Arthaland’s Arya Plaza to host jazz fest
SOME of the biggest names in Manila’s jazz circuit will conquer the Arya Plaza in Bonifacio Global City in a series of Friday gigs, dubbed Arya Rhythms – a part of the Philippine International Jazz and Arts Festival 2017.
The Arya Plaza is a dining haven along McKinley Parkway in BGC, part of the amenities associated with developer Arthaland’s Arya Residences condominium towers. Restaurants such as Foundry by Smith Butcher, Fukudaya, Arroz Ecija, and Basil can be found at Arya Plaza, among others.
The Jazz and Arts Festival 2017 will open on Friday, February 10 with Henry Katindig, a figurehead in the local jazz scene for the past three decades, band leader and first-call session artist. Henry will share the stage with Colby Calzada and Jun Viray. Colby’s musical experience spans more than three decades as a performer, arranger, composer, and musical director, performing on almost every continent of the world. Jun Viray is one of the foremost drummers in the Philippines and is co-founder and organizer of The Philippine International Jazz and Arts Festival.
On February 14, the Fil-French Duo Harmonique composed of Margarita and Thibault Momper will fill Valentine’s night with classical guitar tunes. Margarita started playing guitar at the age of 15. As one of the founders of the Triple Fret guitar ensemble, she attended master classes with Tomonori Arai, Alexis Vallejos, David Russel, Carlos Bonnell, Rafael Serrallet, Carsten Linck, Lester Demetillo, and other influential guitarists. Thibault, meanwhile, started playing at the age of 7 and completed his degrees in Classical Guitar and Music Theory, among others, at the Music Conservatory of Nancy. He perfected his classic guitar studies at the prestigious post-graduate Music Conservatory of Paris (Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris) taking part in Roland Dyens and Jean-Marc Zvellereuther’s classes and graduated with highest distinction. His resume includes several international prizes including those earned in Italy, England, and France.
It’s all about guitar, bass, and drums on February 17 as Rey Infante, Johnny Gaerlan, and Jay Cummings conquer the Arya Plaza with their signature rhythm and beats. Guitarist Rey Infante, whose strings inspiration come from Joe Pass and George Benson, has performed on international stages from Japan, Indonesia, China, Thailand to Dubai. Bassist Johnny Gaerlan is back in Manila after 30 years in Singapore, and American drummer Jay Cummings was formerly with Stan Kenton’s band.
February 24 will feature the Royal Hartigan Trio. The ensemble members have lived, played and toured throughout Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Asia, including four tours of China as featured ensemble at the renowned Beijing Midi Jazz Festival.
To reserve a table for dinner during these live jazz nights, please call 0917 585 8708. Performance nights run from 6:30 pm to 9 pm only. To get to The Arya Plaza from Makati, take McKinley Road straight to McKinley Parkway (just go straight after the first traffic light) where you will have a view of Arya Residences. Turn right at the first corner (Rizal Drive) where you will see the parking entrance to your left. Parking is free for Arya Plaza guests.