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Tony Panama

About Me

Tony “Panama” was born and raised in Panamá City, Panamá. As a young boy in his grandparents’ home, where music was an every day part of life, he was already being exposed to various musical genres such as Calypso, Panamanian Combos, Soul, and the beautiful Folkloric music of Panama. As a teenager, when he was finally old enough to start his own collection, he developed a strong affinity for the hot and pulsing Afro-Caribbean rhythms, known to him only as Salsa. He became a big fan of Willie Colon, to the extent of writing to him asking about the specifics of the Bass Trumpet. He still treasures those correspondences to this day. Hector LaVoe, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz, Mon Rivera, Dimension Latina, Bobby Valentin, El Gran Combo, and today’s legendary Fania All Stars were on his list of favorites from early on. There was no going back; he was hooked... Tony always had a passion for performing. In elementary school, he played percussion and performed in school plays presenting various countries’ cultural dances. Ironically enough, if asked, he will claim that he cannot dance! In High school he played trombone with the Marching Band. After High School, he decided to attend the National University of Panama to major in Chemistry. Music was still ingrained in his soul. He attended the "Conservatorio Nacional de Panama" for a year to study trombone and theory. Afterwards he took trombone lessons at the University. Once he earned his Chemistry degree, he moved to NYC. Later on he decided to take up his music lessons again. He attended the East Harlem Music School, where he studied theory briefly, and the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts to study trombone and percussion. Shortly after, he attended New York University to acquire his Master’s Degree in Education. As a trombonist, Tony Panamá performed with the New Generation Band and Grupo Ebony in Panama. In NY, he has played with Dave Santiago and Latin Affair, Miguel Maldonado y Orquesta Majestad, Orlando Watusi, Anthony Cruz, Camilo Azuquita, Rumba y Fuego, Grupo CoCruz, Café con Crema, Alma Negra, The Harbor Conservatory Ensemble, and a few others. He has also performed as a percussionist with the United Mambo Dancers, Amy Schrift and the Swingtones, and The Saint Gertrude Church Choir. As Musical Director and co-Manager of Son De La 104, Tony Panama feels that he and his partner, Hector Angel, are privileged to work with such a talented and professional group of musicians, and proud to present their music to you, the dancing public. Today, Tony continues to pursue his musical studies in his endeavor to be the best musician that he can possibly be.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/6/2008
Band Website: coming soon to a space near you
Band Members:
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Influences: Barry Rogers, Jose Rodriguez, Reinaldo Jorge, Leopoldo Pineda, Lewis Kahn, Tom Malone, Sam Burtis, Steve Turre, Dan Reagan, Micheal Davis, Bill Reichenbach, Willie Colon, Ruben Blades, Hector LaVoe, Conjunto Libre, Dimension Latina, Mon Rivera, Ismael Rivera, Fania All Stars, Orquesta La Solucion, The Bad Street Boys, Bobby Valentin, Los Van Van and many great bands from the 70's and 80's.
Sounds Like: Quotes About Life and Music "There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in." -Graham Greene. -- "If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music." - Albert Einstein -- "The way in which we can find our own place is to tune our instrument to the keynote of the chord to which we belong. Sound is the force which group all things, from atoms to worlds. The chording vibration sounds in the innermost being of ourselves and can only be heard in silence. When we go into the inner chamber and shut the door to every sound that comes from the life without, then will the voice of God speak to our soul and we will know the keynote of our life." -Hazrat Inayat Khan. The Music Of Life. --"Music is the only art that goes directly to the heart without paying the brain's toll." --"Among the many forms in which the human spirit has tried to express its innermost yearnings and perceptions, music is perhaps the most universal. It symbolizes the yearnings for harmony, with oneself and with others, with nature and with the spiritual and sacred music of every community - music that express the universal yearning that is shared by people all over the globe." -His Holiness the Dalai Lama --"Without music, life is a journey through a desert." -P. Conroy --"Music is your own experience, your own thougths, your wisdom... if you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." -C. Parker --"Music is one - and therefore is just an evolution of what has gone before." -John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie -- "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today" - James Dean -- "It's the ultimate in rugged individualism. It's going out there on that stage and saying: It doesn't matter how anybody else did it. This is the way I'm going to do it." -Gary Giddins -- "The only constant in the music business is that it's always changing. Always." -Record Promoter -- "Rhythm is the soul of life. The whole universe revolves in rhythm. Everything and every human action revolves in rhythm." - Babatunde Olatunji -- "Jazz music celebrates life - human life. The range of it. The absurdity of it. The ignorance of it. The greatness of it. The intelligence of it. The sexuality of it. The profundity of it. And it deals with it in all of its...it deals with it." -Wynton Marsalis -- "If I have been of service, if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good, if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action, if I am at peace with myself, it has been a successful day." - Alex Noble -- "There is never any end. There are always new sounds to imagine; new feelings to get at. And always, there is the need to keep purifying these feelings and sounds so that we can really see what we've discovered in its pure state. So that we can see more and more clearly what we are. In that way, we can give to those who listen the essence, the best of what we are. But to do that at each stage, we have to keep cleaning the mirror." -John Coltrane -- "Music is Oxygen to the Soul; without it our Spirit would wither and die." - Rosa Laura Arroyo -- "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those that matter don't mind, and those that mind don't matter." -Dr Seuss"Dime Si Te Vas" by Son De La 104

Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: Unsigned

My Blog

About Music and Life

These are some of my favorite quotes and fragments about Life and music.  Since I was trained as a Chemist and started my music education and career late in life (that's relative...) I'm ver...
Posted by on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:36:00 GMT

Son De La 104 @ Gonzalez y Gonzalez

My Band, Son De La 104, performed at G & G Thursday April 10, 2008. We were well received, as usual. Quite a few of our fans came out, even though it was a weeknight. We got great feedback from th...
Posted by on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:51:00 GMT