Fil-Am jazz artists to hold fest for History Month

Subla. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

SAN FRANCISCO – Filipino American jazz artists will celebrate Filipino American History Month with music.

The 7th Annual Festival will take place on October 10, 11 and 12 at the International Hotel Manilatown Center at 868 Kearny Street.

Florante Aguilar. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Jazz singer Lily Alunan and the Little Brown Brother band will open the Festival on Friday October 10 at 7 pm. A very popular vocalist in the San Francisco Bay Area with sold-out appearances at Yoshi’s Oakland and SF’s Razz Room, Alunan’s style and delivery has many influences including bossa nova, jazz standards, R&B, pop and songs in Tagalog and Spanish.

Lily Alunan. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Little Brown Brother’s music is best described as a soulful blend of jazz, blues and world music guaranteed to make the temperature rise. Their unique style has made them a crowd favorite wherever they perform.

Saturday, October 11 will feature Florante Aguilar and Joel Del Rosario. Aguilar champions Philippine music art forms in the USA and international markets. His arrangements and compositions successfully craft the right balance between respect and redefinition of a tradition.

Del Rosario’s music has elements of straight-ahead jazz, RB, classical and hip-hop influences. Often likened to the playing styles of George Benson and Norman Brown, Del Rosario gives tribute to the mellower side of jazz, but adds a youthful edge. Nominated for “Best Jazz Duet” (with keyboardist Surewill) at the 2012 Los Angeles Music Awards, Del Rosario or “jDR” has traveled nationwide, performing at various well-known jazz venues.

Raq Filipina. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The festival closes on Sunday October 12 with Raq Filipina and Subla. Raq Filipina’s music is a unique mix of Filipino roots with Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Caribbean sounds. Her latest CD “Filipina Roots,” produced by Greg Landau, forges a new direction in Filipino world music.

Subla, featuring Chris Trinidad, Frank Holder, Bo Razon and kulintang, saronay and dabakan Master Danny Kalanduyan, is a San Francisco-based group dedicated to combining the traditional gong music of the Maguindanao and Maranao peoples of the Southern Philippines with contemporary music and global music elements.

For more information: www.sfpinoyjazzfest.com