Hey there again, blues&jazz lovers from all four corners of the world!
Sick'n tired of the cold? Feeling the get-away itch again? Come to Panama for some hot jazz and cool blues!
The rainy season (our 'winter') is slowly coming to an end here in Panama, and we're looking forward to a beautiful dry season with our festival right at the center of it! March usually is the dryest month in our neck of the woods, and it's the best time to visit Panama! Why not take a little vacation from the cold, and spice it up with a visit to the Boquete Jazz&Blues Festival?
Here's hoping that this second edition of our festival newsletter will make you want to put on your traveling shoes...... Please forward it to your friends and ask them to sign up also. Help us to spread the word and to put Panama on the world-wide blues map!
We're striving to send good jazz and blues to you, and we'd looooove to get your feedback!
Yes, Jazz & Blues have a new destination!
We're working very hard to make it happen: Creating the first-ever Jazz&Blues Festival in Panama! There have been jazz festivals in Boquete before, and there's a large annual Jazz Festival in Panama City but there's never been a Jazz&Blues festival in this country before! In fact, Blues is almost unknown in Panama so we're doing some real pioneering work here! Putting a new country on the Blues map isn't an easy thing to do, and we feel that it deserves as much support as we can get from individual Blues lovers as well as the Blues industry all over the world.
Does this sound like an appeal for support to all of you? It's supposed to be!
Breaking News: Book your festival tickets now! You can now book your tickets for the festival online via our website! Just click here and check out the various options. You can book day tickets for $20 each ($5 for students), or a festival pass for two days for $30 ($7.5 for students). Once you've done that you'll get a confirmation email from us (you won't be charged until we've sent you that confirmation). Just print it out, bring it to the festival and you're in!
In the same way you can also become a member of our Club of Friends of BJBF. You'll get a festival pass and benefits worth $ 84 for a payment of $ 60 (see details below).
Don't wait until February or March to get your tickets! With booking your tickets and/or your club membership early you'll help us tremendously to pay our bills and pay for the flights of the bands we'll fly in to Panama! Love nature and exciting outdoor activities? Come to the valley of eternal spring - a paradise for all nature lovers! We really want to rub this in:Â Don't miss out on the beauty of our area! I'm sure you'll enjoy this beautiful little video about Boquete by clicking
here. Aren't we living in a truly blessed environment here? Coffeland, lush green all year though, an abundance of flowers, cool crisp mountain air at an elevation of 3000ft, two oceans with endless beaches and dozens of islands within close reach....no wonder this area has become one of the most favourite retirement places in the world! Come and check it out yourself!
Who's gonna play?
Here's a short list of musicians and bands to perform at the festival. Take a look at our website at
www.boquetejazzandbluesfestival.com for more details.
Blues: Mitch Woods (US), Johnny Sansone (US), Andy Egert (CH) with Bob Stroger, Sharrie Williams&The Wiseguys (US), Ron Hacker (US). Jazz: Carlos Ubarte quartet with Idania Dowman (PA), Saskia Laroo (NL) with Salsa Bop, The Smoking Time Jazz Club
(New addition straight from the streets of New Orleans!), Betty Bryant (US), Rigoberto Coba Big Band (PA)
Please check our website frequently for possible changes!
The festival There may still be some changes coming up (after all, what's life without change?) but at this point of time we're planning to start the festival on
Thursday, March 1st with an art auction in the Boquete central square, followed by a special concert with the Grand Ol' Lady of Jazz Betty Bryant (82!) in the intimate setting of the local BCP theatre. Betty will be joined by our own John Dodge (81!) on sax, a local expat who's looking back on a long career on stage. Where else do you get the chance to enjoy two great jazz musicians of a combined age of 163 on one stage?Â
Only in Boquete! Tickets for this event will be $10 a pop.
On
Friday, March 2nd we'll have a free opening show with music, food and drinks, again in the Boquete central square, followed by after-parties in local restaurants and hotels.
Saturday and Sunday will see the open-air festival in our beautiful valley of eternal spring with four bands each day from 12 noon until 7pm. Doors will open at 11am. Admission for adults is $20 per day, or $30 for a festival pass of two days. Tickets for minors and students are $5 per day, and $7.50 for two days. Minors under 12 have free admission. We'll have cool after parties in local venues on both evenings. Check back to our website often to stay in the loop.
