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: