wow, how beautiful, danilo perez. thank you for joining us. >> it's a pleasure to be here. >> hinojosa: some people might not know your name, but you are a grammy award winning musician, composer. you head up the berklee college of music global jazz institute. >> yes. >> hinojosa: you head up the panamanian jazz festival that you created. you live in boston. >> yes. >> hinojosa: and you give so much back in terms of your music to the world. it's really an honor to have you here. >> it's my honor, too. >> hinojosa: when people think about jazz, sometimes they think it's a solid american traditional music. you grew up in panama, and in fact, panama and jazz, there's a long history there. i mean, you're panamanian, latin jazz, but this is not new, right? >> yes. actually, there has been a significant contribution from panamanians to jazz, actually. one of them started with luis russell. he made a fantastic contribution with louis armstrong. they made some records. he grew up in panama until he was 17 years old. he won a lottery, actually, to come to the united states. >> hinojosa: and there's also... you were telling me this other story-- billie holiday, "strange fruit," which is the billie holiday song. >> yeah, the piano player in that recording is sonny white, actually. >> hinojosa: who's also panamanian? >> panamanian. fantastic. >> hinojosa: so you were growing up in panama, pretty humble background. >> mm-hmm. >> hinojosa: poor. >> yes. >> hinojosa: but your parents were very much involved in music, your father. >> yeah. >> hinojosa: so talk about those memories of what you were hearing in panama. what was your life in music as a young boy growing up? >> well, my father was in love with cuban pianists. actually, lino frias, he was in love with a lot of the great artists from panama. but mainly piano players. and he actually introduced me to a fantastic pianist from puerto rico called papo lucca. and my father would sing to me, like, tumbaos, like, (imitates tumbao pattern) when i was a kid, like... (plays tumbao pattern) and we would be all day doing that. >> hinojosa: and that's a tumbao. >> that's a tumbao, that's a tumbao. he would be all day saying, "check out how he changed," if he made a little change like (plays altered tumbao pattern). "look at those notes," from early on. you know, i was early on with my percussion, with my cowbell, with my clave. you know, in the morning, at breakfast, we would be singing. you know, the house was full of music. you play all day at home. >> hinojosa: now, interestingly, so you actually... musically, you started by doing percussion. >> yes. >> hinojosa: because when i hear your music... and your music is so profoundly spiritual. it's really, really beautiful, and i hope people go and listen to all of the albums that you have done. there is a serious rhythm, a serious beat. even if it's subtle, it's in your music. >> certainly. and i think it's a connection with the percussion, with the bongos, from early on in my life. >> hinojosa: so give me an example. for example, just play something, and we'll be able to hear the importance of that percussive beat. yeah, for example, there's a panamanian tamborito that goes, (imitates tamborito pattern). (plays pattern on piano) so i set it up on that idea, on the tamborito rhythm. i don't set it up for the piano, i set it up for the percussion, you see? >> hinojosa: do most pianists come at it the same way, or is it because you have this kind of percussive background? i think a lot of pianists who grew up with the percussion will come up out of this. and a lot of great jazz pianists come out from the drums, like thelonious monk. you know, i always hear the drums in his playing. so i think anybody who has a perspective of a drummer, or has understood the drums, will come up also relating to the drums in a certain way, that it would not be somebody that grew up only playing classical music, for example. >> hinojosa: so you grew up in panama, and when you're still in your early 20s you end up going to new york. and incredible things start to happen to you. i mean, you meet dizzy gillespie, and you're this young kid from panama. what's going on for you, as suddenly you're now with the great dizzy gillespie, and not only is he saying, "play with me," he's saying to you, danilo perez, "you have talent"? >> part of that is a basic fundamental that was, you know, meeting people like claudio roditi, victor mendoza, paquito d'rivera. and that... each one of those relationships took me to a place, all the way to dizzy gillespie. and somehow it's a story that has unfolded from every one of those experiences. and of course being with dizzy, i really learned about the human quality in the music, about "don't take things for granted." >> hinojosa: were it not for dizzy gillespie and the fact that he had this kind of global vision, and certainly hemispherically, north-south, in terms of the americas... i mean, he's the one who basically says, "the carribean, it's part of who we are." that... in a lot of ways, you're doing the same thing now with your career, you know? you're panamanian, you live