carter
, Steve Turre
, Stanley Jordan
, Janis Siegel, David Sanchez
, Charlie Hunter
, Tia Fuller
, and many more.
The Panama Jazz Festival has also offered master classes on Panamanian Folklore, dance, classical music (with renowned national and international musicians and the best groups from the New England Conservatory), literature, production and engineering (thanks to the Berklee College of Music
Production and Engineering Department), and many other subjects.
, New England Conservatory, Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
, Golandsky Piano Institute at Princeton University
.
and the New England Conservatory in the band to commemorate five years of the Panama Jazz Festival. All tracks composed and directed by Danilo Perez
and produced by Billy Herron and Berklee College of Music
.
Danilo Pérez
Danilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist and composer.-Early life:Danilo Pérez was born in Panama in 1965. He is considered one of the finest contemporary pianists and jazz composers of our era....
.
A Fulbright Scholar, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Cultural Ambassador of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and educator, founder of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, (MA, USA), Perez founded the festival with the mission of bettering the lives of people through shared musical experiences as listeners, on stage and in the classrooms.
Perez’s stated vision for the event is that "By offering performances and educational activities of the highest order, as well as practical, hands on training in the music and entertainment business, the Panama Jazz Festival aims to inspire and educate while providing tools and opportunities to build a better future for individuals and their communities."
As such, and while the Festival annually offers a rich program of concerts by leading international jazz musicians, the emphasis is on music education. It has become the largest music education event in the region.
The Panama Jazz Festival provides a week of master classes by some of the finest institutions in the field, including Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, New England Conservatory, the Golandsky Piano Institute, and the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico is a public institution of higher learning located in the historic Miramar a town in San Juan, Puerto Rico...
. The event has also become a center for auditions for admissions and scholarships for the participating institutions.
Other institutions that have participated in the festival include the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education-oriented organization co-founded in 1986 by the family of the late American jazz musician Thelonious Monk, opera singer Maria Fisher and Thomas R...
, the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
, the Sienna Jazz Foundation, and the Paris Conservatory.
In just seven years, the festival has become a cultural tourism attraction that has already enticed to Panama more than 100,000 people from all over the world. The Festival has also announced more than 1,000,000 dollars in scholarships and more than 10,000 students, many of them international, have taken advantage of the Festival’s educational programs.
Some of the artists featured in the festival include The Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
Quartet, Chucho Valdés
Chucho Valdés
Chucho Valdés is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. In 1972 he founded the group Irakere, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Together with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Valdés is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists...
Quartet, John Patitucci
John Patitucci
John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at...
, Joe Lovano
Joe Lovano
Joseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls...
, Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres...
, Randy Weston
Randy Weston
Randy Weston , is an American jazz pianist and composer, of Jamaican parentage.-Biography:Weston studied classical piano as a child. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he ran a restaurant that was frequented by many of the leading bebop musicians...
, Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron , is an American jazz pianist. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, and known for his lyrical, adaptive style.-Biography:...
, Nnenna Freelon
Nnenna Freelon
Nnenna Freelon, , is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. She has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for her vocal work, and has performed and toured with such top artists as Ray Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall,...
, Mike Stern
Mike Stern
Mike Stern is an American jazz guitarist. After playing for a few years with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he landed a gig with Billy Cobham and then broke through with Miles Davis' comeback band from 1981 to 1983, and again in 1985. Since then, he launched a solo career, releasing more than a dozen albums...
, Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright is an American jazz/R&B singer and composer.Wright was born in the small town of Hahira in the US state of Georgia; one of three children and the daughter of a minister and the musical director of their Church. She started singing gospel music and playing piano in church as a child,...
, Jack DeJohnette
Jack DeJohnette
Jack DeJohnette is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. He is one of the most influential jazz drummers of the 20th century, due to extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians like Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett and Sonny...
, Stanley Jordan
Stanley Jordan
Stanley Jordan is an American jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and pianist, best known for his development of the tapping technique for the guitar....
, Billy Cobham
Billy Cobham
William C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s....
, and Ellis Marsalis
Ellis Marsalis
Ellis Marsalis is the name of two people, father and son:*Ellis Marsalis, Sr., New Orleans, Louisiana businessman*Ellis Marsalis, Jr., jazz pianist...
.
The festival supports the year-round educational programs of Danilo Perez Foundation, which brings art and music to children from extremely poor communities in the Republic of Panama.
