Boquete Jazz Festival

A young man with a small trumpet (a pocket trumpet, he said it was) stood at the edge of the crowd. What band was he with? "I'm not with a band. I didn't even know about the festival. I just happened to be here this weekend." Then what's with the trumpet? "I carry this with me everywhere." That much was obvious as soon as he climbed on the stage, playing along beautifully, professionally, with musicians he'd never met. That's the beauty of the jam sessions, which are nightly occurrences during the Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival. Pre-festival events began as early as February 12, with a "warm-up jam" that day and a Mardi Gras-style parade on Thursday.

The official festival, the event for which the festival tickets granted access, was on Saturday and Sunday at the Valle Escondido amphitheater from 12:00-6:00. Musicians from Panama, Costa Rica, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States played to a sold-out crowd.

Just as much phenomenal jazz and blues could be heard every night around town. Some musicians had a scheduled nighttime performance, like Downchild Blues on Saturday at the Panamonte. Downchild is a Canadian band visiting Panama for the first time, and several audience members had known them back in Canada.

The all-star jam that followed was just as incredible. Singers, guitarists, and drummers rotated on and off the stage, the various combinations unique but equally entertaining.

In the middle of one song, an onlooker stepped up beside the man playing the keyboard. She spoke to him as she took over the right hand, while he continued to play the left. There was no break in the music as he walked away, and the crowd roared as she took his place with a talent equal to his. Watching strangers connect through their music is a powerful thing.

There was nothing on the schedule for Sunday night, with the festival officially ending at 6:00pm after the outdoor performances. That didn't stop the musicians for meeting up one last time at Mike's Global Grill for a final jam. Word traveled fast over the weekend, and there was a good crowd there that night as the first note was played around 8:15.

The woman who stepped in to play the keyboard was there. As was the young man with the pocket trumpet. "I like this thing because I can play it while I drive," he said to another audience member, and from there at the back of the bar he played along for a few notes before he walked toward the stage, waiting to be invited up for one more song.

Coverage by Locos Panama