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AFFINITY with CANDID RECORDS

February 2, 2006

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Candid Records Philippines Corp., the Manila subsidiary of the independent jazz record label based in the UK, announces the addition of the Johnny Alegre AFFINITY to its prestigious roster of jazz artists, with a self-titled first album. The inclusion of the Johnny Alegre AFFINITY establishes Candid Records’ presence in Manila as the premiere jazz record exponent of the country and, perhaps, of the Far East.

Lauded by a Business World feature article as "Manila’s jazz superband", the AFFINITY, featuring alto saxophonist Tots Tolentino, pianist Elhmir Saison, bassist Colby de la Calazada, and drummer Koko Bermejo, is documented in a stellar collaboration. The Candid label originated in New York in the 1960s when Archie Bleyer, owner of the Cadence Label and producer/writer Nat Hentoff, indulged their passion for jazz music with their own jazz line, with recordings by Charles Mingus, Abbey Lincoln, Steve Lacy, Charlie Mariano, Max Roach and other jazz musicians regarded today as legends.

Alan Bates, the CEO of Candid-UK, observes "there is an amazing amount of wonderful talents to be heard far and wide in the jazz world." Candid’s contemporary artists in the UK include Stacey Kent, Jacqui Dankworth, Kyle Eastwood and Jamie Cullum. 

Posted by affinity at 5:34 pm | permalink | comments[5]

Some personal tidbits from JA :)

 

Q. Some insights into your musical origins: How do you describe your style? Is it something you created deliberately, or did it just occur? How did you get started in music? What elements got you interested in the art form called jazz? Who were your mentors? What are your realizations now that you're in the thick of it? 

A. This calls for an excerpt straight off of the Johnny A. website. Here goes!

I play improvisational guitar, the style where you deliberately step out of what you usually do, into a state where you discover problems, clues, pathways and new possibilities. I am constantly engaged with artistic issues, regarding time, articulation, the shaping of notes and harmonies and all the growing pains a creative artist must deal with. My childhood home had abundant amounts of vinyl strewn about, and I remember hearing exciting music as far back as I can remember, such as 50s Elvis Sun and RCA Records, Frank Sinatra in his Capitol years, and later being absorbed into the 60s milieu of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Cream and the advent of British Blues, Carlos Santana and Woodstock, and the venerable B.B. King. I also used to go to the Thomas Jefferson Library of the United States Information Service, where I borrowed records by Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. As my listening habits evolved, I discovered Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ella Fitzgerald, Claus Ogerman, Stan Getz, Stevie Wonder, Ravi Shankar, entire institutions of 70s jazz eclecticism like Circle, the early RTF, Weather Report, Lifetime and Mahavishnu, Keith Jarrett, Mwandishi, Headhunters, ECM, and so forth. A very large bag indeed, or so I imagined. But the most influential turning points happened sometime in my freshman year in college, when I "discovered" for myself the albums "A Love Supreme" by John Coltrane and "In A Silent Way" by Miles Davis, which permanently changed the way I wanted to learn and play music. I'm constantly involved with all manner of musical searching; but those two main cats are enduring inspirations and guideposts.

Much of my jazz playing today is self-taught which I've learnt, as any language, by assimilation and iteration; by listening to recordings and live performances, being blown away, woodshedding, deriving personal conclusions. I've had the privilege of studying with jazz educators like Dr. Joseph Howard and the late Prof. Fred Robles in the University of the Philippines. There, I also attended workshops with visiting dignitaries such as Stephane Grappelli's guitarist, Ike Isaacs (he's also the guitarist on the original version of "Cry Me A River" by Julie London); as well as the musicologist Erhard Karkoshka from whom I learned the concept of group improvisation, and the composer-scholar Chou Wen-Chung (also the literary executor of the late, great Edgard Varese). And then, I derive a great deal from the gifted musicians in my country whom I work with. For me, each gig on stage and in the recording booth is a lesson that works towards my own growth as an artist. Every note I flub tells me I'm on to something, just as valuable as every inspired note taking me where I want to go. That's the mysticism and liberation of jazz, as profound as it can be.

Posted by affinity at 5:33 pm | permalink | comments[4]

AFFINITY : A Capsule History

February 1, 2006

 

 

A capsule history of the band

The Johnny Alegre AFFINITY began as an ensemble that gathered in Manila’s Pink Noise Studios for guitarist Johnny Alegre’s composition, “Stones of Intramuros” in May of 2002. The opus, included in the jazz anthology CD, Adobo Jazz Vol. 1, was a mesh of artistic, technical and communal creativity between the composer and his allies, bassist Colby de la Calzada, drummer Koko Bermejo, pianist Elhmir Saison and saxophonist Tots Tolentino.

The band’s first public appearance (comprised of Alegre, Bermejo and the 6-string electric bassist, Jerri de Leon) 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 proclaimed 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 continually re-emerged, augmented by a who’s who of luminaries from the Philippine jazz firmament.

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”, by the UK-based jazz specialty label, Candid Records. 

 In 2003, the band was prominently featured at the annual Fete de la Musique (sponsored by the Alliance Francaise) and the Korg Music Festival. In November, the Johnny Alegre AFFINITY inaugurated their new compositions and arrangements before an astonished, conservative yet enthusiastic, jazz audience at the University of the Philippines Theatre, which was subsequently broadcast, prime time, on national television. In 2004, the group again became the focal point of two major jazz concert events, the Makati (central business district) Jazz Festival celebrating its Foundation Day; and the 2nd Jewelmer Jazz Festival (sponsored by Jewelmer and Air France).
 
In 2005, amidst critical praise, and an astonishing volume of sales for a hardcore jazz instrumental album, Candid Records ushered the “jazz superband” through a promotional tour, leading to an illustrious gala performance at the famed Ayala Museum, and followed by two groundbreaking performances at London’s PizzaExpress Jazz Club.

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