Pinoy band wins in int'l jazz and blues festival in Macau

Young, talented, and playing the type of music their fathers probably love, Bleu Rascals reigned supreme in the Cotai International Jazz & Blues Festival held in Macau last October 11 to 13.

The Filipino band, composed of three college kids, bested over a hundred other performers from Italy, Japan, China, the United States, and several other countries, according to CLOSER - WHAT’S ON, a Macau-based lifestyle website.

What's sweeter for the Bleu Rascals was the fact that their victory came a year after their application for the same festival was rejected.

It was through Thomas Colvin—an “American blues maniac who's living in the Philippines for 27 years,” in the words of the Rascals— that the band learned that they could try for the competition again.

"Play our hearts out"

Paul Marney Leobrera, who turned 20 in September, shared with GMA News Online through an email interview that the band didn't even expect to win this year.

“Our goal in the event was to play our hearts out and do the best we could. Getting picked out of 118 applicants makes us a winner actually,” said the guitarist.

Leobrera and his bandmates, bassist Oliver Salaysay and drummer John Jayson Garcia, knew that by just playing in the festival, they could have more opportunities in the future. And if Blues Asia Network's (BAN) coverage of their performance is anything to go by, they've certainly earned those chances.

In their semi-finals set, their covers of Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, and Stevie Ray Vaughan with Freddie King songs had festival-goers flapping their jaws about the young blues trio from the Philippines.

"Mabuhay ang Pilipinas"

“The audience [was] hot! A lot of Filipinos gathered and supported Bleu Rascals. Everybody was shouting and screaming for joy! A Filipino even shouted 'Mabuhay ang Pilipinas'!” shared Leobrera.

The Rascals' rapport with the audience was so noticeable that organizers put the band last for the Finals round. Though Leobrera's guitar amplifier experienced a malfunction during the performance, the band soldiered on.

A sound tech's prediction of the band playing a victory set came true when the band won with their Vaughan and Meyer set. The band repaid the enthusiasm shown by their fans by playing an original composition for their encore.


Locally, the band played at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' International Jazz Festival back in August 2011. They were paired up with American jazz artist Michael Bourne, who encouraged them to represent the country in the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, according to the Philippine Blues Society. They became the first Filipino group to perform in the IBC.

To support the young trio, local blues musicians and enthusiasts helped them get into the event. Their trust in the trio was not unfounded, for the Rascals scored a special prime-time showcase at the Hard Rock Café after their set proper– something which the organizers of the event has never done before.

Though Leobrera said the band is set to perform in more international events in 2014, they will, for now, continue playing at their regular spots. The band's schedule is updated regularly on their Facebook page. — KBK, GMA News