Jazz may be an American invention, but its outreach to nations beyond the pond can be measured through history. On such occasion, the latest budding jazz scene comes to us from The Philippines, where colonizers smuggled the sounds into the country as far back as 1898.
But the major surge of jazz really occurred between the 1950s and '60s, which brought a talented canon of performers to light included Exequiel "Lito" Molina, Romy Katindig and Fred Robles.
The eclectic sum of musicians championed a new sound that sounded uniquely Filipino, taking from Filipino folk tunes and melodies and juxtaposing them with jazz sounds.
However, much like the underground scene of New York, or practically anywhere in the U.S., a similar fate plagued Filipino jazz musicians, who fell into obscurity and were forced to perform in hotel lobbies and dive bars; all because popular music stampeded the musical threshold.
Now, the nation is rediscovering its own section of jazz, featuring newcomers to genre and finding new places to claim the stage and set Philippine audiences on a path toward musical expression.
"Though jazz isn't mainstream, it definitely is alive and kicking in Manila," says Jireh Calo of the Jireh Calo Project, to Narratively.
She continued, "There are people around dedicated to keeping the true spirit of jazz alive. There's a sort of magic and excitement in the live jams I've witnessed and been a part of where musicians who don't necessarily know each can play together and create something spontaneous. And there are people who look for that magic and find it."
The excitement that comes with the scene introduces audiences not just to jazz form and performance, but it opens up a pathway for new fusion bands as well. Like The Brat Pack who combine a sonic aptitude of jazz with an even more American invention: the blues.
While jazz bars seem to be scarce, many establishments are welcoming bands to come play, opening up a world to blossom that isn't quite mainstream but can certainly hold popularity.
Continue on and keep the tunes coming. Jazz might be there to stay.
Not quite "Rats" but definitely "Brats." Check out The Brat Pack below.
