MANILA, Philippines—Veteran jazz guitarist Edgar “Koyang” Avenir was, according to his long-time band mate, bassist Colby dela Calzada, “an excellent musician, a rare type of artist who could play with anybody.”
Avenir died early Saturday morning of pneumonia arising from lung cancer. He was 61.
“Aside from his skills, he was a very generous musician,” recalled singer Zenaida Celdran, who personally took care of Avenir in the last few months of his life. Celdran pointed out that Avenir was always willing to help fellow artists who wanted to learn more about music.
Born on May 25, 1950, Avenir grew up in the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City.
“He was an Area One kid,” Dela Calzada said, referring to UP Diliman’s residential area for its faculty. “I think his dad was a UP professor. His neighbors then included Ed “Sarge” Cariño and John Lesaca, both of whom would later play with Avenir in various bands.
As a young guitarist Avenir played with the renowned jazz pianist and composer Bong Peñera, as well as the Sangkatutak Band, whose members included Cariño, Ivy Violan and Richard Merk.
Avenir and Dela Calzada performed together as session musicians for the Apo Hiking Society in the 1990s. “We also played at the North Sea Jazz Festival (in the Netherlands) in ’94,” Dela Calzada recalled.
Asked what made Avenir an outstanding musician, Dela Calzada said: “He knew how music theory works. He was a smart guy who liked to get to the bottom of things … He could play all kinds of music, from jazz to OPM to kundiman to the classics. And he could write good arrangements, like what he did for Mishka Adams in her albums.”
He was influenced by both foreign and local musicians, Celdran added. “But although he liked Pat Metheny a lot, he told me that he idolized a simple, Cebuano guy who was a mechanic in the UP campus and also made his own guitars.”
Before he was taken ill, Avenir was a regular performer with Celdran and Dela Calzada at La Cuisine Francaise in Makati. “He was still playing with us until August,” said Dela Calzada.
Avenir’s remains lie at the Loyola Memorial Chapels in Commonwealth, Quezon City.