Puerto Rico Heineken JazzFest 2017 Dedicated to Danilo

The Puerto Rico Heineken JazzFest has announced that their 2017 event will be dedicated to Danilo! 

"Danilo Perez is the ideal musician to dedicate the 27th edition of Heineken JazzFest Puerto Rico," said Luis Alvarez, producer Heineken JazzFest Puerto Rico and vice president Liquor Mendez & Company.

"We are very pleased to dedicate the Festival to Danilo, a great musician, friend and exceptional human being. With this dedication, we recognize his great musical career as a pianist and composer, his great humanitarian work and commitment to music education for children and youth. It is a privilege to have his presence at the next Puerto Rico Heineken JazzFest, "said Alvarez.

Upon learning of the announcement, Danilo said: "It is a great honor and I take with great responsibility. My relationship with Puerto Rico is musical and artistic, but also of brotherhood. In fact, I participated in the first Heineken JazzFest in 1991, and it fills me with great pride that a festival of this magnitude and with so much history bestows upon me this honor. For me it is wonderful and a great responsibility. As a musician, social activist, educator, mentor and ambassador, I now feel more eager to keep doing what I'm doing."

Read more about the announcement here and click here for more information about the festival.

Barack Obama to Host International Jazz Day Concert at White House, Featuring Danilo Perez

“One of the many perks of being the US president is that if you fancy hosting an International Jazz Day concert from your front room, you can. Barack Obama and wife Michelle have announced plans to hold a concert next month, featuring a string of musical legends including Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau, Sting and Herbie Hancock.”

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Danilo Perez with the Wayne Shorter Quarter Live in Budapest

“The 36th Budapest Spring Festival will run for 17 days from April 6-24 and involves many of the arts, with events in classical music, opera, jazz and pop, world music, dance, theatre and the visual arts.

One of the world-recognised performers will be the Wayne Shorter Quartet (pictured), led by the American jazz saxophonist and composer with no fewer than 10 Grammy Awards to his name.”

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NPR Music Features "Danilo Pérez: A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama"

“In the greater jazz world, Danilo Pérez is a respected pianist. In his homeland of Panama, he’s a national icon and cultural ambassador, and not just for his artistry. Ever since he returned to perform in his war-torn homeland in the 1980s, he’s seen the potential for jazz to be a vehicle for social change, and spent much of his time offstage seeding this vision in the form of youth music education programs. The Panama Jazz Festival he founded, for instance, doesn’t just feature major international acts — it brings students from all sorts of backgrounds to share the stage, and funnels profits back to them.”

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The Panama Jazz Festival: An Ocean of Sonic Delights

The late afternoon sun was scorching and the music was just as hot when the 13th edition of the annual Panama Jazz Festival wrapped up after six days jammed with clinics, master classes, lectures, jam sessions and formal concerts featuring some of the jazz kingdom’s ranking royalty. Under the banner of Art, Education and Culture, Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez’s yearly extravaganza once again delivered a well balanced menu of activities aimed both veteran and neophyte jazz fans as well as aspiring musicians from throughout the region who took advantage of the presence of master musicians to advance their skills.

To read the full article click here