The gentlemen of ‘jazzipino’

Saxmen Michael Paulo, Ner de Leon and friends play with Filipino soul

BY LINDA CHIAVAROLI

The Ford Amphitheatre has a rich history of jazz.     In the 1960s and 70s it was a nexus for West Coast creative jazz, a destination for many "cool" jazz artists such as Art Pepper, Mundell Lowe and Chico Hamilton. From 1995 to 2006 the Hollywood Arts Council staged Jazz Pilgrimage concerts honoring musicians including Lalo Schifrin, Poncho Sanchez and Alex Acuna. On September 11 a new chapter   will be added: for the first time, some of the best Filipino-American male jazz artists are featured together in a show at a major venue in Los Angeles.

“Jazzmopolitan: Filipino Gentlemen of Jazz,” is the brainchild of producers Ted Benito and Rex Sampaga. The concert features Mon David, Michael Paulo, Ner de Leon, Tateng Katindig, Rafael “Raffy” Lopez and Abe Lagrimas Jr.

Of the group, Paulo is probably the most well known, having shared the stage with many jazz names, most notably as Al Jarreau’s sax man for more than a decade. But his inclusion in this group stems from his hybridizing Filipino influences with jazz. Producer Benito calls this fusion ‘jazzipino,’ or the merging of Filipino language, music and instrumentation with jazz.

Filipino culture is deeply musical and jazz has in fact been part of it since the art form’s earliest days. “When jazz developed, the Philippines was the most American-influenced country in Asia,” says co-producer Sampaga. “So jazz made its way over and grew in the Philippines itself, which is quite amazing.”

In a recent interview with the “Gentlemen” in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Paulo observed, “Filipino musicians have a lot of soul as their black musician counterparts in the US. That is why I have had so much success playing jazz and R&B in the US. The audiences relate to how I play with Filipino soul.”

Vocalist Mon David, winner of the 2006 London International Vocal Competition, often merges Tagalog words into his repertoire. “Mon has done a Tagalog version of ‘Desafinado,’ which is of course normally in Portguese,” says Benito.

Filipino love songs called “kundimans” have had their influence. One of the most well known, “Because of You,” was picked up by American GIs in the Philippines during World War II and performed by Nat King Cole when he made his first appearance in Manila. Saxophonist Ner de Leon and pianist Tateng Katindig will drop bars from these songs into their stylings.

Ner noted in the interview for Philippine Daily Inquirer, “We bring our own, unique interpretation of traditional rhythms, Western music and contemporary jazz melodies and integrate them with beats and harmonies that are intrinsic to Filipino music.” Says Benito, “When I listen to Tateng play ‘My Funny Valentine,’ “I hear kulintang (gong-chime instrument of southeast Asia) in the background.”

Saxophonist Ner de Leon

Guitarist Raffy Lopez specializes in Brazilian jazz, which you might not immediately connect with Filipino culture, but, as he points out in the Inquirer interview, “This music genre is embedded in the DNA of the Filipino. As a result of our colonization by the Spanish, the influence of Latin jazz is prevalent in all aspects of our musical culture as a people.”

The concert will benefit Filipino history as part of the proceeds will go to the Filipino American Library. “The younger generation needs to know Fil-Am history and the contributions Filipinos have made in L.A. and the United States,” says Sampaga. “The library is that central resource they can go to.”

Benito and Sampaga first produced “Filipino Gentlemen of Jazz” on a smaller scale two years ago. “Let’s hope – knock on wood – this show goes well,” says Benito. “Then maybe next summer we can do the Filipino Women of Jazz at the Ford.”

Linda Chiavaroli, Director of Communications for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission/Ford Theatres, has worked in marketing and pr for dance companies, orchestras, individual artists and arts centers, and as a journalist covering the performing arts.

For more information about this featured event, click here.

To view other Jazz performances at the Ford, click here.

Visit the Filipino American Library Web Site.

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