Johnny Alegre
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| Johnny Alegre | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Juan B.H. Alegre III |
| Also known as | Johnny Alegre |
| Born | June 4, 1955 |
| Origin | Philippines |
| Genre(s) | jazz |
| Instrument(s) | electric guitar |
| Label(s) | Candid Records |
| Associated acts | U.P. Jazz Ensemble Johnny Alegre Affinity |
| Website | http://www.alegre.com.ph |
[edit] Background
Guitarist Juan B.H. Alegre III, aka Johnny Alegre (b. June 4, 1955), attended the University of the Philippines College of Music in the latter 1970s, where he studied composition and became a founding member of the U.P. Jazz Ensemble. He studied with the jazz educator, Dr. Joseph Howard, and participated in creative workshops conducted by musicologist-composer Erhard Karkoshka, guitarist Ike Isaacs and composer-scholar Chou Wen-chung.
Alegre was involved in scores of bands and studio recording sessions, spanning more than twenty years of Philippine jazz and popular music history and discography, both as a musician and record producer. In May of 2002, Johnny Alegre formed Manila's premier jazz group, the Johnny Alegre Affinity, with bassist Colby de la Calzada, drummer Koko Bermejo, pianist Elhmir Saison and saxophonist Tots Tolentino. Their first recorded work, "Stones Of Intramuros", written by Alegre, was included in the limited edition Philippine jazz anthology CD, Adobo Jazz Vol.1, which caught the attention of the jazz record company, Candid Records. Subsequently, the self-titled album, Johnny Alegre AFFINITY was released in the Philippines in mid-2005 and was re-released in the UK as Jazzhound, capped by two sold-out engagements in London's PizzaExpress Jazz Club with guest saxophonist, Dimitri Vassilakis.
As part of the ever-evolving cultural landscape in Asia-Pacific, Johnny Alegre’s musical projects contribute greatly to an emerging and vibrant jazz milieu. The greater part of 2006 and early 2007 engaged Alegre and AFFINITY before a large and ambitious work, Eastern Skies, an album of original compositions set to the symphonic backdrop of the Global Studio Orchestra conducted by Gerard Salonga. The project was released by Candid Records (Philippines) as the long-awaited response to the clamor from fans for even more innovative music from the Manila jazz "superband".
2007 also marked the New York sessions for yet another album, a breakthrough trio recording in which the guitarist-composer is joined by world-renowned American jazz musicians, Billy Hart (drums) and Ron McClure (bass).
[edit] Discography
2002 - Adobo Jazz Vol. 1 - one track ("Stones of Intramuros")
2003 - The Concert At Remedios Circle
2005 - Johnny Alegre AFFINITY (CAN-KC-5001) aka Jazzhound (CCD 79842) (in the UK)
2006 - Environmentally Sound [World Wildlife Fund benefit album] (ALI) - one track ("Jazzhound" [radio edit])
2008 - Eastern Skies (CAN-KC-5006)
