THE JAZZ SCENE: A Jazz incubator in Casco Antiguo?

By Ken Grady

COULD we be witnessing an incubator for growing Jazz  in Casco Antiguo? Since moving to Panama I’ve discovered that Jazz used to swing here. From the 1920’s to the 1940’sLuis Russell, Sonny White, Victor Boa, and Barbara Wilson were prominent Panamanian names in Jazz. In the 1940’s Jazz seemed to reach its apex when Colon boasted at least ten different Jazz orchestras. Since then, Jazz in Panama had been in decline, almost to the point of non-existence.

But, there seems to be a consensus among musicians, clubs and  jazz heads that things might be turning around. In my recent interviews, both Danilo Perez and Carlos Garnett have continued to stress the development of local talent, such as young sax phoneme Jahaziel Arrocha. And, now there are clubs dedicated to featuring local talent. Two of the clubs are just one block apart, Danilo’s Jazz Club and, Teatro Amador, both in Casco Antiguo. Also, Platea, which has Jazz on Thursday nights, is within walking distance. Could this signal the evolution of a “Jazz alley”, in the old city?  

At Danilo’s Jazz Club, which opened in February, live music is performed five nights per week in the piano bar, and in the club itself, with two shows nightly.The club’s musical director, Gabriel Fonseca, says that Danilo’s was the culmination of a five year plan in 2009, and that things were, “…touch and go, because of necessary improvements to the acoustics, in addition to general rehab” (of the facility in the old American Trade Hotel). Fonseca, continued by saying that, “…we need to bring Jazz back in Panama. Many people here have heard the names of major Jazz musicians, but don’t even know that they are Panamanian”.