BGJI Celebrates International Jazz Day with the Wayne Shorter Quartet Reunion

The Berklee Global Jazz Institute and its founder and artistic director, Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Danilo Pérez, have orchestrated a a virtual reunion of the Wayne Shorter Quartet for International Jazz Day. Students and fans from around the world will have the opportunity to experience the group up close on stage and behind the scenes.

The reunion will take place Thursday, April 30, from 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., live on the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Facebook page, and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Instagram account.

“At a time when millions of people are physically separated from each other, culture unites us, connects us, and shorten distances,” says Pérez. “This quartet reunion will highlight the quartet history of mentorship, philosophy, connectivity and creative music-making.”

International Jazz Day brings together communities, schools, artists, academics, and jazz enthusiasts to celebrate jazz and learn about its roots. Raising awareness of the need for intercultural dialogue and understanding, the celebration reinforces international cooperation and communication. The day recognizes the artform for promoting international peace and dialogue among cultures, championing diversity and respect for human rights and human dignity, eradicating discrimination, promoting freedom of expression, fostering gender equality, and reinforcing the role of youth in enacting social change.

The Wayne Shorter Quartet was founded in 2000 by Shorter, John Patitucci, Brian Blade, and Pérez. The group won its most recent Grammy Award in 2019 for the album Emanon. Last year, DownBeat magazine noted, “Shorter’s longstanding quartet seems to be guided by telepathy, the musical equivalent of quantum mechanics, four men creating musical ideas, motifs and melodies at the speed of thought.” 

Grammy Award–winner, pianist, composer, producer, and educator Pérez is a social activist, humanitarian, and leading proponent of global jazz. His music is a blend of Panamanian folklore, jazz, European, and African influences, mixed with other musical heritages that promote music as a multidimensional bridge between people.

Pérez has worked as a music educator in the U.S. and around the world for more than 20 years. He serves as a UNESCO Artist for Peace, cultural ambassador for Panama, and is the artistic director of the Panama Jazz Festival. In 2009, Pérez founded the Berklee Global Jazz Institute with the support of managing director Marco Pignataro. Together, they have cultivated some of the finest global-minded jazz musicians in the world, creating a community focused on new music performance, human development, and social activism.