Their shared history began in Boston, when Szabó was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. While it was Bob Brookmeyer who taught him composition and arrangement, Pérez was destined to be the one to polish his piano playing. As Pérez recalls, "The intensity and precision of Dániel's playing made me wonder what I could teach him. I remember saying that he didn't need my guidance. He replied, ‘Maestro, you could teach me a whole lot of things!' Working together with him was an unforgettable experience... We are now friends, and it is an honour for me to be able to play with him at Müpa Budapest.” Pérez, who originally hails from Panama (the name of his home country even figures into the title PiANorAMA!), likes to mix the features of African music cultures, bebop and Western classical music traditions in his playing and compositions, in addition to Latin musical elements. He established his reputation alongside Paquito D'Rivera and Dizzy Gillespie in the '80s before going on to work with numerous leading jazz artists, ranging from Arturo Sandoval to Wynton Marsalis. He has been winning accolades as a member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet ever since the band formed in 2002. "Danilo helped me understand the fantastic power of jazz, which promotes communication and a sense of connection with others,” says Daniel Szabó.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest