She started singing at a tender age of six in stage shows which also allowed her to display her acting talent. At 12, she performed for American servicemen detailed at the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga. At 15, she was a frontliner at Jimmy’s Night Club along Dewey (now Roxas) Boulevard. At 20, she clinched a contract to perform in Okinawa, where her older sister also worked as a singer.
For more than six decades now, Annie Brazil, tagged as Asia’s Queen of Jazz, has undoubtedly made music her life. She has kept the jazz circuit alive and has stayed loyal to the music genre despite the constant Top 40s that flood the charts.
“I never gave up jazz for any type of music,” declares Annie. “I believe there is always a place for jazz even if pop was the more popular choice. There are always people who will appreciate jazz.”
Annie was lured to jazz by listening to male singers like Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Van Monroe. Subsequently, she developed her own style of singing high-brow jazz tunes. Audiences who have seen her perform attest she is the local version of such jazz greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Margaret White.
Jazz has taken Annie to places where she was honored and her talent was allowed to shine. After her stint in Okinawa, she wowed audiences in Australia. In 1969, she was invited by Newport Jazz Festival founder George Wein to attend the outdoor musical spectacle in Baltimore (Maryland), where she got to hobnob with jazz greats like Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Nina Simmons and pop icons The Bee Gees.
It was also in 1969 when she performed with Duke Ellington in a jazz concert in Bangkok that featured the likes of Lionel Hampton and Ellis Marsalis, father of Wynton Marsalis. In 2003, Annie received an artistic achievement award from the Asian-American Jazz Festival in New York.
For more than six decades now, Annie Brazil, tagged as Asia’s Queen of Jazz, has undoubtedly made music her life. She has kept the jazz circuit alive and has stayed loyal to the music genre despite the constant Top 40s that flood the charts.
“I never gave up jazz for any type of music,” declares Annie. “I believe there is always a place for jazz even if pop was the more popular choice. There are always people who will appreciate jazz.”
Annie was lured to jazz by listening to male singers like Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Van Monroe. Subsequently, she developed her own style of singing high-brow jazz tunes. Audiences who have seen her perform attest she is the local version of such jazz greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Margaret White.
Jazz has taken Annie to places where she was honored and her talent was allowed to shine. After her stint in Okinawa, she wowed audiences in Australia. In 1969, she was invited by Newport Jazz Festival founder George Wein to attend the outdoor musical spectacle in Baltimore (Maryland), where she got to hobnob with jazz greats like Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Nina Simmons and pop icons The Bee Gees.
It was also in 1969 when she performed with Duke Ellington in a jazz concert in Bangkok that featured the likes of Lionel Hampton and Ellis Marsalis, father of Wynton Marsalis. In 2003, Annie received an artistic achievement award from the Asian-American Jazz Festival in New York.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
