A
few weeks ago, in the heart of Panama, people from all around the world
were tapping their feet and clapping their hands to the sound of sweet,
sweet jazz. Musicians were playing at venues throughout Panama City,
and jam sessions were swinging long into the night. The sky was blue,
and the sea was green, and the city was alive with music. It was the
Panama Jazz Festival.
Because of the diligent efforts of Guillermo Nojechowicz, who
organized our concerts and fundraisers and helped us jump numerous
hurdles in getting the trip approved, a group of six CRLS students/jazz
ambassadors (including this Register Forum news correspondent) were
fortunate enough to be able to attend and play in this amazing week-long
festival. Along with him and us six students, Vice Principal Bobby
Tynes and Nurse Tracy Rose also came along to chaperone and play with
us.
It lasted from January 16th to the 22nd, and featured a plethora of
musical opportunities. Each day, we would wake up and eat breakfast
around 8AM. Then, after breakfast and until lunch, we were able to roam
free and attend master classes given by students from Berklee College of
Music, or the New England Conservatory. These college students would
generally talk about the finer points of playing a certain instrument.
For instance, the upright bass, or the piano. We would then break for
lunch, and would resume attending master classes or mini-concerts for
the rest of the afternoon.
As
one might expect when attending a Jazz Festival, there was always a
concert at night, which was this particular news correspondent’s
favorite part. Wednesday might, the legendary pianist Chucho Valdez
played several mind-bogglingly virtuosic solo pieces, as well as several
beautiful duets with singer Omara Portuondo. Thursday night, heading
the bill was the John Scofield Trio. John Scofield, a jazz-fusion
guitarist led his trio through an entire spectrum of jazz, from classy
jazz standards to face-melting fusion! Friday night, perhaps most
spectacular of all, was legendary saxophonist Carlos Garnett. Later that
night we got to chat with him, and I’ll never forget the advice he gave
us: “Never let drugs, women, or ego get in the way of your playing,”
then turning to our female flautist Phoebe Rueben, “sorry.”
Then at about midnight, we would hit a Jam session at the Hotel Panama, and listen to that until 2AM.
It is hard to put into words how this trip affected me. There was so
much music everywhere, and so much positive energy, that I could almost
feel my skin soaking it up. I could feel my love of music growing every
day.
Senior Alec Arceneaux had similar feelings: “I’d say it [the trip] inspired me to never let music not be a part of my life.”
Junior Phoebe Rueben had this to say: “I think that being somewhere
where the type of music I was playing was so appreciated made me feel
like I had a connection to more people around the world, and really
reminded me why I love playing so much. On a more social level, I got to
meet people with similar interests to my own who live in Panama, and
had a chance to talk to them and make friends with them because of it.”
One
of the things that I was astonished to see was the number of young
musicians excited about the music being played. From percussionists to
French horn players, many of whom were much younger than me (and better
musicians), there was always an excited pair of kids sitting near me at a
concert or clinic. It was inspiring to see how positively this festival
was affecting the community.
What made this festival so great, I think, was how people could
forget the issues and turmoil of everyday life and just play with one
another. No one was thinking about anything but music, really. Junior
and bassist Tyler O’Keefe put it best: “It made me think about the
simpler things in life, like what really makes me happy, and how I don’t
need expensive things or material things, and I can be happy just doing
the things I love to, like play music.”
I’d say, considering the above quote, our trip to Panama did it its
job. Each musician was able to gain something precious from this trip. I
for one wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything.