Panamanian jazz pianist and composer Danilo Pérez prefaced the start of his concert in Melbourne last Saturday by telling the audience that this was an unusual performance for him.

“I don’t usually perform solo,” he explained.

True enough — for the last 25 years he has been best known for his contributions to the bands of such jazz luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter and Wynton Marsalis, or for leading his own trio with the formidable duo of bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade.

The Grammy-winning Pérez, one of the headline acts in this week’s Melbourne International Jazz Festival, was performing at the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Elisabeth Murdoch Hall.

Danilo Pérez performs at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Photo © Duncographic

He quickly warmed to the opportunity to showcase some of his own compositions and to take his improvisations wherever his inclinations might lead him, for as long as he chose. For the audience, this was a rare chance to catch the uninhibited playing of a virtuoso jazz pianist free from the necessary interactions of a group setting. What a treat it was, as Pérez demonstrated his resourcefulness in exploring new ideas in his improvisations while never losing momentum.

He opened with his piece Whistle Through Adversity. Its melody line has a jaunty, nursery-rhyme feel before being underpinned by his left hand playing an insistent bass pattern. Turning to his electric keyboard, he added another melodic overlay. It became like a three-way conversation as he moved to stabbing rhythms on the electric piano while returning to the acoustic piano to play short phrases, all the while maintaining that hypnotic bass line.

On his composition Rediscovery of the Pacific Ocean—a nudge at colonialism—he created evocative sound effects of the sea, particularly rolling waves and crashing chords. The influence of Panamanian and African music was evident in some of the rhythms as he produced the sound of congas and various drum tones from the electric keyboard.

Danilo Pérez performs at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Photo © Duncographic

Pérez’s style of improvisation was like a collage in which he played a motif, then re-arranged it, introducing different phrases and rapid runs. He moved between different grooves seamlessly.

His social activist side came out in Panama Libre (written when America invaded Panama in 1989) with its shifting moods, and Alternate Realities (dedicated to the once-jailed Black activist Angela Davis). The latter began with a sombre, reflective feel but transformed into a swirling sense of drama with heavy rhythmic emphasis before sliding into tranquillity.

His September in Rio was infectious, drawing on Panama’s choro rhythms. It seemed to have an underlying call-and-response structure.

Pérez showed his versatility and innovative flair by reimagining Michael Jackson’s Human Nature and Stevie Wonder’s Overjoyed in expansive re-workings. He also imaginatively blended Panamanian composer Carlos Eleta Almarán’s famous Historia de un Amor with Waltzing Matilda.

The audience was left in no doubt about Pérez’s warmth and musical generosity, and he was called back for two encores. He first played a medley of three pieces by Thelonious Monk – Pannonica, Ask Me Now and Ugly Beauty. His final offering was his composition Gratitude, a work of shimmering beauty.

Support act the Michelle Nicolle Quartet delivered a beguiling performance.

Nicolle’s voice was exquisite, marked by careful pitching, creative phrasing, vocal range and subtle shading. Guitarist Hugh Stuckey’s playing was an eloquent, lyrical complement to her vocals.

Highlights included her wordless, ethereal-like vocals on Bach’s March in D, sliding effortlessly into high vocal reaches. Her composition One More Beer was delivered with Blossom Dearie-like craft and shaping.

The 2025 Melbourne International Jazz Festival continues until 26 October.

Danilo Pérez also played at the ACO Pier, Sydney on 19 October.