It’s been a little over a week since the Jazz Festival ended, but it’s not to late to offer our comments on how it went this year.
The out-of-Casco events: The music classes and clinics in Atlapa once again drew a diverse crowd of musicians and music-lovers of all ages, nationalities and abilities. People came from as far away as Hawaii to take advantage of the influx of talent and musical knowledge that has become a trademark of this festival. And the week began with a little San Felipe, with our young neighbors Luis Angel and Oliver, residents of La Boyacá, performing with the Danilo Pérez Foundation group at the opening ceremony. The Thursday and Friday concerts in Anayansi Theater didn’t disappoint, with the high point being the out-of-this-world performance of the Danilo Pérez Providencia Tour on Friday. Finally, the nightly Jam Sessions at the Hotel El Panama provided a venue for Panamanian bands to perform before the floor opened up to a mix of local and international musicians.
The Casco events: The Wednesday night Gala event at the National Theater was formally spectacular, culminating in the performance of Vitin Paz’s Big Band. And then there was Catedral on Saturday, the event we all wait for each year. Estimates have put about 6,000 people there, but walking (or rather trying to walk) through the crowd at about 8pm to get to the Varela tent it seemed like a lot more. Other than the music, the high point had to be the 6 panamanians who were given scholarships by Berklee, 3 for a 5-week summer program in Boston, and 3 for a free online course taught by Berklee faculty.
For a more multimedia summary of the Jazz Festival, check out the photo galleries from these two photographers:
