Danilo Pérez
Danilo Pérez (born December 29, 1966 in Panama ) is a Panamanian jazz pianist.
Live and act
Pérez began playing the piano at the age of three and studied classical piano at the National Conservatory of Panama when he was ten. He played drums and synthesizers in his father's salsa band. He went to the United States to study electronics at Indiana University , and in 1985 he switched to music at Berklee College of Music .
He then worked for two years with Jon Hendricks , then with Paquito D'Rivera as well as Terence Blanchard and Claudio Roditi . It first appeared on the album Reunion by D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval . From 1989 to 1992 he was a member of the Dizzy Gillespies United Nations Orchestra . Among other things, the album Live at the Royal Festival Hall became known .
Since 1993 he has been active as a band leader. His first own albums appeared: Danilo Pérez and The Journey . With Sandoval he recorded the 1994 Grammy Award winning album Danzon . Since 1995 he has also been a member of Wynton Marsalis ' band. In the same year he recorded an orchestral version of The Journey with the Panama Symphony Orchestra .
In 1996 the album Panamonk was released as a result of his examination of the music of Thelonious Monks , followed in 1998 by the album Central Avenue , which was nominated for a Grammy .
In 1997 he received a composition commission for the Concorso Internazionale di Composizione in Bologna ; his Blues For The Saints was performed by vibraphonist Gary Burton and the Orchestra Sinfonica dell'Emilia-Romagna under Jerzy Maksymiuk . At the annual New York Jazz Awards in 1998 he received the award for Best Artist or Band in Performance . In 1999 he received a composition commission for the Chicago Jazz Festival ; the piece Suite of the Americas was published in 2000 on his album for the label Verve Motherland .
In 2000, Pérez was invited to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC for a solo concert . In the same year he became the cultural ambassador of Panama, he is also the founder and director of the annual Panama Jazz Festival and also an ambassador of goodwill for UNICEF .
Pérez is currently a member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet and works with Ben Street and Adam Cruz . He is the director of Berklee Global Jazz.
Discographic notes
- Danilo Perez with Santi Debriano , Jack DeJohnette , Joe Lovano , David Sánchez , Ruben Blades , 1993
- The Journey , with David Sánchez, Milton Cardona , Ignacio Berroa , Kimati Dinizulu , George Garzone , Larry Grenadier , 1994
- Danzon (Dance On) with Arturo Sandoval , Giovanni Hidalgo , Carlos Gomez , Juan Nogueras , Rigo Herrera , Rita Quintero , Cheito Quinones , Bill Cosby , Kenny Anderson , Dana Teboe , Ed Calle , Rene Toledo , Richard Eddy , Gloria Estefan , Roger Ingram , Sal Cuevas , Felix Gomez , Eddy Rivera , Vikki Carr , Dave Valentin , Willy Chirino , 1994
- PanaMonk with Terri Lyne Carrington , Avishai Cohen , Jeff Tain Watts , Olga Roman , 1996
- Central Avenue with John Patitucci , Jeff Ballard , Jeff Tain Watts, Luciana Souza , Raul Vital , 1998
- Motherland with Claudia Acuña , Greg Askew , Aquiles Baez , Brian Blade , Louis Bauzo , Richard Bona , Richard Byrd , Regina Carter , Carlos Henriquez , Chris Potter , Luisito Quintero , Kurt Rosenwinkel , Antonio Sánchez , Luciana Souza, Diego Urcola , Ricaurte Villarreal , 2000
- Footprints Live with Wayne Shorter, John Patitucci, Brian Blade , 2002
- ... Till Then with John Patitucci, Brian Blade, Ben Street , Lizz Wright , Donny McCaslin , Adam Cruz , 2003
- Danilo Perez Trio Live at the Jazz Showcase with Adam Cruz, Ben Street, 2005
- Danilo Pérez - Across the Crystal Sea (arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman ), 2008
- Danilo Pérez - Providencia , Mack Avenue Records, 2010
Web links
- Homepage of Danilo Pérez
- Portrait , Chicago Tribune , May 24, 2012
- Danilo Pérez at Allmusic (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Pérez, Danilo |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Panamanian jazz pianist |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 29, 1966 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Panama |