Bohuslän Big Band confirmed for Panama Jazz Festival 2025

In recent years, Bohuslän Big Band has established itself as one of Europe’s leading big bands, and its participation in Panama Jazz Festival confirms the band’s international success. The festival, founded by the Panamanian jazz legend Danilo Pérez, is known for its focus on education and cultural exchange, which aligns well with Bohuslän Big Band’s mission from the Västra Götaland Region.

The Panama Jazz Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year from different parts of the world and is not only one of Latin America’s most important jazz events, but also a platform for building bridges between different cultures through music.

“Getting the opportunity to perform at the Panama Jazz Festival is a tremendous honor and an important step in our international development. We have had a long-standing collaboration with Danilo Pérez and are very happy that this collaboration has now resulted in an invitation to the festival and that we have the chance to represent Swedish big band music on this global stage,” says Bohuslän Big Band’s orchestra director Eric Brandström Arellano.

During the festival, Bohuslän Big Band will give concerts together with Danilo Pérez. The band will also hold master classes and workshops, as well as take part in various educational programs where they will have the opportunity to exchange experiences with young musicians from all over Latin America.

“This is one of the few festivals that offers students the opportunity to meet professional musicians, and students come from both Panama and all over Latin America to take part. The festival is also free for students, and many depend on this festival for their musical development,” Eric explains.

Releasing an album with Danilo Pérez on Friday

Bohuslän Big Band has had a long-standing collaboration with Danilo Pérez, who is the festival’s artistic director. On October 25 they will also release the joint album “Lumen”. The album is a fusion of Nordic jazz traditions and Latin American rhythms, and reflects both Bohuslän Big Band’s stylistic range and Pérez’s innovative compositions.