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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

group originating from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It is led by self-taught Philippine guitarist-composer Johnny Alegre, 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 Cons ...

. The ensemble first gathered in May 2002 at

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

’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”, with a power trio at its core. For the remainder of the year, the group emerged in various guises and personnel variations, composed of 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 city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

-based jazz specialty label, Candid Records (UK). 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

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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 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 (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

Jazz Festival celebrating its Foundation Day; and the 2nd

Jazz Festival. In 2005, through critical support matched by impressive album sales, Candid Records ushered the Manila “jazz superband” through a tour of stellar performances (highlighted by a formal launch at the famed Ayala Museum), capped by two groundbreaking performances at London's

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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.

Nominations

Awards

Conferred on Johnny Alegre as leader

Discography

Videography

References

External links

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Candid Records Artist roster

Johnny Alegre AFFINITY on SpotifyJohnny Alegre AFFINITY on DiscogsJohnny Alegre AFFINITY on Asian Rock RisingJohnny Alegre AFFINITY deluxe edition on Amazon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnny Alegre Candid Records artists Filipino jazz ensembles Musical groups established in 2002 Musical groups from Metro Manila