Soul in the South: Discovering the Filipino Jazz Movement
by Daniel Finn
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Every month we take a deep dive into a specific genre, sound, or style. Through the lens of a playlist we compile some of the iconic and best artists to help understand and feel the roots and value of this music. This month we go deep into “Hope For Humanity – Pinoy Jazz”.
When you think of jazz, you picture New Orleans, New York… maybe Paris. The Philippines, though rarely mentioned, has its own rich and soulful jazz tradition. Filipino jazz history has long flown under the radar, yet it’s a vibrant thread in the tapestry of Southeast Asian music. Filipino jazz isn’t just a niche, it’s a movement.
Born in smoky Manila clubs and shaped by colonisation, migration, and world-class musical education, Filipino musicians didn’t just copy jazz, they absorbed it and transformed it. By the mid-20th century, Filipino bands were touring Asia, playing on U.S. military bases, and becoming the backbone of hotel and lounge scenes in Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Dubai. Why? Because they were that good. Tight harmonies, perfect timing, soulful improvisation. The musicianship was undeniable.
But Filipino jazz has even deeper roots, in the United States itself. As far back as the 1700s, Filipino sailors known as “Manilamen” settled in Louisiana, creating some of the first Asian-American communities in places like Saint Malo. There’s evidence they brought instruments, songs, and traditions that mingled with Creole and early jazz forms. They were quietly part of the rich musical gumbo that gave rise to jazz in the American South.
Back in the Philippines, jazz evolved into something deeply personal — a translation of global styles into local sound. You can hear it in the way a kundiman melody finds its way into a bebop solo, or in the swing of Tagalog phrasing laid over a classic jazz rhythm. It’s jazz, with a Filipino accent.
Today, that tradition is alive and evolving. Artists like Johnny Alegre, Mon David, Tots Tolentino, and Sitti Navarro are keeping it moving — fusing jazz with soul, indigenous music, hip-hop, and R&B. In a country famous for ballads and karaoke, jazz has always been the musician’s genre. Intimate. Improvised. Personal. It’s the sound of the islands, reimagined through brass and rhythm. And if you’re not listening yet, you’re missing one of the richest and most underrated jazz traditions in the world.