Eric Dolphy, One of Panama’s Gifts to the World of Jazz

                        Eric Dolphy

In this modern era of Jazz Carlos Garnett and Danilo Perez are the most popular names among Jazz aficionados in Panama. But,  Panama’s past boasted a rich Jazz history as well. Sadly, local Jazz heads have said that many of their countrymen are not familiar with that history. Further, while some Panamanians have heard of a some great Jazz artists, they don’t know that many are actually from Panama.

One such example of this is the great, multi-talented reed player, Eric Dolphy. Dolphy’s parents migrated from Panama to the US in the late 1920’s, as did many Panamians. This was just before Eric was born. His music career began at the age of 6.

I've never seen him perform live. But, I’ve found Dolphy's sound to be provocative and sophisticated. I was introduced to cats like Eric Dolphy by John Coltrane’s’ music. Releases like Ole, and Spirtual, captured me with Dolphy’s stellar work flute, alto sax and bass clarinet.

By the time I entered the world of Jazz radio I was fully aware of who Dolphy was. He was a regular in my playlist. My love of his work lead me to others like, Archie Shepp, and Anthony Braxton. Both of  whom I have seen in live performance. With that in mind , the details of Dolphy's sudden death in 1964 intrigued me.

Here is my summary of how his time was spent just days

The Berlin Wall, and All That Jazz

In 1964, in the middle of the cold war, Dr. Martin Luther King was invited to speak at the '64 Berlin Jazz Festival. Her is an excerpt from his speech:

"...and now, Jazz is exported to the world. For in a particular struggle of the Negro in America, there is something akin to the universal struggle of modern man. Everybody has the Blues. Everybody longs for meaning. Everybody needs to clap hands and be happy, Everybody longs for faith. 

In music, especially this broad category called Jazz, there is a stepping stone towards all these."

In December of 1986 I made a trip to West Berlin, in W. Germany. Just the name, Berlin, created cloak & dagger images in my head. Too many spy novels and movies. On the morning I left, I arrived at Heathrow Airport, just outside London, and even the Lufthansa Airlines ticket counter staff looked suspicious. Or, at least I thought they did. 

I was going to Berlin to visit a friend. He met me at the airport, and showed me the town. Berlin is a very cosmopolitan city, but all the trappings of the cold war were still in place in 1986. Berlin was a divided city, east and west. The Berlin Wall was still standing. West Berlin, itself, was still divided into American, British, and French sectors, just as it was at the end WWII.

After seeing the sightseeing, and dinner, I wanted to hear some live Jazz.

Germans have an unabashed love for American Jazz, even though Hitler's propaganda machine took several measures to prevent

Passion & Commitment: The Danilo Perez Interview

Looking at his track record, you realize how natural it must have been for Danilo Perez  to have developed an early passion for music. As a child, Danilo's musician father would have friends over to play and sing, and some of them would ask Danilo to play what he had learned.

From that beginning, the Fulbright Scholar has spent his life committed to learning and teaching music. 

He is an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, composer & conductor. He is the force behind the Panama Jazz Festival, the Danilo Perez Foundation, the new Danilo's Jazz club in Panama City,  Artistic Director for the Berklee Global jazz institute , Unesco Artist for Peace and he has just released a new CD, titled, Panama 500. In my recent interview with Danilo Perez, I asked him about his passion for music.

KG - You have made it your mission to use music to unite Panama with the rest of the world. Is that a fair statement?

DP - Yes, I would say so. I think the greatest lessons about these

Reminicing About A Memorable New York Hot Spot

If you had a chance to go there you might have rubbed shoulders with the likes of James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, or Toni Mossison. All hip. That's the type of crowd you'd expect at Mikell's, a hot spot that was  located on the corner of 97th & Columbus. 

Mikell's opened in 1969, and closed in 1991. It's owner was Mike Mikell, who died in 2005. It's gone now, but in the seventies and eighties Mikell's was a happen' place for some of New York's best session and studio musicians who would drop in to jam.  Art Blakey would rehearse and record there with the Jazz Messengers. Other frequent notables included Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, and Cedar Walton.

I remember being there on one occaission when Hugh Masekela
almost blew the roof off the room. It was SRO, and I don't think sitting was even an option as the room was pulsating on a night that I remember like it was last night.

But, sadly, Mikell's is gone. Gone the way of other New York Jazz venues, such as Slugs, Port of Call East, and The Lennox Lounge.

Great memories, though.

The Late David "Fathead" Newman, Flora Purim, Sachal Vasandani and, It was All Free

Annual spring and summer festivals celebrating the performing and visual arts are so plentiful that it's impossible to see them all. But, if you are in or near Raleigh, NC, in May of the year, you've got to check out Artsplosure. 

Conceived in 1978, Artsplosure's goal was to create an "explosion" of art activity, and "expose" large numbers of people to all types of art. The event lasts several days, and is totally free.

In my years in Raleigh I saw the late tenor sax giant, David "Fathead" Newman, Brazilian super vocalist Flora Purim, and vocalist, Sachal Vasandani. All free, at Artsplosure. I had never seen any of these

What is the Periodic Table of Jazz?

If you haven't seen this, you should.

The Periodic Table of Jazz is a creation from Seattle based Jazz trombonist and educator, David Marriott, Jr.

There's not a lot I can say about this table, I just think it's very cool. If you click on the table it will enlarge and you'll see the names and time periods he has chosen. You'll also note that there are some names are obvious by their absence. Well, I'll let you read the words of it's creator, which you can do by going to, theperiodictableofjazz.com

Once at the site you can also order a poster of the table to hang on your wall, or give as a gift.

Click on the table.

Larger Than Life: Bobby Timmons at the Piano

One night in the late sixties I was walking down Avenue C in the East Village. It was late, and I was looking for a new place to grab a meal, and listen to some Jazz.

As I walked, I found a spot called, Rafikki. Not sure of the spelling now. I was only there once, and, I think it's gone now. But, it looked like a nice place, and the sign outside read, " live Jazz". Well, I had found a little piece of paradise.

Having been exposed to live Jazz from the age of eight by my mother in 1955, I was impressed even then with the music. But, my interest waned as one might expect from a child. It was only years
later that my interest and love of this music began to evolve. Sometime in the early sixties, when I was fifteen, my oldest brother, Dan, brought home some albums, Ramsey Lewis, among them. I'd heard of Ramsey,