Musicians: Trumpets: John Replogle, Gordon Au, Danny Fratina, Gilberto Cervantes; Trombones: Jeff Galindo, Angel Subero, Jason Camelio, Daniel Blacksberg; Vocals: Paolo Vergana, Patricia Zarate, Eleonora Bianchini, Natalia Bernal, Mitzi Dorbu; Reeds: Daniel Blake (soprano saxophone), Patricia Zarate (alto saxophone), Sean Barry (tenor saxophone), Michael Duke (baritone saxophone); Rhythm section: Danilo Perez (Fender Rhodes), Gabriel Guerrero (acoustic piano), Aldemar Valentin (electric bass), Ernesto Diaz (percussion), Paulo Stagnaro (percussion), Francisco “Pancho” Molina (drums)
Review:
Panama Suite from the Danilo Perez Big Band consists of three movements: “The Awakening,” “The Quest,” and “The Celebration.” These movements are a journey through pulsating sounds and different instrument combinations and patterns moving parallel and entangling lines. Above all else, Panama Suite is about the different dance rhythms that Latin music has to offer.
Produced by Billy Herron, the album was recorded on June 9, 2006 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. All tracks are composed and directed by Danilo Perez who plays the Fender Rhodes on the recording. Perez tells in the liner notes, “The Panama Suite is a three movement composition that combines urban sounds with Panamanian folkloric elements in a big band setting. It embodies the sound of the next generation of Latino musicians that represents the opening of geographical borders and the opening of the new mind. This state of mind demands both innovation and respect for tradition with the hope that by exercising creative freedom the human species will find peace, truth and justice.”
Panama Suite most differently shows how instruments of different timbres, textures and elasticity can come together and form a harmonious assembly. The first movement has Cuban-bop measurements with slinky jazz horns and steady beats. The shifts in the progressions form palisades of different dance steps, like the dance move that the boys in the movie Westside Story take audiences through as they stroll down the streets of New York City. The second movement is more laid-back with chandelier-lit piano doodles and gently roving horns. The final movement is hot with salsa beats and a jumping chorus that entices the excitement in the instrument parts. It’s wild and nicely tamed.
Though Danilo Perez prides himself on being an educator, Panama Suite feels more like a party than a lesson in music education. His classroom allows for freedom of expression and for instruments to partner in a liberating manner while also being melodically astute. Panama Suite was made to further the goals of the Panama Jazz Festival, which Perez founded in 2003 to encourage Panamanians to play jazz music. All proceeds from the festival are donated to the Danilo Perez Foundation, which funds music summer camps, a research library, a museum of music, and a school dedicated to the performing arts. Perez’s big band makes music with a purpose to let jazz thrive.
Tracks: Movement 1: Awakening/El Despertar, Movement 2: The Quest/La Basquedo, Movement 3: The Celebration/Quiero Amanecer
JazzReview.com
