Panama Jazz Festival 2019

Its goal is to continue to strengthen Panamanian education and social wellbeing through reinforcement in creativity and through exchange.
This year's festival will pay tribute to the renowned Panamanian trumpeter Alex Blake and Family. Born in Panama in 1926, he stands out as one of the most emblematic musicians of Panama's "golden age" of music which lasted throughout the forties and fifties. In 1959 he emigrated to the United States, where he had the opportunity to work with the greatest salsa musicians from the New York City music scene in 60s and 70s. In the late 1960s he created "Alex and his Orchestra" an ensemble of ten musicians which stood out as one of the most popular latin bands of the time. His legacy as a musician still echoes locally and internationally, through his children, bassists Alex and Russel Blake, whose music continues to make history in our music scene.
The Panama Jazz Festival will feature musical artists such as: Idania Dowman, Omar Díaz, Afrodisíaco, Luz Acosta, Lucía Pulido, American trombonist Andrew Hayward, saxophonist Jane Bunett and his group Maneque and Danilo Pérez Global Messengers who will play a tribute to Panama City's 500 years. In addition, prestigious educational institutions such as the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Mew England Conservatory, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz ad the Crossroads High School, will participate and offer amazing support to the event.
Additionally, the VI Latin Music Therapy Symposium will be held, with the participation of important music musicians. Also, the II Classical Music Exchange Program and the III Symposium of the Musical, Artistic and Cultural Expressions of Afro descendants in Panama will be held.
The PJF is produced by Panama Jazz Productions in benefit of the Danilo Pérez Foundation. It Touches Us, It Leaves a Mark, It Changes US, is the 2019 Panama Jazz Festival's motto. A Festival that has changed lives, bringing many people to Jazz music and demonstrating for 16 consecutive years that Panama has a lot to offer the music scene.