Featured Artists
| YEAR | ARTIST | INSTRUMENT | ORIGIN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Danilo Perez Danilo Pérez Danilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist and composer.-Early life:Danilo Pérez was born in Panama in 1965. He is considered one of the finest contemporary pianists and jazz composers of our era.... Trio |
Piano, Bass, Drum | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Kenny Barron Kenny Barron Kenny Barron , is an American jazz pianist. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, and known for his lyrical, adaptive style.-Biography:... |
Piano | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Mike Stern Mike Stern Mike Stern is an American jazz guitarist. After playing for a few years with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he landed a gig with Billy Cobham and then broke through with Miles Davis' comeback band from 1981 to 1983, and again in 1985. Since then, he launched a solo career, releasing more than a dozen albums... |
Guitar | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| 2005 | Jack Dejohnette Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. He is one of the most influential jazz drummers of the 20th century, due to extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians like Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett and Sonny... |
Drum and Piano | USA | *Grammy Award Winner |
| Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and jazz group leader.Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. He became interested in jazz music after hearing Louis Jordan's and James Moody's music in film shorts... |
Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Charlie Hunter Charlie Hunter for the New Zealand racehorse trainer and driver see: Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader.... |
Guitar | USA | ||
| Joe Lovano Joe Lovano Joseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls... |
Tenor Saxophone | USA | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| John Patitucci John Patitucci John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at... |
Double bass and Electric bass | USA | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Victor Paz | Trumpet | Panama | ||
| Danilo Perez Sr. | Voice | Panama | ||
| Janis Siegel | Voice | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Barbara Wilson Barbara Wilson Barbara Wilson is an African American singer, she is considered a "Hook Singer", singing the hooks on several classic West Coast hip hop songs. She was born in Hawthorne, California August 8, 1973. She is known best for her sensual soulful voice, most notably on the classic 1995 Dr.Dre song "Keep... |
Voice | Panama | ||
| Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and jazz group leader.Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. He became interested in jazz music after hearing Louis Jordan's and James Moody's music in film shorts... |
Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Victor Paz | Trumpet | Panama | ||
| Kurt Rosenwinkel Kurt Rosenwinkel Kurt Rosenwinkel is an American jazz guitarist and keyboardist who came to prominence in the 1990s.-Biography:He attended the Berklee School of Music for two and a half years before leaving in his junior year to tour with Gary Burton, the dean of the school at the time... |
Guitar | USA | ||
| David Sánchez David Sánchez David Sánchez may refer to:*David Sánchez , saxophonist*David Sánchez Amezcua, Mexican football player*David Sánchez Rodríguez, Spanish football player*David Sánchez , Spanish tennis player... |
Saxophone | Puerto Rico | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Mark Turner Mark Turner Mark Turner may refer to:*Mark Turner *Mark Turner *Mark Turner *Mark Turner *Mark Turner , jazz saxophonist... |
Saxophone and Clarinet | USA | ||
| 2006 | Randy Weston Randy Weston Randy Weston , is an American jazz pianist and composer, of Jamaican parentage.-Biography:Weston studied classical piano as a child. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he ran a restaurant that was frequented by many of the leading bebop musicians... (feat. Alex Blake, Neil Clarke) |
Piano | USA | |
| David Sánchez David Sánchez David Sánchez may refer to:*David Sánchez , saxophonist*David Sánchez Amezcua, Mexican football player*David Sánchez Rodríguez, Spanish football player*David Sánchez , Spanish tennis player... |
Saxophone | Puerto Rico | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Kurt Rosenwinkel Kurt Rosenwinkel Kurt Rosenwinkel is an American jazz guitarist and keyboardist who came to prominence in the 1990s.-Biography:He attended the Berklee School of Music for two and a half years before leaving in his junior year to tour with Gary Burton, the dean of the school at the time... |
Guitar | USA | ||
| Mark Turner Mark Turner Mark Turner may refer to:*Mark Turner *Mark Turner *Mark Turner *Mark Turner *Mark Turner , jazz saxophonist... |
Saxophone and Clarinet | USA | ||
| Victor Paz | Trumpet | Panama | ||
| Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and jazz group leader.Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. He became interested in jazz music after hearing Louis Jordan's and James Moody's music in film shorts... |
Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| 2007 | Edmar Castañeda Edmar Castañeda Edmar Castañeda is a Colombian harpist. He performs his own compositions as well as tapping into native Music of Colombia, Music of Venezuela; Joropo and Music of Argentina, Zamba. He tours regularly as the leader of the Edmar Castañeda Trio, together with David Silliman on drums/percussion and... |
Harp | Colombia | |
| Nnenna Freelon Nnenna Freelon Nnenna Freelon, , is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. She has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for her vocal work, and has performed and toured with such top artists as Ray Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall,... |
Voice | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and jazz group leader.Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. He became interested in jazz music after hearing Louis Jordan's and James Moody's music in film shorts... |
Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Panamanian Band (feat. Danilo Perez Danilo Pérez Danilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist and composer.-Early life:Danilo Pérez was born in Panama in 1965. He is considered one of the finest contemporary pianists and jazz composers of our era.... , Billy Cobham Billy Cobham William C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s.... , Santi Debriano Santi Debriano Santi Wilson Debriano is a jazz bassist.Debriano was raised in Brooklyn, having moved there with his family at age four. He studied composition at Union College in New York, then attended the New England Conservatory of Music and Wesleyan University... , Jorge Sylvester, Renato Thoms) |
Piano, Bass, Drum, Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Victor Paz | Trumpet | Panama | ||
| Banda Tributo a Chile (feat. Patricia Zarate, Mili Bermejo, Francisco Molina, Nando Michelin, Dan Greenspan) | Saxophone | Chile | ||
| 2008 | Tia Fuller Tia Fuller Tia Fuller is a saxophonist, composer, and educator is a member of the all-female band touring with R & B star, Beyoncé... |
Saxophone | USA | *A formal touring band member of Beyoncé |
| Kelley Johnson | Voice | USA | ||
| Stanley Jordan Stanley Jordan Stanley Jordan is an American jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and pianist, best known for his development of the tapping technique for the guitar.... |
Guitar | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Catherine Russell Catherine Russell Catherine Russell is a British stage, television and screen actress.-Personal:Catherine Russell is the daughter of actor Nicholas Smith and his wife Mary. She is married to film producer Richard Holmes and they have two children, Sam and Poppy... |
Voice | USA | ||
| Dave Samuels Dave Samuels Dave Samuels is an American vibraphone player who has worked with various jazz and fusion artists, such as Spyro Gyra. Currently, he plays in an ensemble called The Caribbean Jazz Project, a Grammy-winning jazz-Latin music group... (Caribbean Jazz Project Caribbean Jazz Project Caribbean Jazz Project is a Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban jazz group including Dave Samuels, Paquito D'Rivera and Andy Narell. They might be best known for their 2002 album The Gathering. They have recorded seven albums, five for the Concord Jazz label, one for Inak Records and one for Heads... ) |
Vibraphone | USA | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| 2009 | Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards... Quartet (feat. Brian Blade Brian Blade Brian Blade in Shreveport, Louisiana is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter.-Early years:... , Danilo Pérez Danilo Pérez Danilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist and composer.-Early life:Danilo Pérez was born in Panama in 1965. He is considered one of the finest contemporary pianists and jazz composers of our era.... , John Patitucci John Patitucci John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at... ) |
Saxophone, Piano, Drum, Bass | USA | *Grammy Award Winner |
| Luba Mason (feat. Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres... , Jimmy Haslip Jimmy Haslip Jimmy Haslip is an American electric bass player and record producer best known as a founding and current member of the pioneering fusion group Yellowjackets... , Hubert Laws Hubert Laws Hubert Laws is an American flutist and saxophonist with a 40+ year career in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Alongside Herbie Mann, Laws is probably the most recognized and respected jazz flutist... ) |
Voice | |||
| Marco Pignataro Quintet (feat. Eddie Gómez Eddie Gómez Eddie Gómez is an undefeated Honduran-American professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division.-Amateur career:... ) |
Saxophone | Italy | ||
| Chucho Valdés Chucho Valdés Chucho Valdés is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. In 1972 he founded the group Irakere, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Together with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Valdés is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists... |
Piano | Cuba | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| 2010 | Lizz Wright Lizz Wright Lizz Wright is an American jazz/R&B singer and composer.Wright was born in the small town of Hahira in the US state of Georgia; one of three children and the daughter of a minister and the musical director of their Church. She started singing gospel music and playing piano in church as a child,... |
Voice | USA | |
| Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and jazz group leader.Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. He became interested in jazz music after hearing Louis Jordan's and James Moody's music in film shorts... |
Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Jamey Haddad Jamey Haddad Jamey George Haddad is an American percussionist working primarily in the fields of jazz and world music, and specializing in hand drums.-Biography:... |
Percussion | USA | ||
| Joe Lovano Joe Lovano Joseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls... |
Tenor saxophone | USA | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Terri Lyne Carrington Terri Lyne Carrington Terri Lyne Carrington is a jazz drummer, composer, record producer and entrepreneur. She has played with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets, and many more... |
Drum and Voice | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Ellis Marsalis Ellis Marsalis Ellis Marsalis is the name of two people, father and son:*Ellis Marsalis, Sr., New Orleans, Louisiana businessman*Ellis Marsalis, Jr., jazz pianist... |
Piano | USA | ||
| Juanito Pascual | Guitar | USA | ||
| John Patitucci John Patitucci John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at... |
Double bass and Electric bass | USA | *Grammy Award Winner | |
Associated Schools and Organizations
- Panamanian Government: Presidency, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, and Panama City Mayor
- Embassy of the United States
- Embassy of Spain
- Embassy of France
- Danilo Perez Foundation
- Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
and Berklee Global Jazz Institute - New England Conservatory
- Conservatory of Music of Puerto RicoConservatory of Music of Puerto RicoThe Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico is a public institution of higher learning located in the historic Miramar a town in San Juan, Puerto Rico...
