Jazz pianist Danilo Perez performs at WMU
Oct. 5, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- Jazz pianist Danilo Perez and his ensemble will perform in the WMU Dalton Center Recital Hall on Monday, Oct. 15, beginning at 8 p.m. The concert will include selections from the album Motherland.
General admission tickets are $15. Students and senior citizens will be charged $5. Tickets are available from the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at 616 387-2300 or toll free at 800 228-9858 and will also be sold at the door on Oct. 15.
Perez was featured in the September 2000 issue of "Downbeat" magazine. The article quoted recent Perez collaborator Steven Lacy, who has performed with such legends as Thelonius Monk and Cecil Taylor, and who is, in his words, "not so easily amused by pianists as a result."
Lacy had the following to say of Perez. "There is nobody like Danilo. What I especially like is his sense of rhythm, color and form. He's studied, he's open, he's flexible, generous and sweet. Listen: This guy's got everything, all the qualities there are. What more can I say? One player's got a good tone, another's got a good beat, but [Danilo] has everything.
Universal acclaim for Danilo Perez began with the 1994 release of The Journey, his second Novus recording. Since then he has released four albums as a leader, the most recent being Motherland, a homage to the music of the Americas on the Verve label. The record focuses on the roots of Danilo's native Panamanian music as well as American, European, African, and Native Indian heritages.
Danilo Perez first became acquainted with West Michigan in 1998 when he appeared as artist-in-residence and performer at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. Later that same year he presented a guest artist recital at Western Michigan University with his own trio, sponsored by the School of Music's Jazz Studies Area.
Media contact: Kevin West, 616 387-4678, kevin.west@wmich.edu