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II MOVEMENT : PANAMANIANS IN JAZZ

In the second movement of Panamanian Suite, I explore the erased history of Panamanians in jazz, gathering evidence to support the notion that jazz was developed from transnational Pan-Afro-American cultural movements that reflected the complexities of Caribbean migration cycles. I propose that this historical lapse was more than a mere oversight—it was a refusal to study, analyze, and document Caribbean cultural contributions in the United States and in Panama. The persistent erasure of Panamanian identity, along with Afro-Panamanian music and its contributions to jazz, is an important part of a larger system of education and culture in the United States and Panama that has its roots in White supremacy. Music scholarship, like other academic disciplines, has been shaped by power and serves its interests. One narrative dominating and overshadowing others is a natural result. Here is an incomplete list of Panamanians in Jazz: 

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Vernon Andrade

1902 - 1966

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Luis Rusell

1902 - 1963

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Teófilo Brown

"Panama Al Brown"

1902 - 1951

Piano Restoration

Nicolas Goodwin Rodriguez 

1906 - ?

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Margarita Benskina  "Princess Orelia"

1911 - 2002

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Sonny White

1917 - 1971

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Sylvia De Grasse

1921 - 1978

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Randy Weston

1926 - 2018

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Eric Dolphy

1928 - 1964

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Frank Anderson

1929

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Wynton Kelly

1931 - 1971

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Mauricio Smith

1931 - 2002

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Walter "Gene" Jefferson

1931 - 2019

Vitin paz.jfif

Victor Paz

1932 - 2021

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Terry Pierce

1933 - ?

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Enid Lowe

1935 - ?

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Carlos Garnett

1938

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Billy Cobham

1944

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Danilo Pérez

1965

Click here for Tambo Jazz

Tambo Jazz is the very specific jazz style developed in Panama during the 20th century

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