Just let the music flow

Remember Woodstock? In 1969, the music festival called The Woodstock Music and Art Fair drew more than 450,000 people. And for four days, from Aug. 15 to 18, music ruled.

Woodstock happened in an era where love was free and sharing, communing and "peace not war" were the buzz words. The biggest music stars were featured and the longest traffic jam occurred.

Nothing like that will ever happen again. The who’s who in music attended – from Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Tim Hardin, Incredible String Band, Ravi Shankar, Richie Havens, Sly and the Family Stone, Bert Sommer, Sweetwater, Quill, Canned Heat, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Keef Hartley Band, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Crosby, Stills & Nash (&Young), Santana, The Band, Ten Years After, Johnny Winter, Joe Cocker, Mountain, Melanie, Sha-Na-Na, John Sebastian, Country Joe and the Fish, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Grateful Dead.

Woodstock drew diverse crowds: gays and lesbians as well as anti-gays and lesbians, anti-war protesters, Vietnam war veterans, militants, anti- and pro-government advocates and plain music lovers.

Today, the memory of Woodstock lingers, becoming part of pop culture history.

In the tradition of Woodstock, the Philippines held its First International Jazz and Arts Festival. The festival, which started Jan. 20 with a street party at The Podium culminates at the Greenbelt Fountain today. The main event, however, took place simultaneously in the Airport Casino Filipino Amphitheater and on two stages at the Harbor Square CCP, with uninterrupted performances from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. the following day.

A wide selection of musical clinics and workshops, film showings, food booths, kiddie rides and bazaars showcasing crafts from various regions of the Philippines have been set up.

Kevyn Lettau and Deodato were two of the headliners in the two-night concert at the Airport Casino Filipino Ampitheater last Jan. 21 and 22. It was the first time the two jazz icons performed on stage. Others who performed at the Amphitheater were Sirocco, Charmaine Clamor and Verni Varga.

"Filipinos love music," Kevyn Lettau says. "The audiences are open and they’re soulful and they’re not afraid to show their feelings and they connect with us. That doesn’t happen everywhere. You’re a very musical country."

Kevyn was born in Boston and raised in Germany. At 15, she moved to San Diego where she put herself through high school by cleaning houses and singing on the streets of Del Mar.

She performed with local bands until she was discovered by Brazilian legend Sergio Mendes. The two spent the next eight years touring and recording, as Kevyn developed her own distinct vocal style – a fascinating blend of contemporary jazz and Brazilian sounds which brought her critical acclaim and earned her superstar status worldwide.

Kevyn has released several albums, including nine solo works, and collaborated with a variety of artists, from Christina Aguilera to Dionne Warwick. "I feel like music has to grow and change as I do the same. I hate to categorize my music as one style or another," she says. "My hope is just to make good music one song at a time!"

Eumir Deodato, on the other hand, is one of today’s most admired musical prodigies. He is hailed as "one of the most respected and sought-after musicians in the music world", racking up a total discography of over 450 albums, 16 platinum records and combined sales of over 25 million records in the US alone.

Eumir has composed arrangements for Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra. He also worked as session artist – playing the bass, guitar and keyboard for the St. Louis Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, the New York Philharmonic and many other orchestras.

Local jazz greats were featured at The Stage I at CCP Harbor Square, last Jan. 21 and 22, like Grace Nono and Bob Aves, the UP Jazz Ensemble, sax phenom Alvin Cornista, Nyko Maca, Swing-Reggae band, Brownbeat Allstars, jazz super-band Affinity, Brass Munkeys, to name a few. The Stage II, at the same venue, showcased Romy Posadas, Henry Katindig, Colby dela Calzada, Koko Bermejo, Mishka Adams, JunJun Regalado, Cynthia Alexander and many more.

You can still catch the festival highlights at Greenbelt, Makati tonight.

The First International Jazz and Arts Festival was mounted by The Jazz Society of the Philippines and The Department of Tourism.