in boston, but you're going global, and your message is, "music is not just to entertain, music is powerful." >> exactly. the wonderful thing about the dizzy gillespie united nation band is when i got there, you had people from brazil, you had people from all over the world. the idea of a common ton finding our diversity, through one sound, making music that we all need to come together, that's a powerful lesson i learned from dizzy, you know, that no matter where you come from, you always have something to say with love for the process, the process of exchange. that was something that i really... that experience, fundamentally very important. and i carried that on myself. >> hinojosa: do you feel like your own work that you've done now as a composer is taking that root of what dizzy gillespie said, which is kind of trust... but you've gone back to panama, and you've done beautiful things. >> yes. >> hinojosa: you've rescued a lot of the kind of traditional rhythms and brought them into jazz. and then you did something amazing-- you went and you got a traditional folkloric singer, who sings... what style is it? >> mejorana. >> hinojosa: mejorana. mejorana. >> yes. >> hinojosa: and it's a kind of blues? >> it's... i call it our panamanian blues. and it has roots, of course, spanish roots, as a lot of the music of latin america. this is a wonderful experiment, because it deals with folk material, connecting with folk material from the north. like you have folk music where the blues come from, and folk music from latin america, folk music from south america. so this is the idea of pan-american jazz, actually-- connecting the whole americas to one sound. >> hinojosa: so you've named this. you call it pan-american jazz? >> well, it's a movement, i think. it's a movement that started in the 20th century with a lot of people doing it. you know, i learned a lot from paquito, for example. he really... >> hinojosa: paquito d'rivera. >> yes, paquito d'rivera, great cuban saxophonist. he introduced me to a lot of music, playing venezuelan waltzes, playing old contradances. and the desire... a lot of the desire to combine folkloric material with traditional rhythms, with latin american song forms, with jazz, is something that was fascinating to me. >> hinojosa: how did you know that it was jazz for you? how did you know that... jazz? i mean, you could have, you know, ended up playing in an orchestra, you could have... what was it? what is it about you understanding that jazz is your musical expression? >> well, the first thing was i noticed from early on, and my father, too, i really love changing things, twisting things around. and i would learn something, and i would change it around. i love the freedom, the spirit of creativity that i felt, you know? i loved the spontaneity. i loved that in jazz. i love that through that exercise, you actually exercise values to be a better human being, to know yourself better. >> hinojosa: that's... people are like, "wait a second, wait, wait. we're talking about jazz, and all of a sudden we're becoming a..." how do you put these two things together, jazz and a social message about one's humanity? >> yeah. well, because it has values. the music... this is one thing that is important. when we do music, it's one of the greatest gifts in my sense... i'm a christian. i believe god gave us that gift. the gift of connection, the gift of communication, the gift of spontaneity, the gift of the child in your heart, the gift of enlightenment, the gift of being a part and being aware of a creating, letting things come to you. it's just a fascinating experience. anybody who compose or play music in a spontaneous way has a sense of optimism that the other people normally wouldn't have. and this is what i love about it-- that a lot of people feel not so optimistic about the world, but when you play jazz, you have to feel optimistic. it's that sense of discovering. it's like, you know, knowing who you are, and you're doing through a process. >> hinojosa: sometimes people feel like, you know, when they go into a modern art museum and maybe they don't get the painting, sometimes people feel like, "well, i like jazz, but i don't exactly understand it." what do you want to say to those people? >> first of all, be exposed to it. that's important. be exposed, because somewhere in... >> hinojosa: open your ears. >> yes. everybody, every human being, has the right to be free. every human being has the right to explore. every children has the right to have his own dreams. and jazz has that kind of... it's a very hopeful tool in our world. it's a fantastic... it's a fantastic tool for kids, to really feel that the world's not going to end, 2012. >> hinojosa: and interestingly, you said something. you said you are... you're over playing music just for entertainment. >> yes. >> hinojosa: and people are like, "well, wait a second. you're a musician, you have to make a living, you're going to have to play to entertain." and you say? >> well, you know, playing music, like, with a check in mind that you have to... that's not interesting to me, because it's one of the places where you can exercise passion. you can exercise all the values to humanity that are very important. and if you need to do that, there's nothing wrong with that. but you still have to come to the place where you do music because you love it, because you are passionate about it. you know, sometimes we have to do things to work, because we have to feed our family, we have to pay the rent. but you need to balance that out with what is it that you love doing? what is it that you... why are you sitting on the piano? what is the connection? what do you want to communicate? >> hinojosa: you know, one of the more difficult things for some people around the issue of jazz is the fact that if it's freer jazz, it means that there's improvisation, and it means you don't really know where it's going to go. and that can be a little bit scary for some people. you actually are a master of improvisation. and one of the things that you use as an inspiration to write, to improv, is words. >> yes, all the time. >> hinojosa: which is funny, because people are like, "well, he's got to think about notes." you actually take words and improvise. so give us an example. i know you've been thinking about something. >> i think that playing music is much like talking. so if i think of you... about something. let's say, "maria love music." i pick up my three notes i want to work with. ♪ maria maria love music ♪ maria love music maria love music. ♪ so that's nice. we've got a nice idea there, right? we have a subject, we have a verb. >> hinojosa: you got me singing, that's amazing. >> yeah, you'll see. wait a minute. we have subject, we have a noun, we have a verb, we have an action there-- you love the music. now, what do we do? we leave more space. you can't talk all the time. you have to leave space, right? ♪ maria love music... >> hinojosa: ♪ maria loves... ♪ >> ♪ ...music. now we're going to put the chords... the chord is sort of like your clothes. you know, so we've got... we make a piece now. >> hinojosa: ♪ maria loves music maria loves music... ♪ >> (continues harmonizing theme) so we have a thing. now we can talk about that. maria... i'm going to improvise about that. really? (echoes "really" with piano notes) she really... she really... >> hinojosa: ♪ music really... ♪ >> ♪ love music. you see? that's what i'm thinking. i'm just thinking about you loving music. i'm not thinking about myself, the music. i'm thinking about the feeling of speech, transmitting human... it's a human connection, basically. that is what music always did for me from early on. >> hinojosa: you have also found inspiration in unlikely places. one inspiration was that you almost were on a plane on september 11, and that made you kind of rejigger your whole life. another moment of inspiration was when you found yourself playing in italy in a tiny little club, and then you realized that stephen hawking was there and listening to you. >> yeah, it was amazing, because i was like... i'm playing, like... i remember i was playing "besame mucho." ♪ besame... and i tried a chord here. i was like, ♪ mucho. i went into something open, maybe like (plays two chords), and i did something like that, and i heard through a machine going, "beautiful." and i said, "wow, that's really strange," you know? and then going... (speaking spanish) i put a chord like this, very mysterious, and it's like, "beautiful," you know? he was kind of, like, narrating. but i didn't know who he was. when we finished the set, i went to him and i said, "oh, my god, stephen hawking." but he was amazing, because he was so generous and powerful, but my latin roots, i was, like, trying to hug him. and there was no motion. i realized that you can have a lot of energy with a quiet motion. he was very energetic, but very passive, too. and it was a beautiful experience, and that was the night that obama won the presidency. so it meant a lot to me. >> hinojosa: so you spend a lot of your time giving back to young people, because... i mean, you don't have to be doing that. why is it so important? what is the message that you want to leave with these young people, about what? about music, about understanding values? >> very important to me, maria, is how music is used as a social tool to empower society, to make better human beings, to make people... see, we are dealing right now with issues, very important issues like isolation. so music brings the element of working in group, teamwork, discipline. because, you know, if you're practicing something... if i'm practicing something (plays piano) i have to do really slow to get it going. so that's a discipline, that takes concentration. respect. respect for others. you can all not play together. one person plays, the other one listens, you're supportive, you're also dependent, independent. it's a beautiful moment through music that you can explore and learn a lot about humanity. see, it's the process. it's not really the music, it's the process. through the process, we can become better human beings. >> hinojosa: but then what ends up happening is that, of course, it's not just the process, because it ends up