- Golandsky InstituteGolandsky InstituteThe Golandsky Institute is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the Taubman Approach to piano playing. Led by Edna Golandsky, Artistic Director, the Institute holds an annual seminar at Princeton University and hosts symposia and master classes worldwide...
Clinics and Special Programs
An important part of the festival is music education, and all invited artists teach master classes in the “Music Clinics”, where students from all parts of Latin America and the world come together to learn from the international masters of jazz. Among the international artists that have given lectures are Wayne ShorterWayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
, Chucho Valdez, Jack De Johnette, John Patitucci
John Patitucci
John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at...
, Joe Lovano
Joe Lovano
Joseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls...
, Randy Weston
Randy Weston
Randy Weston , is an American jazz pianist and composer, of Jamaican parentage.-Biography:Weston studied classical piano as a child. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he ran a restaurant that was frequented by many of the leading bebop musicians...
, Brian Blade
Brian Blade
Brian Blade in Shreveport, Louisiana is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter.-Early years:...
, Kurt Rosenwinkel
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Kurt Rosenwinkel is an American jazz guitarist and keyboardist who came to prominence in the 1990s.-Biography:He attended the Berklee School of Music for two and a half years before leaving in his junior year to tour with Gary Burton, the dean of the school at the time...
, Nnenna Freelon
Nnenna Freelon
Nnenna Freelon, , is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. She has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for her vocal work, and has performed and toured with such top artists as Ray Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall,...
, Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron , is an American jazz pianist. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, and known for his lyrical, adaptive style.-Biography:...
, Marco Pignataro, Eddie Gomez
Eddie Gomez
Edgar "Eddie" Gómez is a Puerto Rican jazz double bassist born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, perhaps most notable for his work done with the Bill Evans trio from 1966 to 1977.-Biography:...
, Regina Carter
Regina Carter
Regina Carter is an American jazz violinist. She is the cousin of famous jazz saxophonist James Carter.-Early life:...
, Steve Turre
Steve Turre
Steve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....
, Stanley Jordan
Stanley Jordan
Stanley Jordan is an American jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and pianist, best known for his development of the tapping technique for the guitar....
, Janis Siegel, David Sanchez
David Sánchez
David Sánchez may refer to:*David Sánchez , saxophonist*David Sánchez Amezcua, Mexican football player*David Sánchez Rodríguez, Spanish football player*David Sánchez , Spanish tennis player...
, Charlie Hunter
Charlie Hunter
for the New Zealand racehorse trainer and driver see: Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader....
, Tia Fuller
Tia Fuller
Tia Fuller is a saxophonist, composer, and educator is a member of the all-female band touring with R & B star, Beyoncé...
, and many more.
The Panama Jazz Festival has also offered master classes on Panamanian Folklore, dance, classical music (with renowned national and international musicians and the best groups from the New England Conservatory), literature, production and engineering (thanks to the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
Production and Engineering Department), and many other subjects.
Auditions and Scholarships
Each year, the festival invites prestigious institutions to audition and recruit students from all over Latin America and the world. At present time the Panama Jazz Festival is the largest recruiting space in Latin America for admissions and scholarships for some of the best music schools in the Americas including Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, New England Conservatory, Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico is a public institution of higher learning located in the historic Miramar a town in San Juan, Puerto Rico...
