He has released eleven albums as a leader, and appeared on many recordings as a side man, which have earned him critical acclaim, numerous accolades, Grammy Award wins and nominations.

He used these techniques to teach his son mathematics, science and other subjects through music, therefore rhythm and interconnective learning became the foundation of Pérez's youth.

After initially enrolling at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Pérez quickly transferred to the Berklee College of Music in Boston after being awarded the Quincy Jones Scholarship.

Pérez received a degree in jazz composition and upon graduation he began touring and recording with artists such as Jack DeJohnette, Steve Lacy, Lee Konitz, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Gary Burton, and Roy Haynes.

In 1989, two events occurred that have proven of lasting influence on both Pérez's creative practice as well as his thinking regarding music as a tool for social change.

In 1994, at the age of 27, Pérez released what is considered his most personal album, The Journey,[11] a musical account of the torturous trip enslaved Africans made across the oceans in the hulls of the slave ships.

Pérez set up the album as a dream series tracing the route of slaves, stolen or sold from their homes and transported across the sea.

He immediately began applying the concepts he had been working on in the jazz setting of merging the multiple musical languages and the cultural traditions they represent to large scale compositions.

In the year 1996 he released PanaMonk,[12][13] a tribute to Thelonious Monk which DownBeat named "One of the most important jazz piano albums in the history".

"[This quote needs a citation] In 2003, Pérez founded Panama Jazz Festival[16][17] with the stated mission of bettering the lives of people through shared musical experiences as listeners, on stage and in the classrooms.

As such, while the festival annually offers a rich program of concerts by leading international jazz musicians, the emphasis is on music education.

The festival also supports the year-round educational programs of Danilo Pérez Foundation,[20][21][22] which brings art and music to children living in communities of extreme poverty throughout the Republic of Panama.

In 2008 Berklee College of Music[23][24] approached Pérez with opportunity to design a curriculum that could serve as a platform for his work as an artist and humanitarian that could be taught to generations of gifted musicians for years to come.

About the Institute Pérez states, "the practice of sharing humanity through performance experience is the core of the curriculum and I work with gifted musicians to become leaders in the world community to affect positive social change with one common goal: to develop the creative cultural Ambassadors of the new millennium.

Pérez[32] has received commissions from many chamber groups and his work often finds inspiration in the people, journeys and events that shaped the origins of the Americas.

Pérez describes the work, Cuentos del Mar, as, "a brushstroke of the oceanic museum of life-the place where we see ourselves depicted, hopeful or mistaken.

At the base of the piece is folkloric counterpoint: native Indian, African, and European cultures blending their influences to create a hybrid form in order to represent Panama as a melting pot".

It has melodic references to traditional Panamanian folklore mixed with North American blues and improvisations, fused with harmonic language from my background in classical music and jazz."

[39] In 2015 Pérez was commissioned by the Museum of Biodiversity in Panama designed by architect Frank Gehry to compose a site specific work.

The four-part composition was intended as a soundtrack for one of the museum's permanent exhibitions The Human Path,[40] with each movement of the work corresponding to one of four key eras: the beginning of man, the development of the native culture, colonization, and modernity.

[50] The album is a musical account of the trip enslaved Africans made across the ocean, beginning with "The Capture", through "The Taking", "Chains", The Voyage", and ending with "Libre Spiritus".

The album made it to the top ten jazz lists in The Village Voice, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Billboard magazine.

Gerardo Nuñez - Guitar; Danilo Pérez- Piano; John Patitucci - Bass; Tuncboyaciyan and Carmen Cortés- Percussion.