December 2009. Los Angeles - They sold out Hollywood’s famous Catalina Bar & Grill Jazz Club. Now they’re coming to New York!
The brightest stars in Pinoy Jazz played to packed houses and brought the house down in Los Angeles at the 5th Annual Fil-Am Jazz Fest, December 4-5. This Saturday and Sunday, December 11-12, the Pilipino All-Stars will perform together at the Triad Theater, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, at 158 W. 72nd Street (at Broadway). There is only one show each night at 9:30PM, so tickets will be scarce.
In addition to Manila’s jazz diva, Sandra Viray, scheduled artists include instrumental virtuosos Tateng Katindig (piano) and Abe Lagrimas (ukulele, vibes, and drums). On Friday, December 11, Annie Brazil will receive the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor in Pinoy Jazz.
The Festival is headlined by two extraordinary Pinoy vocal talents. In 2007, Charmaine Clamor made Pilipino music history. Her album, “Flippin’ Out,” became the first and only record by a Pinoy artist to make the Top-5 on the American Jazz radio chart. The record did the same thing on the World Music radio chart. Never before had mainstream American jazz listeners heard Tagalog-language songs on the airwaves.
Now, with Clamor leading the way, Pinoy jazz artists are being played regularly on American jazz radio, reaching countless new listeners and putting Pilipino Jazz on the cultural map.
Pinoy Vocal King Mon David is a Fil-Am Jazz Fest headliner. Credit: Ned Vizmanos, CNNV, Inc.
Making his NYC debut is Mon David, whose current FreeHam Records album, “Coming True,” is presently on radio playlists around the United States. David’s spectacular vocal prowess is recognized in the December issue of Jazz Times magazine, which said, “Every once in a rare while a singer arrives clear out of the blue and knocks you out. Such a revelation is Mon David.
At the New York City Fil-Am Jazz Fest on December 12, one of the rising stars on the international jazz scene, saxophonist Jon Irabagon, will be making a special appearance. He is the first and only Pinoy to win the most prestigious prize in all of jazz, the Thelonious Monk Competition – and he is 100% proudly Pinoy. In addition to a $25,000 prize, Irabagon’s victory earned him a recording contract with one of America’s top jazz labels, Concord Records. His debut album with Concord, entitled “The Observer,” is presently on the Top-50 of the national jazz radio charts and climbing fast. In New York, Irabagon will be backed by an all-star Pinoy Trio of Tateng Katindig (piano), Derek Neivergelt (bass), and Abe Lagrimas (drums).
Jon Irabagon, Pinoy Champion of the Monk Competition, performing at NYC Fil-Am Jazz Fest.
The Inaugural New York Filipino-American Jazz Festival is presented by JazzPhil-USA, a nonprofit organization based in Southern California. The Festival is sponsored by ABS-CBN, Asian Journal, The Law Offices of Atty. Jemela Nettles, Tribune-USA / The Law Offices of David Zuckerman, CENSUS 2010, Estela Cottle Skin Care Clinic, Bradford Renaissance Portraits, CSB Hotel, and Hydee Abrahan Photography.
What: New York’s Inaugural Filipino-American Jazz Festival
When: December 11-12 (Friday-Saturday); 9:30PM
Where: Triad Theater, 158 w. 72nd Street, NY, NY 10023
How Much: $30 + two-drink minimum
Tickets and More Info: www.Jazzphil-USA.com; 323/521-3588
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