, Golandsky Piano Institute at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
Panama Jazz Festival Honorees
| YEAR | ARTIST | OCCUPATION | LEGACY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Luis Russell Luis Russell Luis Russell was a jazz pianist and bandleader.Luis Carl Russell was born on Careening Cay, near Bocas del Toro, Panama, in a family of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. His father was a music teacher, and young Luis learned to play violin, guitar, trombone, and piano... (1902–1963) |
Pianist | Musical Director for Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.... ’s band since 1935. Performed with King Oliver, Red Allen Red Allen Henry James "Red" Allen was a jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose style has been claimed to be the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong.-Life and career:... , and Jelly Roll Morton Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer.... . |
| 2005 | Victor Boa (1925-2004) | Pianist | Known as the "High Priest of Jazz" and "Master of the Keyboard" of Panama. Victor was a key part of the vibrant Panamanian jazz scene beginning in the late forties and played alongside Panamanian jazz greats. His particular flavor of jazz was called "Tambo Jazz.” |
| 2006 | Mauricio Smith (1931–2002) | Flautist, reeds player, musical director, composer, arranger, guitarist, keyboardist, percussionist and chorus singer | Mauricio Smith was born in Panama but lived most of his life in New York City. He performed and recorded with Clark Terry Clark Terry Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award... , Charlie Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz... , Chubby Checker Chubby Checker Chubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"... , Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the... , Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s... , and many others. Smith was an original member of the NBC “Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture... " band and was the leader of the Latin band at the Rainbow Room Rainbow Room The Rainbow Room was an upscale restaurant and nightclub on the 65th floor of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan, New York City.-Cuisine:... for six years. He has scored music for movies, and wrote arrangements for Tito Puente Tito Puente Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"... and others. In addition to his jazz performances, Smith has performed classically as a flutist and soloist with the Puerto Rican Symphony and has given recitals at Avery Fisher Hall Avery Fisher Hall Avery Fisher Hall is a concert hall, in New York City and is part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, with a capacity of 2,738 seats.-History:... . |
| 2007 | Barbara Wilson Barbara Wilson Barbara Wilson is an African American singer, she is considered a "Hook Singer", singing the hooks on several classic West Coast hip hop songs. She was born in Hawthorne, California August 8, 1973. She is known best for her sensual soulful voice, most notably on the classic 1995 Dr.Dre song "Keep... |
Singer | “Panama’s Ella Fitzgerald,” who spent a lifetime singing in her country. Unknown outside of Panama, this extraordinary jazz singer refused several invitations to move to the US in order to stay close to her family at home. |
| 2008 | 5th Year Anniversary - dedicated to all PJF supporters | ||
| 2009 | Clarence Martin Sr. | Bassist, composer, and arranger | Contributed to Panamanian jazz since the 1940s and have influenced several generations of musicians from many genres such as jazz, classical, and Caribbean music. |
| 2010 | Sonny White (1917–1971) | Pianist | Born in Panama, White lived in the US most of his life and recorded with Billy Holiday the classic song "Strange Fruit Strange Fruit "Strange Fruit" is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who released her first recording of it in 1939, the year she first sang it. Written by the teacher Abel Meeropol as a poem, it exposed American racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans. Such lynchings had occurred... ." He also performed with many other jazz artists such as Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist... , Artie Shaw Artie Shaw Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings.... , Benny Carter Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King... , Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone... , among others. |
| 2011 | Víctor Vitín Paz | Trumpeter | A pillar of the Latin jazz trumpet, was a cornerstone of the Fania All Stars for many years. He was a number one call for Broadway shows in New York City and performed with notable figures such as Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist... , Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the... , Dizzy Gillespie Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz... , The Jackson Five, amongmany others. |
Recordings
Panama Suite (2006) was recorded with students and faculty of both the Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
and the New England Conservatory in the band to commemorate five years of the Panama Jazz Festival. All tracks composed and directed by Danilo Perez
Danilo Pérez
Danilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist and composer.-Early life:Danilo Pérez was born in Panama in 1965. He is considered one of the finest contemporary pianists and jazz composers of our era....
and produced by Billy Herron and Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
.
“The Panama Suite is a three-movement composition that combines urban sounds with Panamanian folkloric elements in a big band setting. It embodies the sound of the next generation of Latino musicians that represents the opening of geographical borders and the opening of the new mind. This state of mind demands both innovation and respect for tradition, with the hope that by exercising creative freedom the human species will find peace, truth, and justice.” – Danilo PerezDanilo PérezDanilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist and composer.-Early life:Danilo Pérez was born in Panama in 1965. He is considered one of the finest contemporary pianists and jazz composers of our era....