Music review: Filipino and Japanese musical artistry and all that jazz

 

The festival, now in its second year, jazzed up Manila last Friday night with performances by a dream collaboration of jazz stars from the Philippines and Japan. Heading the stellar line-up is Filipina performer Charito, who launched her career in Japan in the '90s and is now a prominent figure in the jazz community, with internationally released records and global performances. It was Charito who founded the festival last year and debuted it successfully in Tokyo in May 2012. She conceptualized the event to act as a “musical bridge between two cultures.” The show is just the highlight, as the event also includes free workshops and lectures. Joining her last Friday were Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Ozone and Japanese instrumentalists Kengo Nakamura, Yuki Arimasa and Hiroshi Murakami. The AMP Big Band (Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino) and Filipino folk singer-composer Noel Cabangon added an interesting twist to the line-up. Charito performed original songs which showcased her jazz prowess, the buoyant audience responding to her jive. It was, however, her duet with Cabangon that captivated the crowd the most. The duo performed a jazz adaptation of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" and the Beatles' "In My Life." Not to be outdone, the Japanese performers displayed their own artistry to impress the audience. An improvised piece by Japanese pianist Ozone garnered generous applause. Event guest Ronald Arguelles, who confessed that he is more inclined to pop music, found himself pleasantly surprised with the show. "They were able to make jazz accessible and relateable even to people like me who wouldn’t normally listen to music of this type," he said. Overwhelmed by the audience’s response, the performers promised to make all succeeding festivals something people can look forward to. For founder Charito, the festival is "a dream come true, performing in my motherland." — BM, GMA News