11th Annual Panama Jazz Festival
Led by Artistic Director Danilo Pérez
Announces 2014 Lineup
Festival Dates: January 13-18, 2014
Festival Honors 500th Anniversary of the
Rediscovery of the Pacific Ocean and
100th Anniversary of the Panama Canal
Uniting internationally acclaimed jazz artists, renowned educators and jazz fans from around the globe, the 11th Annual Panama Jazz Festival will be held January 13-18, 2014 at The City of Knowledge in Panama City.
The festival honors the 500th Anniversary of the re-discovery of the
Pacific Ocean, as well as the 100th Anniversary of the Panama Canal.
Among the headliners for this year's festival is founder and Artistic Director Danilo Pérez and his recently assembled Panama 500 band, featuring violinist Alex Hargreaves, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Adam Cruz and percussionist Roman Diaz. The group will perform music from the pianist's forthcoming album, Panama 500 (February 4, Mack Avenue Records).
"Balboa's
re-discovery of the Pacific Ocean and the construction of the Panama
Canal have had a tremendous importance in the world because they created
and connected the new great sea route between America, Europe and
Asia," explains Pérez. "Panama has become a path of adventure that
unites the world and it makes great sense to celebrate it with Jazz. The
history of Panama is connected with globalization like no other country
and this is why we want to celebrate Panama's unique contributions to
the world through jazz music."
Additional headliners include vocalist Lizz Wright, the Kenny Garrett Quintet, jazz fusion collective HBC Trio (guitarist Scott Henderson, bassist Jeff Berlin and drummer Dennis Chambers), Peruvian drummer Jorge Pérez with special guest saxophonist George Garzone, vocalist Nedelka Prescod, guitarist Shea Welsh, vocalist Michelle Coltrane (daughter of John Coltrane), and pianist Kevin Harris.
Larger ensemble performances include Puerto Rican percussionist Eguie Castrillo with the Panama Jazz Festival Latin Band and special guest vocalist Wichy Camacho, along with the John Patitucci Latin Jazz Project in collaboration with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. Four national bands will be featured at this year's festival: Osvaldo Ayala Transismico Project, Luci and The Soul Brokers, Señor Loop and The Danilo Pérez Foundation Band.
Furthermore, the festival will host The 2nd Latin American Music Therapy Symposium,
bringing music therapists from the Chile, Argentina, Panama, Venezuela,
Costa Rica (among other Latin American countries) and the United States
together to present on the therapeutic effects of music.
Since its inception in 2003, the Panama Jazz Festival
has attracted over 200,000 jazz fans worldwide and has announced over
three million dollars in international scholarships. Last year, the
festival welcomed 1,700 students from around the world who participated
in the educational events. This year, the festival continues its
commitment to education by hosting the Golandsky Institute,
a not-for-profit organization based in New York. They will offer master
classes for jazz and classical pianists as well as other
instrumentalists, emphasizing the application of the Taubman approach to
build technical ease and to explore musical interpretation. This
approach has proven to be highly effective in the resolution of
technical and artistic limitations, as well as in curing and preventing
repetitive stress injuries in musicians.
Other participating educational institutions include Boston-based schools, Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory, which will both be holding auditions for admission and scholarships. The Berklee Global Jazz Institute
will hold master classes, perform social work with Panamanian youth and
perform in various settings throughout the festival. The school will
also start a program where students will earn one college performance
credit to Berklee. In addition to these various universities, Crossroads High School (Los Angeles) will be participating in this year's events.
"In the past
10 years, the festival has provided scholarships for admissions to
various universities around the world. These scholarships have often
gone to youth from poverty-stricken neighborhoods."
Pérez
concludes, "with the diversity and quality of artists that we bring to
Panama, our first commitment has always been to showcase the best of
what jazz can offer."
About Danilo Pérez
Pianist, composer, educator and social activist, Danilo Pérez is among the most influential and dynamic musicians of our time.
Born in
Panama in 1965, Pérez started his musical studies when he was three
years old with his father, a bandleader and singer. By age 10, he was
studying the European classical piano repertoire at the National
Conservatory in Panama. After receiving his bachelor's degree in
electronics in Panama, he studied at the prestigious Berklee College of
Music. From 1985-88, while still a student, he performed with Jon
Hendricks, Terence Blanchard, Claudio Roditi and Paquito D'Rivera.
Quickly established as a young master, he soon toured and/or recorded
with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie (with the trumpeter's United
Nations Orchestra, 1989-1992), Wayne Shorter, Steve Lacy, Jack
DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Tito Puente,
Wynton Marsalis, John Patitucci, Tom Harrell, Gary Burton, and Roy
Haynes.
In 1993, Pérez turned his focus to his own ensembles and recording projects, releasing eight albums as a leader, earning Grammy® and Latin Grammy® nominations for Central Avenue (1989), Motherland (2000) and Across The Crystal Sea (2008). Additionally, Pérez released Providencia,
his debut for Mack Avenue Records, in August of 2010. The album was
also nominated for a 2011 Grammy® Award in the category of "Best
Instrumental Jazz Album."
Pérez, who
served as Cultural Ambassador to the Republic of Panama and Goodwill
Ambassador to UNICEF, has received a variety of awards for his musical
achievements, activism and social work efforts. He currently serves as
UNESCO Artist for Peace, Founder and Artistic Director of the Panama
Jazz Festival, and Artistic Director of the Berklee Global Jazz
Institute in Boston's Berklee College of Music. His latest album, Panama 500 (Mack Avenue Records) is scheduled for release on February 4, 2014.
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Herbie Hancock discusses the Panama Jazz Festival
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The 2014 Panama Jazz Festival is sponsored by:
Master Card
Autoridad del Turismo de Panama (Turism Authority of Panama)
Instituto Nacional de Cultura (National Institute of Culture)
Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge)
As well as: Alcaldia de Panama, Telefonica Mas Movil, Copa Airlines,
Alamo Rent A Car, La Nota, Revista Escapes, Heineken, Revista Lobby,
The Visitor, La Prensa Mi Diario, SerTV, GECU
For more information on the Panama Jazz Festival, visit:
Tickets for the Panama Jazz Festival are available online at tuboleto.com
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