Danilo Pérez performs Things to Come: 21st Century Dizzy Jazz Concert at the Kimmel Center, March 19
MARCH 3, 2010
Danilo Pérez
“…there are still amazing musicians – like Danilo Pérez, who plays piano with Wayne Shorter’s quartet. He is not afraid of anything.” –Herbie Hancock
“There's nobody like Danilo. What I especially like is his sense of rhythm, color and form. He's studied, he's open, he's flexible, generous and sweet. This guy's got everything, all the qualities are there.” –DownBeat Magazine
Pan-American jazz musician Danilo Pérez performs Things to Come: 21st Century Dizzy with his all-star international band on Friday, March 19, 2010 at 8pm in the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall. A previous member of Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, Pérez toured the world from 1989 to 1992 with one of America’s top jazz luminaries who brought classic bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz stylings to the forefront.
The program Things to Come: 21st Century Dizzy spotlights Gillespie’s pioneering spirit, showcasing the continual reinvention of modern jazz with original group compositions and Pérez’s own Pan-American jazz interpretations. Band members on stage include David Sanchez, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Amir Elsaffar, Jamey Haddad, Ben Street, and Adam Cruz.
Tickets for Danilo Pérez, Things to Come: 21st Century Dizzy are available from $26 to $64 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
Danilo Pérez received his first big break as a jazz musician in 1989 when he was asked to join Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, which included performing on piano for the Grammy winning recording, Live at the Royal Festival (1991). Currently, Pérez is a member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet and also dedicates time for his own musical endeavors. In his latest album release, Music We Are (April 2009), Pérez teamed up with musical icons Jack DeJohnette (drums) John Patitucci (bass), to create a musical collaboration that “not only transcends the expectations of the format, but stretches the boundaries of music” (All About Jazz).
Born in Panama in 1965, Pérez began studying at the National Conservatory in Panama at the young age of 10. After earning a degree in electronics, Pérez changed his major to music, eventually attending the Berklee College of Music. Notably, Pérez has received three Grammy nominations, is the president and founder of the Panama Jazz Festival and the first jazz musician to ever perform with the Panamanian Symphony Orchestra. In 1994, his album release, The Journey, won the Jazziz Critics Choice Award.
Pérez is currently a faculty member of the New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music. Pérez also serves as artistic advisor of the Kimmel Center’s Jazz Up Close series, which pays tribute to Philadelphia jazz legend Billie Holiday during the 2009-10 season. Additionally, he is an active member in various communities, serving as an ambassador of goodwill for UNICEF and cultural ambassador of Panama.
Free at the Kimmel programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The
Friday, March 19, 2010 | 8pm
Verizon Hall
Danilo Pérez: 21st Century Dizzy
Danilo Pérez: piano
David Sanchez: tenor saxophone
Rudresh Mahanthappa: alto saxophone
Amir ElSaffar: trumpet, voice
Jamey Haddad: percussion
Adam Cruz: drums
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