Pianist

For nearly four decades, Panamanian pianist and composer Danilo Pérez has stood at the forefront of contemporary jazz, celebrated for his boundless imagination and profound artistry.

ACO Up Close: Danilo Pérez

ACO On The Pier

An all-star trio of jazz heavyweights and longtime collaborators assemble on the Miner stage in celebration of Thelonious Monk’s 108th birthday with a night of reimagined classics.

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Danilo Pérez

SFJAZZ Center

Among the most intensely admired composers in jazz, Wayne Shorter is a true legend whose career stretched over half a century. The golden era of this saxophonist’s extraordinary musical journey was marked by the formation of his quartet with Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade, who went forth to confound all preconceptions of jazz in a prolific 24-years of concerts and Grammy Award winning recordings. Shorter’s great musical legacy lives on through this kindred trio, as they take to Zero Gravity – a shared fearlessness espoused by their mentor and Zen guru.

Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade: Legacy of Wayne Shorter w/ special guest Mark Turner

Among the most intensely admired composers in jazz, Wayne Shorter is a true legend whose career stretched over half a century. The golden era of this saxophonist’s extraordinary musical journey was marked by the formation of his quartet with Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade, who went forth to confound all preconceptions of jazz in a prolific 24 years of concerts and GRAMMY® Award-winning recordings. Frequently hailed as one of the most influential saxophonists of his generation, Mark Turner rounds out this inspired exploration of the unknown.

Legacy Of Wayne Shorter

The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

On his Grammy-nominated 2018 album The Questions, acclaimed vocalist Kurt Elling confronted the whirlwind of uncertainty that threatens modern life by musing on the timeless yet ever-timely issues confronting humanity. With his much-anticipated 2020 follow-up, Secrets Are the Best Stories, Elling searches deeper into those profound questions with the help of renowned pianist Danilo Pérez, whose own work has long embraced a global vision of unity and acceptance.

Kurt Elling / Danilo Pérez Duo

Ravinia Festival

For over three decades, Grammy Award Winning Panamanian pianist/composer Danilo Pérez has been lauded as one of the most creative forces in contemporary music. With jazz as the anchoring foundation, Pérez’s Global jazz music is a blend of Panamanian roots, Latin American folk music, West African rhythms, European impressionism – promoting music as a borderless and multidimensional bridge between all people. Pérez will be accompanied by his longtime collaborator, the distinguished bassist John Patitucci. Both Perez and Patitucci were integral members of Wayne Shorter’s legendary quartet, celebrated for its innovative and unpredictable music spanning many years. We encounter these two exceptional musicians in the trio of Perez that is completed by the impactful drummer Adam Cruz.

Danilo Pérez Trio feat. John Patitucci & Adam Cruz

Queens College, City University of New York

The Berklee Global Jazz Institute Summit 15th Anniversary Celebration Concert is dedicated to Wayne Shorter, with special guest Brian Blade(Opens in a new window), and featuring Danilo Pérez(Opens in a new window), John Patitucci(Opens in a new window), Berklee faculty, and BGJI students.

BGJI 15th Anniversary Concert Dedicated to Wayne Shorter ft Brian Blade, Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Faculty, and Students

Berklee College of Music

Members of the Wayne Shorter quartet and special guests pay homage to the unique musical vision of this living legend, whose 2018 album Emanon was hailed as the year’s best jazz recording by The New York Times. Oakland trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire presents selections from his hard-hitting and rhythmically dexterous 2018 album Origami Harvest, pushing jazz into deeper communication with hip-hop and modernist classical music and using it to address social issues.

Wayne Shorter Celebrations

Walt Disney Concert Hall

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 Greek myth and opera are re-imagined through a classical and jazz-infused score and deeply poetic libretto. Two of the most visionary and daring musical voices of our time embark on a staged intervention into myth-making. spalding leads a company of nineteen vocalists and chamber orchestra, with Shorter's venerated jazz trio at its center.

(Iphigenia)

The Broad Stage

A living legend of jazz collaborates with one of the brightest lights of the younger generation in the West Coast premiere of a Cal Performances co-commission that reimagines what opera can be, and asks us to reexamine the stories we have inherited and the choices we make as a society.Wayne Shorter, 11-time Grammy-winning composer and saxophonist, has written the music, and esperanza spalding, 2022 Grammy nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album, four-time Grammy-winning bassist, composer, and vocalist, is the librettist and plays the title role in Iphigenia, a radical new take on Euripides’ ancient Greek play Iphigenia in Aulis. Classical and jazz forms collide in an expansive score that features Shorter’s groundbreaking method of symphonic improvisation, lifting up Spalding’s artfully poetic and fractured libretto.The fully staged work is performed by a 28-piece chamber ensemble; the rhythm section of Shorter’s venerated quartet (Shorter himself does not perform); a cast of nine vocalists; and a chorus of 10 singers; with set design by icon Frank Gehry and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz. As spalding explains, “Our Iphigenia has at its core a sense of autonomy—in this adventure of life, you have freedom of choice. The overarching sentiment is one of humanistic love, of wanting to re-awaken the dreams of youth free of the pressures of adulthood.”

Jazz: WAYNE SHORTER & ESPERANZA SPALDING’S …(Iphigenia)

University of California, Berkeley

Experience an unforgettable night of world-class jazz as Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer and educator Danilo Pérez joins forces with the dynamic Charleston Jazz Orchestra for a performance that transcends borders and genres! Pérez, known for his visionary blend of Pan-American jazz and collaborations with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Wayne Shorter, brings his signature passion, rhythm, and innovation to the stage in a powerful collaboration with South Carolina’s premier Big Band.

A night of Global Jazz, this performance promises a journey through the universal language of music. Under the direction of Maestro Robert Lewis, this show will explore rich sonic landscapes, celebrating the spirit of improvisation and cultural connection. Whether you’re a lifelong jazz enthusiast or new to the genre, this is a concert you won’t want to miss!

Pianist

Danilo Pérez

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 18, 2026

Global Connections: Danilo Pérez + The Charleston Jazz Orchestra · Charleston Jazz

Past events

Oct 19, 2025

ACO Up Close: Danilo Pérez · Australian Chamber Orchestra

Oct 10, 2025

Danilo Pérez · San Francisco Jazz

About

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