The Johnny Alegre AFFINITY is a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
group originating from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. It is led by self-taught Philippine guitarist-composer
Johnny Alegre
Juan Bautista H. Alegre III (born June 4, 1955), known professionally as Johnny Alegre, is a jazz guitarist and composer from Manila, Philippines. He leads the jazz group Johnny Alegre Affinity and the world music group Humanfolk.
Biography Ca ...
, together with bassist Colby de la Calzada, drummer Koko Bermejo, pianist Elhmir Saison and saxophonist
Tots Tolentino
Tots Tolentino (born on July 2, 1959) is a jazz musician from the Philippines.
Biography
Tots Tolentino's interest in jazz began at age 16 upon hearing recordings by Charlie Parker.
In 1977, he enrolled at the University of the Philippines Con ...
. The ensemble first gathered in May 2002 at
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
’s Pink Noise Studios for Alegre’s composition, “Stones of Intramuros”, for inclusion in the jazz anthology CD,
Adobo Jazz: A Portrait of the Filipino as a Jazz Artist, Vol. 1, and thereafter carried on as a working unit.
The band's first public appearance in October of the same year for the Adobo Jazz album launch at the Monk's Dream Jazz Bar heralded the AFFINITY's reputation – as described by aficionados in the ensuing reviews — as “Manila’s Jazz
Superband
''SuperBand'' () is a spin-off of '' Project SuperStar'', a popular singing talent-search competition in Singapore. Contestants are bands of 2 to 6 people.
To mark the opening of the first season, a special SuperBand Big Jam where all the 18 ba ...
”, with a power trio at its core. For the remainder of the year, the group emerged in various guises and personnel variations, manned by a who's who of luminaries from the Philippine jazz scene.
In 2003, the original quintet that recorded ''“Stones of Intramuros”'' returned to the studio to record new compositions by Alegre; followed by a succession of other dates leading to the release of the eponymous album, ''Johnny Alegre AFFINITY'', renamed ''Jazzhound'', by the
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
-based jazz specialty label,
Candid Records (UK)
Candid Records was a jazz record label first established in New York City.
Early Candid Records
The CANDID jazz label was founded in New York City in 1960 as a subsidiary of Cadence Records, owned by Archie Bleyer. The jazz writer and civil right ...
.
The band was prominently featured at the annual
Fête de la Musique
The Fête de la Musique, also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June. On Music Day, citizens and residents are urged to play music outside in their neighborho ...
and the
Korg
, founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, they ...
Music Festival. In November, the Johnny Alegre AFFINITY inaugurated their new compositions and arrangements before an enthusiastic jazz audience at the University of the Philippines Theatre, which was subsequently broadcast, live, on prime time over national television. This national debut performance was also issued as a DVD by the sponsoring
Upsilon Sigma Phi
The Upsilon Sigma Phi () is the oldest Greek-letter organization and fraternity in Asia. Founded in 1918, it is also the oldest student organization in continuous existence in the University of the Philippines. It has two chapters — a single ch ...
fraternity and had since been included in a historical documentary of Philippine Jazz, issued by the Jazz Society of the Philippines. In 2004, AFFINITY once again became the focal point of two major jazz concert events, the
Makati
Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.
Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
Jazz Festival celebrating its Foundation Day; and the 2nd
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
Jazz Festival.
In 2005, through critical support matched by impressive album sales, Candid Records ushered the Manila “jazz
superband
''SuperBand'' () is a spin-off of '' Project SuperStar'', a popular singing talent-search competition in Singapore. Contestants are bands of 2 to 6 people.
To mark the opening of the first season, a special SuperBand Big Jam where all the 18 ba ...
” through a tour of stellar performances (highlighted by a formal launch at the famed
Ayala Museum
The Ayala Museum is a museum in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is run privately by the Ayala Foundation and houses archaeological, ethnographic, historical, fine arts, numismatics, and ecclesiastical exhibits. Since its establishment in ...
), capped by two groundbreaking performances at London's
PizzaExpress
PizzaExpress is a British multinational restaurant group, owned by a group of bondholders. It has over 470 restaurants across the United Kingdom and 100 overseas in Europe, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, the Philippines, the Unit ...
Jazz Club. Their repeat performance in the 3rd Manila Jazz Festival was subsequently issued as a DVD by the Jewelmer Corporation.
A new Candid Records release, entitled ''Eastern Skies'', was launched in December 2007 featuring AFFINITY amidst big band and symphonic arrangements by orchestrator Ria Osorio featuring the music of Johnny Alegre with the Global Studio Orchestra, conducted by
Gerard Salonga
Gerard Imutan Salonga (born October 11, 1973) is a Filipino musical conductor, composer, and arranger. From 2012 to 2020, he was the music director of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, assistant conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra ...
.
Nominations
Awards
Conferred on Johnny Alegre as leader
Discography
Videography
References
External links
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Candid Records Artist rosterJohnny Alegre AFFINITY on SpotifyJohnny Alegre AFFINITY on DiscogsJohnny Alegre AFFINITY on Asian Rock RisingJohnny Alegre AFFINITY deluxe edition on Amazon
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Candid Records artists
Filipino jazz ensembles
Musical groups established in 2002
Musical groups from Metro Manila