PANAMA CITY, Panama, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Jazz pianist and composer Danilo Perez has been honored for cultural contributions as a musician, an educator and a founder of Panama's first jazz festival.
Panama City Mayor Carlos Navarro recently presented Perez with the "Keys to Panama."
Perez, 36, a three-time Grammy nominee, leads his own ensembles and is a member of the new Wayne Shorter quintet. His music often includes a creative fusion of the standard U.S. jazz repertoire and his native Latin music.
The former Dizzy Gillespie protege also teaches at the New England Conservatory of Music, Berklee College of Music and the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. In 2000, he was named Cultural Ambassador for Panama. He is artistic advisor of a new jazz series at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center -- its first season is dedicated to Gillespie.
