30 April is International Jazz Day, and this year Phil Javelle, of Ask Events, has again put on a spread of events through until the day itself on Tuesday. He sat down with Leng Pleng to outline this year’s line up.
“I try to make it different every year,” says Phil. “The first year was big picture: all the jazz artists in Phnom Penh. The second year was more dedicated to Khmer musicians, and smaller venues. This year all the featured artists are coming from Vietnam. People know Singapore is good, Thailand has jazz festivals, Indonesia has a lot of events, but I’m not sure they know that much about Vietnamese musicians – and they are really good.
Key visitors include David Valdez, Tri Pham, David Ponce and Alissa Amouage. “David is American who now lives in Danang; he does a lot of jazz workshops and concerts. And he is bringing a guitar player, Tri Pham. We also have a new trumpet player in Phnom Penh, Cameron Smith, who has been playing around already. I think it’s a great opportunity to bring these people together, and for us in Cambodia, and the Cambodian musicians – jazz or pop, it doesn’t matter – to get in touch with artists in Vietnam and other countries and start to make exchanges.” Other locally based musicians involved include Nestor Garcia Joa, Diego Dimarques, Gunter Hofmans, Leandro Fonseca and Darvel.
Something else new this year is getting out of Phnom Penh. “I really wanted to bring the IJD festival to Siem Reap this time. We have three events in Siem Reap and three in Phnom Penh. It’s a risk, because the audience in Siem Reap is not large. I got some help this year from Soundskool – they are doing a great job as a music school. They want to give people a bit more culture and music. So we have a family package where the kids can go for free – if they come with ten neighbourhood kids I don’t care. At the Kantha Bopha auditorium we have 600 seats, so bring the kids! Also David will run a small saxophone masterclass for Soundskool students in Siem Reap. I think the saxophone, like guitar, you can start to play without really needing to learn all the music theory, you can start to blow in the sax, having the pleasure to play. It’s a very accessible instrument – it’s not as expensive as a piano or a violin.”
The Latin Cannonball leading off the weekend is a project put together by David Valdez eight years ago for the Portland Jazz Festival, based mostly on one album by alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Cannonball’s Bossa Nova, recorded in 1962 with a band led by Sergio Mendez. “It sounds like a kind of weird LA Latin studio orchestra,” says David, “which reminds you of watching a 60s romantic comedy, or an Italian movie or something. It’s kind of silly and fun, a little corny. But the music is all really accessible and nice. Most of it is bossa nova, Brazilian, and we’ve added some Afro-Cuban from some of his other albums. Some suits in the record company said how can we cash in on this bossa nova trend? Let’s try Cannonball. Who’s the most popular Brazilian? And they did that for a while, a lot of jazz musicians made these bossa nova albums.
“Halfway in between a swinging soul jazz and the Brazilian thing that he didn’t really even know how to do. But for me – I grew up with Cannonball, he’s one of my main influences. And I had to unlearn Cannonball, I felt I had to play less like him, not have that sound in my head all the time. There’s certain distinct things about his phrasing – not even patterns. Then when I did this Cannonball concept – and I’m right back, he pulled me back, his weird vibrato… So I’m trying to sound a little bit like him.”
“We are not making it long, super-long solos or whatever,” says Phil. “We are making it a bit formatted, so that it’s really accessible, and to young people as well.”
Friday: Latin Cannonball feat. David Valdez plus Limóntuno at Raffles Le Royal
Saturday: Latin Cannonball feat. David Valdez plus Limóntuno at Kantha Bopha Auditorium (Siem Reap)
Sunday: saxophone masterclass with David Valdez at Soundskool (Siem Reap)
Sunday: David Ponce feat. Gunter Hofmans, Phil Javelle & David Valdez at Wake Park Cambodia (Siem Reap)
Monday: David Ponce feat. Nestor Garcia Joa & David Valdez, Despacito Latin and Jazz Club – note ticketed event
Monday: Diego Dimarqués & Los Gipsy Cambos, Barcode (Siem Reap)
Tuesday: Alissa Amouage feat. Phil Javelle plus International Jazz Day Jam Session at Despacito Latin and Jazz Club