2008 Panama Jazz
Festival
Founded by Panamanian
pianist Danilo Pérez,
the Panama Jazz
Festival, which
celebrates its 5th
birthday January 21 -
26, 2008 was created in
order to exchange
cultural experiences
between the best
musicians in the world
and the Panamanian
people.
Perez’s vision has
guided the growth of the
festival, which while
continuing to bring top
tier international
artists to perform in
ticketed and free
events, now has as its
inextricable center the
need to address music
education.
According to Pérez,
“Each year we have been
expanding the
educational aspect of
the Festival, bringing
in more notable
musicians as master
teachers, additional
major educational
institutions, growing
the audition process,
reaching out to the most
needy communities in
Panama and increasing
the amount and kind of
scholarships, and the
cultural opportunities
we are able to make
available to the young
people of Panama.
We now see ourselves as
an educational and
cultural convention, as
opposed to a traditional
jazz festival,” he
continued, “Of course
bringing top American
and International talent
to perform in the
Festival continues to be
a very integral and
exciting part of what we
do. It is the
performances, the ticket
sales, the government
and corporate
sponsorship of the
Festival that makes it
possible to fund our
educational agenda.”
The Panama Jazz Festival
and the Pérez Foundation
have been able to grow
the festival only
through the cooperation
of government and
private support. The
2008 Festival is under
the sponsorship of
Ricardo Pérez, SA
(Toyota Distributor of
Panama), Movistar (a
mobile telephone
company) and relies on
the continuous support
of Panama’s President
Martin Torrijos, Panama
City’s Mayor Juan Carlos
Navarro , Panama’s
Minister of Tourism
Ruben Blades and the
U.S. Embassy. Writing in
Jazz Times, Bob
Blumenthal noted,
“Perhaps the most imp
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