that you're playing for an audience. >> yeah. >> hinojosa: and the audience then is also brought into that. and i'm thinking about what happened when you ended up playing in your country, in panama, in the middle of the united states invasion... >> yeah. >> hinojosa: ...of your country. and what happened at that moment? >> oh, that was scary, actually. at the same time you realized that playing and performance are two different things. you're playing... with my father i grew up playing music all day. i didn't have a time where we would perform. we would get up in the morning, and he would sing. and he was making me play music all day, because i was even learning mathematics through music. you see? geography... >> hinojosa: how? >> he would put lyrics to it, you know? "papa, i don't want to... yeah, (singing in spanish) you know, he would... see, what papa did was, like, he taught me to look at the world through the lenses of the music. and that idea for me has prevailed forever. and when i was in a situation like the invasion in panama, all i was thinking was, "if i die right now, i want to die playing music." that's all i was thinking. >> hinojosa: and the people who came to actually watch that concert were from every political stripe, and they were all watching your music in the middle of an invasion in your country. >> yeah, you had people from extreme right to extreme left to the center. >> hinojosa: and they were all getting along. >> they were all into it. and at the beginning of the... they were looking at each other going, "(growls) do you think this and that?" but when we started playing, it went away. and that's when you really understand the power of music. you understand that we are magicians, actually. we're like actors. we're making something invisible visible. >> hinojosa: that's very powerful. >> and that is what i witnessed that day-- that the people left all their ideas, politics, and all the stuff that they were embracing to submit to humanity, to the basic joy of being there, and the joy that music brings to life. >> hinojosa: not a lot of people think, "jazz-- latin america." and in fact, for you, you look a lot about, and think a lot about, jazz, and having a real future in latin america as consumers of jazz, going to jazz festivals. if you compare audiences in the us versus latin america, where's the growth in terms of jazz? well, one of the elements that i think people sometimes don't connect is the lack of understanding of history to me. what i would say before, panamanians, for example, luis russell with louis armstrong, we talk about also sonny white with billie holiday. also carlos garnett with miles davis. and a lot them. billy cobham, santi dibriano. a lot of people, panamanians, in that sense, i mention. but also the idea that this country was based in a unanimous support from all the americas. the latinos were a big part of independence for the united states. so from the beginning, what jelly roll morton talk about, this idea. (plays piano) that feeling is very latin to me. >> hinojosa: it's true. >> he call it the... >> hinojosa: i never thought of jelly roll morton and latin... >> and he call it the latin tinge, you see? and that's that rhythm. (sings rhythm) as a matter of fact, william c. handy, who wrote "st. louis blues," you know, he went to cuba. he spent some time in cuba. so it's a lot of history that connect us very deeply. but it's a lack of understanding regarding to jazz and latin america. the other part is that i envision the festival... like, if you go to europe, you say, "i'm going to the european jazz festival." my dream is one day we said, "we're going to the latin american jazz festival," which already there is a lot of them. and the people are embracing this music with the power that you wouldn't believe. kids playing... from early on playing this music. they are really into. they love it. they love the freedom of expression. so i see latin america playing a very important role in keeping jazz alive and in development of jazz, too. >> hinojosa: for all of that inspiration, for all of the joy of your music, thank you so much. and for being right here. >> thank you very much. - [voiceover] funding for overheard with evan smith is provided in part by mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. also, by hillco partners, a texas government affairs consultancy. and by the alice kleberg reynolds foundation. - i'm evan smith, he's a pulitzer prize winning biographer, and former editor in chief of newsweek, - [evan] whose latest book, destiny and power, the american odyssey of george herbert walker bush, has just been published. he's jon meacham, this is overheard. - [evan] let's be honest, is this about the ability to learn or is this about the experience of not having been taught properly? how have you avoided what has befallen other nations in africa? you can say that he made his own bed but you caused him to sleep in it. you saw a problem and over time, took it on and-- let's start with the sizzle before we get to the steak. are you going to run for president? i think i just got an f from you actually.