Pedasi Jazz Festival

The Pedasi Jazz Festival took over our town on Saturday, May 31st. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend because I had to go to the city due to my grandmother’s health. Therefore, this article won’t be a first-person account, but rather a compilation of information I found online.

This was the first time the Pedasi Jazz Festival was conducted, and we hope it will be repeated next year. The timing was ideal, as May is the off-season. However, it didn’t attract many visitors; it probably needs more promotion. This event was held in conjunction with Pedasi Colorido, an event that created a mural route, establishing an open-air art gallery. We want to create a walking tour to appreciate the murals of Pedasi. From May 25th to 30th, ten artists painted the town, culminating in the Pedasi Jazz Festival.

Panama Jazz Experience

The Pedasi Jazz Festival is part of the Jazz Experience, which is governed by the same legal framework that created the Ministry of Culture: Law 90 of August 15, 2019. It is also supported by the General Culture Law, which is the law 175 of November 3, 2020. This law empowers the Ministry of Culture, through its National Directorate of the Arts, to organize and fund jazz events in Panama.

The next Jazz Experience event will take place on September 19th in Boquete, Chiriqui Province of Panama. The city of Boquete already hosts an annual Jazz and Blues Festival in January. This festival has been held in Boquete since 2007. I remember hosting it many years ago, as I had an office there.

The Panama Jazz Festival is the most important jazz event in the country. This festival has been held since 2003. Originally, it took place in the Casco Viejo of Panama City, but later moved to Ciudad del Saber. The festival was created by Panamanian musician Danilo Perez. It receives government support and sponsorship from private companies. Each year it features Panamanian and international artists. The main event is free, but workshops are offered for a fee.

Pedasi Jazz Festival

The city of Pedasi is seeking to establish itself as a tourist destination in Panama. Events like the Pedasi Jazz Festival offer reasons to return. This initiative of the Ministry of Culture was supported by the Municipality of Pedasi and the Panama Tourism Authority.

The event took place in Pedasi’s main square. Thirty-five entrepreneurs and artisans participated in the Vereda Creativa Artesanal (Creative Artisan Trail), which offered spaces to exhibit and sell their products to attendees. The Pedasi Jazz Experience recognized the ten artists who participated in creating murals.

The musical group Sentir Tableños opened the show, fusing elements of local folklore with jazz harmonies. They were followed by Kandall & the Chowmein Band, who blended reggae with Latin rhythms. The Milagros Blades Quartet, comprised of a group of the Panamanian percussionists, including Eduardo Heredia, Edwin Avila, and Gabriel Moran, performed a combination of contemporary Latin jazz and improvisation. Next up was Papin’s Jazz Band, a Latin jazz quintet led by maestro Roberto “Papin” Florez.

The Advanced Big Band of the Network of Children’s and Youth Orchestras and Choirs of Panama closed the Pedasi Jazz Experience. This program benefits children and young people throughout the country. These students performed arrangements of classic jazz, blues, and tropical music in a big band format. It was undoubtedly an excellent event.