It has been 14 years since the Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival delights thousands of foreigners that arrive at the coffee center in Panama to listen to the greatest musicians within this music genre. In March 2020, the tunes will begin to play in a new location: Buenaventura.

Boquete is one of the world’s coffee capitals. On the outskirts of the Volcán Baru, and its joining peaks, you can find the production of the highest quality and most coveted grains. For this reason, asian buyers have paid over $200,000 dollars per pound for the geisha variety.

The first edition of the Boquete Jazz Festival was held in 2007 on a Sunday afternoon in February in the Boquete Community Playhouse (BCP). Eighty people were the lucky ones who witnessed the first four hours of music. It was the beginning of one of the most important musical events in the region.

“In 2011, Blues was incorporated, which is why the festival was renamed as Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival. Since then, the event has increased its lineup with first class Jazz and Blues groups, as well as Latin Jazz groups coming from Central America, South America, United States and other countries”, John Wolff, the festival’s organizer, pointed out.

The event energizes the town’s economy and attracts fans of this musical genre, who can enjoy shows from artists such as The Phantom Blues Band, Joe Louis Walker, Silvan Zingg, Matt Schofield and nationals such as Osvaldo Ayala, Rigoberto Coba, Patricia Zarate, Los Rabanes, Los 33 y John Carney, amongst others. For its 14th edition, the festival has decided to expand to a new location: the beach.

Between March 20 and 22, 2020, Buenaventura will be the music epicenter through its three stages.

PL: Why Buenaventura as the new location?

JW: The success of our almost 14 years in Boquete awakened an interest to take our festival to the beaches of the Panamanian Pacific Riviera.     

For such an event, we have been supported by the main hotels in the area, and they agreed for us to take the first Beaches Jazz and Blues Festival to the installations of The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort, specifically in Puntarena.

The availability of a bigger space, not just regarding the public, but also regarding the accommodation capacity (in Boquete we always top the hotel offer during the festival’s week), allowed us to grow substantially our musical offer. It is because of this that we are almost tripling the amount of artists that will be presenting.

Buenaventura stands as the best beach community in the country, as well as the region.

Along its 400 hectares, this community holds diverse projects designed by some of the most prestigious architects in the country, that have given them their stamp, along its iconic 7,383 yards of golf course designed by the company Nicklaus Design.

Since December 2019, the complex now has a first generation marina, that integrates the ocean as one of its amenities as a point of departure for adventures.  

PL: How many artists will be presenting?

JW: In this opportunity, 34 first rate bands will be presenting, between international and national. Amongst the international bands that we will bring they total 19 Grammys, over 20 nominations and other important awards in the international music industry. 

PL: How will the stages be divided?

JW: By genre and each holds big performers both international and local. For example, in  World Music & Jazz we will have Spyro Gyra, Tommy Emmanuel, Strunz & Farah, The Blackbyrds, Marshall Keys & Soulful Path, Silvan Zingg, Scott Ambush and Times Aligned, Malamanya, Aisa Jazz Group, Charlie Marré.

In Blues & Roots: Los Lobos, The Phantom Blues Band, JP Soars Blackburn Brothers, Dwayne Dopsie & Zydeco Hellraisers, Chuck Jacksons & The All Stars, Deanna Bogart, Matt Weindinger Trio, Quisa Wint Band, 2B Alive, Shorty & Slim.

And in Rock: Spin Doctors, Jeremiah Johnson Band, Lance Anderson Mad Dogs & Englishman, The Music of Joe Cocker and Leon Rusell, Los 33, Los Rabanes, The John Carney Band, Polyphase, Making Movies, The Jim Votaw Band.

It will be three days of good music and an amazing environment. 

PL: Will there be other activities apart from the music events?

JW: Of course. We will also be doing a “Beaches Jazz and Blues Festival Celebrity Golf Tournament” as another attraction, for local and international players. 

Additionally, we will have an exclusive “Lunch Gourmet” with presentations by  Spyro Gyra, Strunz and Farah and Marshall Keys. And there are other activities, such as Beach Parties, Jams, Yoga sessions and many more during the 3 days of the festival. 

PL: What would you highlight about the Panamanian culture?

JW: Panama is a great generator of musicians. From their afroantillana drums up to some of the biggest performers that this country has produced.

I would highlight experts such as Ricardo Fábrega, Omar Alfanno, Carlos Almarán with their song  “Historia de un Amor” that has been recorded in russian, arabic and mandarin, Erika Ender with “Despacito” and of course “Pedro Navaja” by Rubén Blades.

PL: What is the organization’s mission?

JW: Promote musical arts and tourism in Panama, attracting fans, both Panamanians and foreigners.  

We also support the community in Boquete, not only by increasing the influx of money in commerce and local services, but also by doing music workshops in schools and donating instruments.

From these activities is that the Fundación Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival was born.

For more information about the event and ticket sales you can visit the webpage  https://bjbfpanama.com/

Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival by the numbers

• 14 editions
• The website www.bjbfpanama.com attracts over 22 thousand visitors per month.
• The Facebook Fan Page is followed by over 114.000 music lovers with various associated groups.
• The Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival has been declared a National Cultural Event by the INAC.
• BJBF is the only festival in Central America and the Caribbean that combines Jazz, Blues, Roots, World Music and Rock in one place.
• Each year, more tourists arrive to attend the festival:
  • In 2017 the festival was sold out, composed by 42% of international tourists.
  • In 2018 the BJBF had over 1,300 spectators per day, 53% of those came from outside of Panama.
  • In 2019 the festival in Boquete was also sold out with 58% of tourists coming from the exterior.
  • For 2020, the Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival launched ticket sales on July 15, 2019 and their Platinum tickets as well as the hotel packages, were sold out in only three days. Up to this date, 70% of the tickets have been sold through our website to international tourists.
• The festival’s success can also be seen in local economy. According to the Commerce Chamber in Boquete, the festival increases the town’s economy by up to 5 million dollars in just one week.