Panama-born piano virtuoso Danilo Perez has established himself as one of the preeminent jazz musicians of his generation. Writing in the New York Times, music critic Ben Ratliff praised him as “a bold example of the musicological rethinking of jazz.”

Perez earned Grammy nominations for his recordings in 1999 and 2001 and was nominated in 2001 and 2002 by the Jazz Journalists Association for Pianist of the Year, but the pianist is perhaps best known as a member of Wayne Shorter’s quartet with John Patitucci and Brian Blade. Featured in tonight’s performance are bassist Ben Street and drummer Adam Cruz, Perez’s longtime trio-mates also at the core of Providencia, his latest CD and debut on Mack Avenue Records.

On that record, Perez says, “It was crucial to me that we highlight the trio, because there’s a vocabulary that we’ve developed over the years.” The trio has developed its own volatile dynamic, one that’s “very unpredictable,” Perez says, “leaving a lot of space for freedom, but keeping connected to some of the Latin ideas about rhythm.”

The global ensemble Perez assembled for the album, no doubt a bow to his time with the legendary Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, includes Indian American saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, Lebanese American percussionist Jamey Haddad, Colombian conga player Ernesto Diaz, Portuguese vocalist Sara Serpa and a Boston-based woodwind quintet. “I wanted to have an environment where we were affected by other instruments and colors, but also completely unaffected,” he says.

“Danilo Perez has all of the attributes of a performer, conductor, impresario and purveyor of musical expression greatly needed in these uncertain times,” saxophone legend Wayne Shorter says. “His effort to bring to the world a beacon of hope and inspiration … is a prime example of confidence in a future laden with cornucopian gifts for all humanity.”

---

Andy Clausen's Wishbone photo by Skye Skjelset

Composer and trombonist Andy Clausen gained significant national attention for his music while still a student in the acclaimed Roosevelt High School Jazz Band, before moving to New York City to study at The Juilliard School in the fall of 2010. His compositions and the work of his large ensemble have been hailed by the New York Times as “sleek, dynamic large-group jazz, a whirl of dark-hued harmony and billowing rhythm … The intelligent sheen of Mr. Clausen’s writing was as striking as the composure of his peers … It was impressive, and not just by the yardstick of their age.”

Clausen’s latest recording, Wishbone Suite, on Seattle’s Table & Chairs label, features the musicians joining him tonight: clarinetist Ivan Arteaga, pianist Gus Carn, accordionist Aaron Otheim and drummer Chris Icasiano.

Featuring a wealth of musical variety and compositional elegance, Wishbone Suite is, at this moment, the perfect vehicle for showcasing Clausen’s alluring compositions and the formidable skills of his large ensemble.

– DB