Danilo Perez and David Sanchez at Kimmel Center

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Grammy-award winning Panamanian jazz pianist and composer Danilo Perez (see photo) explores jazz's Latin influences with an eye toward The Future with special guests saxophonist David Sanchez and percussionist Jamey Haddad in the last concert of the Mellon Jazz 2006/07 Series on Saturday, April 7, 2007 in the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater. Perez's distinctive blend of Pan-American jazz, covering the music of the Americas, folkloric and world music, has attracted critical acclaim and loyal audiences. Whether performing with his own ensemble or touring with the Wayne Shorter Quartet, voted “Best Small Ensemble of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2002 and 2004, he is considered a leader in the new generation of emerging jazz musicians. He is currently the Artistic Advisor of the Mellon Jazz Up Close series at the Kimmel Center.

An Artist Chat will take place with Danilo Perez, David Sanchez, Jamey Haddad and Kimmel Center Vice President of Programming and Education Mervon Mehta in Perelman Theater following the intermission of The Future with Danilo Prez ticketed performance.

After studying at the National Conservatory in Panama and graduating from Berklee College of Music, Danilo Prez quickly won over the world's attention. He has led his own group since the early '90s, and as bandleader has earned three Grammy- nominations for his ebullient and innovative recordings. He was the youngest member of Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra (1989-1992), a pivotal tenure that solidified his command of the eclectic, post-bop Latin style, and brought him to the fore front on Gillespie's Grammy Award-winning recording, Live at The Royal Festival Hall (Enja). His albums include Grammy-nominated Motherland, Reunion, Danzon, Roy Haynes, Danilo Prez, The Journey, PanaMonk, and Central Avenue. He has toured with Wayne Shorter, Steve Lacy, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, the late Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, John Patitucci, Tom Harrell, Gary Burton, and Roy Haynes. He is currently President and Founder of the Panama Jazz Festival. He also serves as faculty of the New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, an Ambassador of Goodwill for Unicef, and a Cultural Ambassador of Panama.

David Sanchez emerged on the U.S. jazz scene as a saxophonist to critical acclaim in the mid 1990's when Columbia released his debut recording The Departure. His debut and subsequent albums, such as Sketches of Dreams, Street Scenes, Obsesin, Grammy and Latin Grammy-nominated Melaza, and Travesia, represented a new generation of talented and versatile Latin American jazz musicians with sophisticated improvisational skills. The recently released Grammy-nominated album Coral additionally illustrates Sanchez's music abilities with a blend of symphonic, Latin American jazz elements. He began his music studies at San Juan's prestigious Escuela Libre de Musica, focusing on saxophone, flute and clarinet. In 1988 he studied at Rutgers University in New Jersey, and began to perform with noted Latin musicians such as pianist Eddie Palmieri and saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera. In 1991, he was invited to join Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra. Today, Sanchez's sextet is one of the most innovative working groups in jazz with fellow Puerto Rican Miguel Zenn in the group, creating a rare two saxophone frontline.

Lebanese-American percussionist Jamey Haddad is one of the most notable world music and jazz percussionists in the United States. An associate professor at Boston's Berklee School of Music, Haddad has collaborated with some of the country's most famed musicians, including Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Carly Simon, Joe Lovano, the Paul Winter Consort, and Betty Buckley.

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