When pianist and composer Danilo Pérez left his home in Panama to study at Berklee College of Music he made a promise that when he became successful he would return and give back to the community. Now a UNESCO Artist for Peace, artistic director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, and the recipient of a 2006 Grammy award, three Grammy nominations, Pérez has not forgotten his promise. He has served as the cultural ambassador to the Republic of Panama, founded the Panama Jazz Festival, and has just released an album, “Panama 500,” created in honor of his homeland.
Pérez will be bringing the colorful sounds of Panama 500 to the Museum of Fine Arts June 26 for “An Evening with Danilo Pérez.” He’ll have a quintet of musicians from the album: Adam Cruz on drums, Ben Street on bass, Román Díaz on percussion, and Ronnie Eytan on harmonica. I talked to Pérez about Panama 500, his musical inspirations, and his ongoing work as an educator.
Claire Dickson: Panama is a central part of this project and a very important part of your life. Could you elaborate a little on what Panama means to you and why you’ve chosen this time to make this album?
Danilo Pérez (Courtesy)
I’m always trying to picture my music as a symbol of the geographical position – the Panama Canal, the diversity of cultures we have — and I try to picture my music as a bridge. I’ve been trying to explore that for years in my music. The origin of this project is that I’ve chosen an important event. Last year was the 500 year celebration of [Balboa’s] discovery of the Pacific Ocean. I really got inspired to write music to include the perspective of the indigenous people. Their perspective is that this is not a discovery, it’s a rediscovery. I’ve been inspired by Panama but I’ve also been inspired to create a new level of awareness. We’re really talking about a rediscovery not a discovery. That’s been really important to me.