6th Panama Jazz Festival: on stream

The legendary Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés was the headliner for the five-day Panama Jazz Festival with Wayne Shorter, John Patitucci, Brian Blade and Danilo Perez January 12-17 2009.

The festival under-card was Puerto Rican saxophonist Marco Pignataro and his Quintet featuring bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Billy Drummond, Panamanian saxophonist Jahaziel Arrocha, flutist Hubert Laws and bassist Jimmy Haslip among others.

The brainchild of Boston-based Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez, the festival was founded five years ago.  Perez has served as its Artistic Director from the inception.

The Berklee College of Music Quartet got the groove going on Monday 12th under Jahaziel Arrocha’s direction.  Writing for thepanamanews.com, Eric Jackson is convinced as hell that every single individual in the quartet are on a “fast track” to success, through timely and well-placed apprenticeships with the masters as a matter of course.  And Arrocha is no less gifted, according to Jackson.

Jahaziel Arrocha (photo credit: Eric Jackson/thepanamanews.com)

BCM reappeared off the main stage again on Tuesday 13th to give a class in Improvisation.  Then on January 15, the college held auditions for international music students at the Teatro Ascanio Arosemena, Autoridad del Canal de Panama in Panama City.  Auditions for Panamanian students took place on Sunday 11th January, all day at the Academia de Música La Nota in the city.

The Chucho Valdés Quintet came up for review on Thursday, January 15.  Accompanying the Cuban pianist was Lázaro Rivero, Yaroldy Abreu, Mayra Valdés and Juan Carlos Rojas.

Cuban legend Chucho Valdés (photo credit: thepanamanews.com)

The Marco Pignataro Quintet opened for Valdés with compatriot Eddie Gómez (double bass), Billy Drummond, Mark Kramer and Matt Mervuglio in tow.

Eddie Gómez, the renowned master (photo credit: thepanamanews.com)

thepanamanews.com was overawed with the Pignataro Quintet saying that the band’s performance far exceeded its billing as “warm up” act.  The article went on to state that the “original” music presented by the band, packed as it was with “all sorts of influences,” was played with a welcome sensitivity to the oft abused volume control slide.

A special mention was made of the contribution of bassist Eddie Gómez who was reportedly one of a number of exemplary upright bass players who plucked and bowed the thick strings at Panama Jazz.

But for the most part, Pignataro rallied his musical troops in such a way as to lend a fresh meaning to the term “band.” That was how generous he was with the solo space he gave to his cohorts.

Keep an eye on the festival homepage for the complete daily schedule of performances and on Esteban’s blog, My Panama Ranch for links to other reviews not covered here, and all things Panama including which Panama Hotels to stay at during the festival season.