Danilo Pérez: Wherever The World Moves, My Music Will Move As Well - Entrevista

Latin Beat Magazine, April, 2001 by Elmer González

Due to its geographic position, Panamá is known as "The Bridge of the Americas," as it appears to be the cartilage joining the Northern and Southern portions of the American continental territory. Panamá is also called "The Crossroads" due to the path of seawater that cuts across the land from north to south, or vise versa, to join the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The gifted jazz pianist Danilo Pérez seems to be a synthesis of these two figures of speech used to describe his native country. His work is a bridge, connecting the influences that have formed his musical vision: on one side, his formal studies of Afro-American jazz, and on the other, the influences of Afro-Panamanian folklore. One must also consider his Pan-American jazz orientation, including new sonorous and rhythmic alternatives that function as crossroads of the musical paths of today's so-called Latin jazz, often squandered by musicians of limited cultural and artistic backgrounds who cannot transcend the confines of the Cuban clave. In a sense, Danilo operates as an international canal that could open new routes for the jazz world.

His disc Motherland (Verve), nominated for the 2000 edition of the coveted Grammy Awards, constitutes a sum of the realistic vision and cultural artistic maturity of a pianist whose solo recording career can be traced back to 1992. Moving beyond the boundaries of Panamá, Motherland is also a homage to the true musical history of an entire continent. To promote the abovementioned Verve release, Danilo visited San Juan last January, and I had the opportunity to conduct a productive interview. This time around, I wanted to delve into, at least for a little while, the artist's personal concerns and opinions, instead of highlighting the unquestionable talents of a musician already known and admired by many readers of Latin Beat Magazine.

Elmer González: As opposed to other Latin American musicians who place emphasis on Cuban rhythms to play jazz, you make sure that your albums contain plenty of Panama's typical expressions and rhythms. Why?

Danilo Pérez: I believe that my greatest contribution to music consists in being able to mix our national folklore with jazz, taking it to another dimension. The more years I spend abroad, the more Panamanian I feel, and this is reflected in my musical work.

EG: Some argue that folklore must remain in its pure form, in order to be truly regarded as "national folklore." Do you believe that jazz is an appropriate vehicle to enrich the folklore of the Latin American nations?

DP: Of course. Jazz is the expressive form that allows the free flow of musical cultures. It is a place of cultural encounters, and the genre is rooted on such liberty.

EG: The term "Latin jazz" has been the object of critical comment made by various musicians and scholars. What is your opinion?

DP: I would prefer to describe it as "Latin-tinged jazz." At this time, I call it "Pan-American jazz."

EG: What's the difference?

DP: Up until now, the term "Latin jazz" has been associated mostly with the roots of Afro-Cuban rhythms, whereas the term "Pan-American jazz" opens the doors to musical works involving both entire American continents.

EG: Do you feel that Latin jazz (or Latin-tinged jazz) has stagnated in its evolution?

DP: I think that it is developing. I also believe that the Latin jazz aficionados must keep growing together with the new emerging artists, in order to take the word "Latin" and open it up. When we say "Pan-American," we are taking about a wide and beautiful musical panorama; we are not making reference to a single musical direction.

EG: Do you believe that the jazz or world music markets could be receptive to these emerging fusions of jazz with "Pan-American" expressions and rhythms?

DP: I think that our music is gaining growth and being elevated to greater dimensional heights through such vehicles as the world music market or the work of the Buena Vista Social Club. I think that such projects could stir the interest of non-jazz audiences in musical creations of a "Pan-American" nature.

EG: Your inclusion of Panamanian rhythms has favorably attracted the attention of the press and you have gained a greater degree of exposure, but this does not apply to other non-Cuban musicians who perhaps have not dared to move beyond the combination of the Cuban clave and the jazz idiom, fearing the potential lack of support from the public or the record labels. Could you offer any advice to such musicians?

DP: I believe that they must harbor a greater degree of self-confidence and become immersed in their own musical cultures. Of course, they must give themselves plenty of time. In my case, it has been a lengthy process. I had been experimenting for quite sometime, but it is only now that my vision is taking a well-defined shape. One cannot be afraid to experiment. Notice that in my first solo album I was already implementing the idea of using a salsa singer like Rubén Blades backed by someone like Jack DeJohnette. Some Hispanics objected, arguing that it was not purely Latin, but I feel that the world needs multicultural nourishment. My subsequent records were also endowed with these multicultural elements. Needless to say, any interested musicians must dedicate sufficient time to this endeavor, if they wish to be faithful creators. The possibility of creating music in this direction cannot be accomplished from one day to the next. It is a personal experience. You must believe in yourself, in your folklore and your roots, and you must also believe in what you are doing. This type of music must be a reflection of a way of life, of personal experiences. One must dream more and not be afraid of experimenting with this boundless music.