“Groove them out!” Danilo Pérez instructs musicians as a means of dealing with societal and political problems faced by the world today. “They mess with the groove that we create,” adds the Panama-born, Grammy-winning pianist, composer and educator, who will be performing in New Orleans twice this week.

Pérez, master pianist as a leader, sideman and member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, is also the founder of the Panama ...