Swinging Boquete Jazz and Blues are coming back to the Highlands!
When summer comes back to Boquete in early 2015 the valley will resonate once again with the sounds of world-class Latin Jazz and the raw power of North American Blues. For almost a full week, world-class music will rule the Boquete valley again with the 9th edition of the annual Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival, the biggest international music festival in the Chiriqui highlands.With a star-studded program of 56 musicians from the US, Panama and Europe, 8 daytime shows in the beautiful amphitheater of Valle Escondido plus 5 nightly jam sessions, a New Orleans style street parade, a Latin Jazz garden party at the Panamonte hotel, a free concert in the park, a "The Art of Music" art show and a ‚ music for Schools’ program, the 2015 festival will be the best ever.The line-up is hard to beat: International Blues star Shakura S’Aida from Canada will be tearing up the stage on Saturday, Feb 7 at 4:30pm; Li’l Ed & The Blues Imperials from Chicago will present their legendary spontaneous and unpredictable rowdy live show on Sunday, Feb 08 at 3pm; Deanna Bogart from Baltimore will boogie the 88’s and blow her horn on Saturday at 1:30pm; 83 year old Blues veteran Leon Blue from Las Vegas, will rock the house on Sunday Feb 8 at 1:30pm together with Swiss Blues Award winner Andy Egert and the Boquete Blues Band, presenting the best of Blues that has ever been heard in Panama!
The Latin Jazz part of the festival is not, by any means, less impressive! If you love Latin American and Caribbean rhythms, the 2015 Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival is the place to be!
Panamanian born John Carney will open the weekend shows with his band Gato Maximo on the main stage on Saturday, Feb 07 at 12pm.
Nicaragua-born Yelba & Latin Fire from Houston will fire you up with her irresistable Latin sounds a little later on Saturday at 3pm. If you don’t feel like dancing when Yelba is on stage, you probably never will!
Rigoberto Coba’s 18 piece Big Band from David/Chiriqui will be back in Valle Escondido, this time getting you in the mood on Sunday, Feb.08 at 12pm!
Closing the festival on Sunday, Feb. 08, the 7-piece Malamanya band will take you on a musical journey to Cuba. Let’s hope your feet aren’t sore yet because you won’t be able to resist getting up and shaking your hips during that show! Malamanya will also fire up the garden party at the Panamonte hotel on Wednesday, Feb 4.
Festival tickets are available at reduced prices of $25 per day and $45 for a weekend pass until November 30 at Mailboxes ETC. offices in Boquete, David, Bocas del Toro and Coronado, at the Boquete Tuesday market, the Valle Escondido hotel, and by phone for willcall at 6519-7876. Prices will go up by $10 per ticket starting Dec. 1, 2014
Tickets may also be purchased online via the festival website.
The BJBF Fedora Club is offering festival visitors amazing benefits worth about $220 plus VIP status for a membership fee of $160 per person, in addition to discounts of $80 for each stay at the Albrook Mall TRYP hotel in Panama City (multiple stays allowed until the end of 2015!). Learn more about the club and how to join on the Fedora Club page of our website.
Take the Blues Bus to Boquete! A convenient and cost-saving way to get to the festival from Panama City and Coronado.
Please visit the festival website at www.boquetejazzandbluesfestival.com for more details about the program, lodging, where to buy tickets, the Fedora Club, the Blues Bus and a lot more!
