May 2022

Volume 89, Number 5

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Cover

Danilo Pérez

From Panama with Love

By Michael Jackson

Danilo Pérez, the cultural ambassador for Panama and UNESCO artist for peace, has seen a lot, notably in the arena of music-making, where he’s performed with icons of jazz, and has steadily become an icon himself. Pérez has a vision that expands beyond his personal career to embrace prospects of his native Panama as well as people well beyond its borders.

Features

WALTER SMITH III & MATTHEW STEVENS
Finding Common Ground
By John Murph
CHARLES MINGUS
A Centennial Celebration
By Allen Morrison
SPECIAL SECTION
2022 Summer Festival Guide
By Team DownBeat

What a difference a year makes! This year’s guide offers more than 130 festival listings as well as a deep dive into fests around the U.S. and Canada as well as internationally!

Blindfold Test

Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Hero Trio, Part I

Ornette Coleman: “Dawn” from At the Golden Circle Stockholm Blue Note, 1966 (Blue Note, 1966)
Jerry Bergonzi Trio: “Have You Met Miss Jones” from Lost in the Shuffle (Double-Time, 1998)
Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio: “Turning” from Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio (Concord, 2014)
Chris Speed Trio: “Arrival High” from Platinum on Tap (Intakt, 2017)