Jazzin’ up August in Arya Plaza
Here’s the best kept secret in town for you to know. There’s a hub of good food, fine wine and spirits, and all that jazz in Manila’s swanky business and lifestyle district, and that’s in Arya Plaza along McKinley Parkway in BGC. The Arya Plaza is a destination dining haven featuring carefully curated restaurants such as Arroz Ecija, Basil, Fukudaya, Foundry by Smith Butcher, and Lemuria. This nook is away from the maddening bustle of the city, plus it has ample guest parking. A rarity these days, don’t you agree? This August, the weekly musical rendezvous continues with Arya Rhythms happening every Friday evening. Someone once remarked, this fare reminded him of somewhere in Europe – nice crowd, laidback vibe, and a great al fresco venue. We don’t charge entrance fees to these events, if you may wish to take note of that. Area One will play the best of The Beatles on August 4. The group is composed of seasoned musicians and performers led by John Lesaca, together with Cash Manalang, and direk Bert de Leon. This is the group’s encore at the Arya Plaza, because the crowd can’t just get enough of them. Johnny Alegre will perform side by side with Chillitees on August 11. Of course, Johnny needs no further introduction as he is very well known in the musiclandia as one of the most prominent Filipino jazz guitarists and composers. Chillitees, featuring Dan Gil and Uela Basco, on the other hand is taking the center stage with their signature urban and soulful vibe in lyrical Tagalog. Big band The Executive Band will play their big band music on August 18. This group is composed of heavyweights – founded by then Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus in 1957, now led by his son, Francis – The Executive Band is a band of corporate bigwigs a.k.a the executives. In celebration of National Heroes Day, all Filipino jazz stars will rule the stage on August 25. It will be a powerhouse OPM jazz performance with Henry Katindig, Colby de la Calzada, Jun Viray, Jong Cuenco, Sandra Lim - Viray, Megan Herrera, Jeanie Tiongco, and Sandra Lim - Viray in the limelight. They’re all Arya favorites and for sure, this gang is up to a great night of music and entertainment! To reserve a table for dinner during these live jazz nights, please call 0917 585 8708. Performance nights run from 7pm – 10pm 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 entrance to Arya Plaza and to the basement parking to your left.