The Philippine International Jazz & Arts Festival (colloquially as, P.I.Jazzfest)is a music festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

 that takes place in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. Formerly called the Philippine International Jazz & Ethnic Arts Festival, the event is organized by the PIJazz Foundation and presents international jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 musicians along with prominent Philippine jazz and world artists.

The first P.I. Jazzfest edition took place through January 20-23, 2006, which featured Eumir Deodato

Eumir Deodato

Eumir Deodato is a Brazilian pianist, composer, record producer and arranger, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of rock/pop, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music.Mainly,...

 and Kevin Lettau; and the second, which featured Diane Schuur

Diane Schuur

Diane Schuur is an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Deedles", she has won two Grammy Awards, headlined many of the world's most prestigious music venues, including Carnegie Hall and The White House and has toured the world performing with such greats as Quincy Jones, Stan Getz, B. B...

, Flora Purim

Flora Purim

Flora Purim is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in Chick Corea's landmark album Return to Forever...

, Airto Moreira

Airto Moreira

Airto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...

 and Eldar Djangirov

Eldar Djangirov

Eldar E. Djangirov, most commonly known only as Eldar, is a jazz pianist. He was born on January 28, 1987 in Kyrgyzstan and then moved to Kansas, United States. He currently resides in New York City.-Early years:...

. In 2008, the P.I.JazzFest, now a member of the Asia Jazz Festival Organization, featured Lee Ritenour

Lee Ritenour

Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...

, Kurt Elling

Kurt Elling

Kurt Elling is an American jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist and vocalese performer. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Rockford, Elling first became interested in music through his father, who was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran church...

, Omar Sosa

Omar Sosa

Omar Sosa is a composer, bandleader, and jazz pianist.-Biography:Sosa began studying marimba at age eight, then switched to piano at the Escuela Nacional de Musica in Havana, where he studied jazz. Sosa moved to Quito, Ecuador, in 1993, then San Francisco, California, in 1995...

, Raul Midon

Raul Midón

Raúl Midón is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Mexico, based in New York City. He combines his distinct voice, strumming, beats, and vocal mouth trumpet sounds to create a one-man performance. His unique style shows influence of virtually every musical genre which came before him,...

, Sara Gazarek

Sara Gazarek

Sara Gazarek is an American jazz musician and singer. Gazarek was born in Seattle, Washington and moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to attend the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. She would go on to win the Downbeat Student Music Award for Best Collegiate Vocalist in...

, Chico & the Gypsies, Incognito

Incognito (band)

Incognito is a British band, as well as one of the members of the United Kingdom's acid jazz movement. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981, with thirteen more albums following, the last of which, Transatlantic RPM, was released in 2010....

, Laurence Elder, Frank Woeste Trio, Lorraine Demarais alongside numerous Filipino jazz performers from the Philippines peninsula

Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

 and abroad.

P.I.JazzFest is involved with UNICEF, and is committed to bring jazz (and improvisation) awareness to the youth through school workshops such as the JazzKamp summer music training course and the JAZZERO Talent Search.