Global Jazz Forum: Danilo Pérez and John Patitucci
Virtuosic Grammy Award-winning bassist and composer John Patitucci, a visiting scholar at Berklee, will deliver a forum with Danilo Pérez.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Pérez, a revolutionary Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer, leads a trio with Patitucci and Brian Blade, Children of the Light.
Image by John Abbott
Virtuosic bandmates Danilo Pérez B.M. '88 and John Patitucci, who perform together with Brian Blade as Children of the Light, impart advice to students in this meeting of the musical minds.
Danilo Pérez is a Grammy-winning pianist, composer, social activist, and educator who leads Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute as artistic director. Widely considered one of the most inspired—and inspiring—musicians today, Pérez has been met with hearty acclaim from DownBeat, Billboard, NPR, and many of the legendary musicians he has collaborated with, including fellow pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who has called Pérez “amazing” and noted that “he is not afraid of anything.” Pérez has toured and/or recorded with artists such as Wayne Shorter ‘99H, Paquito D’Rivera ‘03H, Terence Blanchard, Jack DeJohnette ‘90H, and Gary Burton ’62 ‘89H, to name just a few. His work has been commissioned widely, including by the Frank Gehry-designed Museum of Biodiversity in Panama. Pérez serves as a United Nations (UNESCO) artist for peace and is the founder and artistic director of the world-renowned Panama Jazz Festival. His most recent album, Children of the Light (Mack Avenue), features Pérez in a trio setting with John Patitucci on bass and Brian Blade on drums.
John Patitucci is a Grammy-winning virtuosic bassist and Berklee Global Jazz Institute visiting scholar who has worked extensively with Chick Corea '97H, Wayne Shorter '99H, Hancock, Stan Getz, and Pat Metheny ‘96H, among many others. An 11-time Grammy nominee, earlier this year, Patitucci released a vinyl-only, subscription-based album on Newvelle Records, Irmãos de Fé, featuring his takes on works by revered Brazilian composers such as Antônio Carlos Jobim and Milton Nascimento; All About Jazz praises the album for its "perfect blend" of respect for the composers' original intentions and "the adventurous spirit" that makes room for "a unique stamp on these works."
Watch Pérez and Patitucci discuss making an album as Children of the Light:
The Berklee Global Jazz Institute is a performance program designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines, with pianist and composer Danilo Pérez as its artistic director. The BGJI provides a comprehensive contemporary music environment where students are given opportunities to explore their creativity to the highest level possible, advance the power of music as a tool for the betterment of society, and connect musical creative thinking with the natural environment.