"Enchanting Melodies on Native Instruments" was the phrase used to introduce the Ne Pomoceno Quartet to mid-western audiences in 1917. Nowadays, those words are ironic, considering that, outside of the International Expositions, Filipinos playing in clubs and chautauquas rarely played native instruments, although they did play Philippine adaptations of European string instruments. This website is dedicated to Filipino musicians in the United States, especially those "old-timers" who performed during the early 20th century. My father was one of them: he played in a band in New Orleans and other cities during the 1930s. My grandfather and granduncle played in the Philippine Constabulary Band in international expositions. Filipinos have been entertaining audiences with their music since at least the early 20th century. Considering that "Manilla Men" first began settling in the Louisiana territory during the 18th century, it's possible that Filipino musicians have been making music in the Americas since the 19th century or earlier. My aim for this website is to post information on these little-known and under-appreciated musicians, and update as often as possible. This is a labor of love. Thanks to the "Redpath Chautauqua Collection and Traveling Culture exhibit, Special Collections, University of Iowa for making some of this material (photographs and documents about Filipino musicians in the Chautauqua) available.
If you have information or photos of Filipino musicians or bands from the early to mid-20th century (1960s) and would like it posted on this site, contact me at okir2k@gmail.com.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
APPRECIATING FILIPINO JAZZ MUSICIANS
Music/Arts - Concert
Date: Saturday, April 3, 2010
Time: 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: San Francisco Main Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Designated by Congress and by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, Jazz Appreciation Month was launched in 2001 by the Smithsonian Institute as an annual event that pays tribute to jazz both as a historic and a living American art form. It has since grown to include celebrations in all 50 states and 40 countries.
Celebrate this uniquely American art form with a free afternoon concert in the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Main Public Library. Located in the lower level of the Main Library at 100 Larkin Street in San Francisco, the Koret Auditorium is an excellent facility to hear jazz as performed by Bay Area artists.
The artists featured will include vocalists Jo Canion, Kenny Washington, Anna Maria Flechero, and Ann Marie Santos along with renowned musicians Boy Palacio, Vince Gomez, Bo Razon, Melecio Magdaluyo, Danny Kalanduyan, and the jazz-fusion band Little Brown Brother .
Concerts at the SF Public Library are free to the piublic and everyone is welcome. This annual event is sponsored by the Filipino American and African American Centers at the San Francisco Main Public Library and by the San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization under the fiscal sponsorship of the Filipino American Historical Society, East Bay Chapter.
Music/Arts - Concert
Date: Saturday, April 3, 2010
Time: 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: San Francisco Main Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Designated by Congress and by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, Jazz Appreciation Month was launched in 2001 by the Smithsonian Institute as an annual event that pays tribute to jazz both as a historic and a living American art form. It has since grown to include celebrations in all 50 states and 40 countries.
Celebrate this uniquely American art form with a free afternoon concert in the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Main Public Library. Located in the lower level of the Main Library at 100 Larkin Street in San Francisco, the Koret Auditorium is an excellent facility to hear jazz as performed by Bay Area artists.
The artists featured will include vocalists Jo Canion, Kenny Washington, Anna Maria Flechero, and Ann Marie Santos along with renowned musicians Boy Palacio, Vince Gomez, Bo Razon, Melecio Magdaluyo, Danny Kalanduyan, and the jazz-fusion band Little Brown Brother .
Concerts at the SF Public Library are free to the piublic and everyone is welcome. This annual event is sponsored by the Filipino American and African American Centers at the San Francisco Main Public Library and by the San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization under the fiscal sponsorship of the Filipino American Historical Society, East Bay Chapter.
