IT’S BEEN five years since we sort of wandered back to “I Am Iloilo City” although we never thought of actually migrating. We’re here on a semi-permanent situation and do spend most of our time here.
We used to go back to Manila every month when we first started living here then it became every other month. Nowadays it dwindled down to at least twice a year.
So far things are looking good. “I Am Iloilo City” is living up to its billing as the “most livable city.” Iloilo Nuevo is really something, a showcase of progress that is well planned.
If Panay Electric Co. (PECO) can only bring down electric rates, eliminate frequent power interruptions, and add to that good customer service (but if they’re not up to it then maybe MORE Electric and Power Corp. or MORE Power can), then life in “I Am Iloilo City” would be just lovely.
Culture and arts has already levelled up long before Mayor Geronimo made “level up” his political mantra, what with museums of modern and traditional art and the country’s only economic history museum.
Music-wise, it’s “almost there” but not quite with the 1st Iloilo Jazz Festival this coming August. It’s a start but what “I Am Iloilo City” needs is a world-class music festival akin to the Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival in Mindoro and Fête de la Musique in Manila.
Living and embracing life in Manila for almost three decades brings with it a lot of memories, a few you’d rather place in the dustbin of memories you wish to forget while most evokes fondness and a smile.
Fête de la Musique is one of those fond memories that never fail to bring a smile on this ageing hippie’s bearded face.
For the uninitiated, from that free online encyclopedia a.k.a. the internet:
Fête de la Musique, also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration that takes place on June 21. On Music Day the citizens of a city or country are allowed and urged to play music outside in their neighborhoods or in public spaces and parks. Free concerts are also organized, where musicians play for fun and not for payment.
The first all-day musical celebration on the day of the summer solstice was originated by Jack Lang, Minister of Culture of France, as well as by Maurice Fleuret; it was celebrated in Paris in 1982. Music Day later became celebrated in 120 countries around the world.
Fête de la Musique’s purpose is to promote music in two ways:
* Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets, under the slogan “Faites de la musique” (“Make music”), a homophone of Fête de la Musique.
* Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public. Two of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organization in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and all performers donate their time free of charge. This is true of most participating cities as well.
Take note that the music in these mentioned music festivals are progressive, sometimes avant-garde; not the usual garbage the millennials listen and refer to as “music”.
The first Fête de la Musique in the Philippines wasstaged in the mid-1990s and it was in Malate which was then the hip place to be, with its bohemian bars and ambiance.
The music was blues, jazz, rock and eclectic ethnic fusion performed by musicians in different stages. We didn’t know that we attended the very first staging of Fête de la Musique and it was like an intimate street party.
It was a gathering of ageing hippies, post-modern hippies, writers/artists and just about anybody who thinks he’s some kind of avant-garde performance artist.
We’d be having beer and conversation with Grace Nono, Bayang Barrios, Joey Ayala, Bob Aves, Binky Lampano then they’ll excuse themselves go up the stage and perform a few sets then come back to their beers and our conversation.
Yup, it was that hip and intimate. Every year Fête de la Musique was always staged in Malate and we’d always attend till it was first moved to The Fort in Bonifacio Global City or BGC then Makati where it sort of stayed.
From www.lonelyplanet.com ;
Alliance Française organizes this celebration of music annually on a Saturday in mid-June in Makati, with two main stages and more than 30 themed (reggae, blues, punk, etc.) ‘pocket’ stages hosted by the best bars in Población and elsewhere. Truly a smorgasbord for music lovers.
The following weekend sees smaller ‘fetes’ take place in Intramuros and in Puerto Princesa (Palawan) and Baguio.
And finally excerpts from a June 29 2019 news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/music/ story:
These unique setups can be traced to Fete’s artistic mission, which wasn’t just to promote French culture or merely throw big street parties. It was, to some degree, designed to lift the artistic sensibility of the local communities.
The interesting thing about the Fete, which is never stated, is it wants to promote all forms of music. For that reason, they don’t emphasize mainstream pop music. It rarely is featured at the Fete. They really looked for alternative bands, why promote mainstream pop music? It’s already promoted./PN
