Fil-Am Jazz Festivals in Los Angeles and New York

Generations of Pinoy Jazz: Lifetime Achievement Awardees and Talent Search Winner at Fil-Am Jazz Fest – Eddie Katindig and Annie Brazil to Be Honored
5th Annual Fil-Am Jazz Fest in Los Angeles December 4-5
First Fil-Am Jazz Fest Comes to New York on December 11-12

November 22, 2009. Los Angeles. Pinoy jazz talent stretching across five decades will converge on December 4 & 5 (Friday & Saturday), when the greatest Filipino jazz musicians in the world will appear on one stage at the 5th Annual Los Angeles Fil-Am Jazz Festival at Catalina Bar & Grill Jazz Club in Hollywood.

2009 Lifetime Achievement Awardee, Eddie Katindig

The legendary Eddie Katindig, also known as “Eddie K,” will make his first appearance in America since 2003. Equally proficient on saxophone and vibraphone, Eddie K is the 2009 recipient of JazzPhil-USA’s highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Pinoy Jazz.

One week later in New York City at the inaugural New York Fil-Am Jazz Fest on December 11 & 12 (Friday & Saturday), Eddie K will be joined by fellow 2009 Lifetime Achievement Awardee, Annie Brazil.

The Grand Lady of Pinoy Jazz, Annie Brazil started singing at six. By age 12, she was performing for American servicemen detailed at the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga, Philippines. At 15, she was a front liner at Jimmy’s Night Club along Dewey (now Roxas) Boulevard. At 20, she clinched a contract to perform in Okinawa, where her older sister also worked as a singer.

2009 Lifetime Achievement Awardee in Pinoy Jazz, Ms. Annie Brazil

For more than six decades, Annie Brazil, tagged as Asia’s Queen of Jazz, has made music her life. “I never gave up jazz for any type of music,” declares Brazil. “I believe there is always a place for jazz even if pop was the more popular choice. There will always be people who will appreciate jazz.”

Brazil was lured to Jazz by listening to male singers like Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Van Monroe. Subsequently, she developed her own style of singing that has earned comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Margaret Whiting.

In 1969, she performed with Duke Ellington in a jazz concert in Bangkok that featured Lionel Hampton and Ellis Marsalis, father of Wynton. In 1989, she received the “City Jazz Hall of Fame” given by the Philippine New Age and Jazz Music Society. Brazil received lifetime achievement honors at the 20th Aliw Awards, where she earlier became a Hall of Fame awardee.

“An active life is the key to staying young,” Brazil maintains. “You age if you remain inactive. But in my case, I am an enigma as a singer. I enjoyed every place I performed in, be it a small night club or a big stage. With experience, you get the true emotion of the song as though the source of both pain and joy is there again for you to live through.”

On December 11 (Friday), audiences will witness in person the magic that has made Annie Brazil an inspiration to younger generation of Pinay singers.

Eddie K and Annie Brazil have left a lasting legacy in Pinoy Jazz. Others, of course, are just starting out. On hand for the 5th Annual Fil-Am Jazz Fest in Los Angeles will be 2009 Talent Search Winner Eric Baul.

Eric Baul, 2009 JazzPhil-USA Talent Search winner

Selected by a panel of JazzPhil-USA judges during open auditions this summer, vocalist Baul will make his debut at Catalina Bar & Grill Jazz Club on December 4 (Friday). Singing jazz for just a few years, Baul has been coached by Jazz Fest headliner Mon David, who many consider the finest Pinoy jazz vocalists alive today. Eric Baul will sing in both English and Tagalog, backed by an all-star trio.

Other Fil-Am Jazz Fest headliners include Sandra Viray, Abe Lagrimas, and the Queen of Jazzipino Charmaine Clamor.

The First New York Filipino-American Jazz Festival and the 5th Annual Los Angeles Filipino-American Jazz Festival is presented by JazzPhil-USA, a nonprofit organization based in Southern California.

What: LA’s 5th Annual Filipino-American Jazz Festival
When: December 4-5 (Friday-Saturday); 8PM
Where: Catalina Bar & Grill Jazz Club, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028
How Much: $25 + two-drink minimum
Tickets and More Info: www.Jazzphil-USA.com

What: New York’s First 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

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