Panama Jazz Festival
If you are passionate about music, then dont miss the seventh annual Panama Jazz Festival. Indulge yourself in a full week of soul stirring music by international and local musicians who will amaze you with their fantastic vocal and instrumental talents.
Panama Jazz Festival is a cornerstone cultural event held every January in an attempt to bridge the gap between different cultures by celebrating the worlds diversity through music. The fest will be held from January 11th to 16th, 2010, and more than 16,000 music aficionados are anticipated to attend. Every Year, this event transform the capital into a center-stage of culture, rhythm and art. Founded by Grammy-winning composer and pianist, Danilo Perez, this celebration honors Panamas rich history, and has become an integral part of the countrys cultural calendar.
Titillate your senses with performances from well known artist like New Orleans premier modern jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis, Grammy award winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, Grammy award winning virtuoso tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, Grammy award winning bassist extraordinaire John Patitucci, percussionist Jamey Haddad, saxophonist Carlos Garnett, drummer and composer Terri Lyne, and flamenco guitarist Juanito Pascual. They will be performing daily through the weeklong fest, and more details about the artists can be found at the official site www.panamajazzfestival.com
Panama Jazz Festival 2010
The Panama Jazz Festival will feature a number of week-long events at three different venues, Plaza de la Catedral, Teatro Nacional, and Ascanio Arosemena. Ticketed concerts, free concerts and evening concerts will be featured, along with an opportunity for music students to develop their skills through conducted classes.
Sonny White
Every fest is always dedicated to a great musician, and this year is no different. In 2010, the fest proudly honors a Panamanian pianist Ellerton Oswald, better known as Sonny White. Born in Panama City in 1917, Sonny White is noted for his ground breaking work as Billie Holidays accompanist in Strange Fruit, the song that shot Billie Holiday to fame and stardom. Sonny White also played with greats such as Sidney Bechet, Jesse Stone, Willie Brant, Teddy Hill, Frankie Newton and Dexter Gordon. Little else is known about Sonny White, whose career dates back to the 1930s in the United States, and came to an end when he passed away while still playing professionally in 1971.
Learn and Have Fun
The core of Panama Jazz Festival is music education, and this year the Danilo Perez Foundation will sponsor artistic workshops, clinics and classrooms for aspiring musicians, where invited artists will hold music clinics and teach master classes. Students all accros Latin America, and anyone else interested in the genres of art, culture and music, can participate in these workshops. Music institutions and music scholarships for different academic programs. This year, the participating music institutions include Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico and The Golandsky Institute. Panamas fest also offers courses on dance with Panamanian National Ballet, courses on Panamanian folkclore music, by Panamanian tambor maestro, Ricaurte Villareal, and courses on classical music with well known national and international musicians from Panama.
There is also a New England Conservatory literature program, a technology program with the Technology Division of Berklee College of Music, as well as a summer music program for children aged 4-16 years.
During the week, the newly created Berklee College of Music Global Jazz Institue will be announced to foster creativity and musicianship through a range of musical disciplines, and provide access to world-class visiting artists. The institute will be led by Artistic Director Danilo Perez and based on Boston, Massachusets.