Book your tickets online NOW! Looking for a place to stay? We've got discounts for ya! Check out (click) the hotels listed at the bottom of the column on the right (the list is going to be updated continously). Also check our website for new entries. Tell them that you're coming for the festival, and you'll get a discount rate.
Wanna see a little more of Panama while you're here? March is the best time to visit Panama! There's an incredible amount of things to do and to see while you're here in this tiny country filled with natural wonders. The canal, the Casco Viejo (old city) in Panama City, endless beaches, island hopping, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, whale and dolphin watching, mountain hiking, coffee tours, bird watching, river rafting, tree top zip lining....you name it, Panama's got it!
For your vacation planning we highly recommend to contact Panama's fastest growing travel agency
The Panama Travel Group. Can't find better deals for any kind of side trips and adventures at very competitive prizes!
In addition, here's a link to two great 8 and 9 day tours that Mrs. Joyce Small, one of our volunteers and former owner of a travel agency in the US has worked out in cooperation with The Haven Spa&Hotel in Boquete. Cool stuff! Check them out
here!
How crazy can some guys get? Who are the folks behind the festival? Some crazy music lovers. All volunteers. Crazy enough to do this without getting paid. All for the love of Jazz&Blues and having a good time! The Boquete Jazz&Blues festival is a not for profit event, and that's why we depend on the support of the community, businesses, and blues and jazz lovers from all over the world
(Yes, that's YOU!).
In addition, we'll use 30% of proceeds (if there will be any) to purchase musical instruments for local schools in an effort to improve musical education.
Ain't that a noble cause worth supporting? The rest of the pennies we'll keep in the bank for the following year's festival.
How can you support the festival? There are lots of ways to help us with the festival:
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Help us spread the word. Tell your friends about it. Forward this newsletter to all your friends
and ask them to sign up, too, by clicking here! -
Visit our website frequently. Show us your love by clicking on the facebook 'Like' button on every page to help us generate traffic and get a better search engine rating
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Donate! If you're living in the Boquete area please attend the pre-festival fundraising events (free Sunday morning concerts, wine-tastings etc.)
and donate. Every little bit helps! If you're living somewhere else you can still donate via our website by clicking
here!
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Buy our merchandise (T-shirts, bumper stickers, burlap shopping bags). We'll also get cool baseball caps, buttons and mugs soon.
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Join our club of friends of BJBF and enjoy great benefits! (see below)
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Be a volunteer! Call 6519-7876 or contact us via the contact form on our website.
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Be a sponsor! If you own or run a business in Boquete/Chiriqui/Panama please consider becoming a sponsor. We NEED your financial support to make the festival happen! Your logos
 will show up in this newsletter as well as on our website, our flyers and the festival program, and they will stay there for at least 6 months after the festival! Can't get any cheaper publicity than that!
Last but not least: Come visit the festival! We're getting more and more inquiries from blues&jazzin' babies about how to come here, where to stay, and what else to do here beside the festival! Join the trend!
Do the coolest thing and join our Club of Friends of BJBF! For a yearly membership fee of $ 60 you'll get benefits worth $ 84! Check out the details
here. You'll help us a lot financially by signing up, and you'll make us feel real good by showing us your support and friendship!
Can't attend the festival but still want to support our drive to get the Blues to Panama? Poor you! But we've got a solution! Just go to our website to the
Program/Tickets page and donate whatever you think it's worth! Hopefully we'll then see you here in a later year! Thanks for showing us your love!
Any suggestions, questions, need more information? I'll be glad to hear from you and to help you as much as I can. Just shoot me a mail via the contact form on our website by clicking
here! Wishing y'all a very happy holiday season, and hope to see you at the festival in March! Hans
Don't ask what the festival can do for you - ask what you can do for the festival!
These are our main sponsors at the time of publication. Click on the images to learn more about their business....
     Â
Scotiabank Boquete 
               Â
                  Â
Hacienda Los Molinos  Best of Panama                  Â
                                     Realty 
Hotel La Casa Abuela
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