Two months after the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) broke out, American musicians Brian Simpson and Jackiem Joyner performed at the 11th Bacolod Jazz Festival in L’Fisher Hotel (Feb. 21) and at Strumm’s Makati (Feb. 24). I missed their Bacolod show, but the one at Strumm’s, which drew a full-house audience of music enthusiasts, including Filipino artists, was remarkable for demonstrating the dynamism and vitality of contemporary jazz or what some quarters like to call smooth jazz, a term that first caught on in the 1980s.
Specific genres aside, what was evident that night was Simpson’s and Joyner’s excellence on the keyboards and saxophone, respectively. Simpson played the keys like a child having fun with his favorite toy, while Joyner handled his horn like an NBA star player. The rest of the band, composed of guitarist Joey Puyat, bassist Julius Lopez and drummer Otep Concepcion, shone on their own merits—especially Puyat, whose cool demeanor contrasted with the fiery licks he coaxed from his axe.
Among my companions, 20-year-old drummer Kahlil Durias was visibly transfixed by the joyful noise onstage. When the show ended, she said it was one of the best live performances she had seen in recent years.
Multilineup
A week later, Durias would be awed by another notable event, the 10th Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival, held Feb. 29 and March 1 at La Mesa Eco Park in Quezon City. Durias, her two aunts and I attended the March 1 edition, which featured five international acts and four Filipino bands.
The significance of Malasimbo as a multilineup concert was that its roster of performers, while not as well-known by the average pop or rock fan, defined the essence of world-class musicality. Hawaii-born Mike Love, playing solo after a full-band setup on the first night, summoned the spiritual energy of reggae with aplomb. The keyboards-driven Anomalie, led by Canadian Nicolas Dupuis, pumped out jazz-funk grooves.
Rhythm Masala’s African, Brazilian and Latin drum beats bordered on hypnosis. Colombian keyboardist Jesus Molina, saxophonist Rafael Suncar, drummer Euán Leslee and bassist Guy Bernfeld blurred the boundaries of traditional and modern jazz with exuberance.
The festive vibe of Cory Henry and the Funky Apostles capped the night, but to me, the band Yosha stole the show with its heavy dose of jazz fusion with Pinoy sentiments. Opening with its own cosmic version of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” the quartet, composed of lead singer Yosha Amaranto Honasan, bassist Karel Honasan, keyboardist Nikko Rivera and drummer Michael Alba took the audience on a journey of intense interplay, anchored by the ingenuous rhythms of Alba, who’s probably the Philippines’ best drummer today.
These were the last two great gigs I saw before the lockdown in Metro Manila takes effect for a month starting today, March 15, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Strumm’s management has decided to close for the duration of the lockdown. It would be exciting to hear what the promoters of Malasimbo will present next year.
