HOW A HEALTH CRISIS GAVE DAVID BENOIT NEWFOUND ENERGY FOR HIS MUSIC

FOR JAZZ LEGEND DAVID BENOIT, the Philippines is more than just another stop on his world tours.

- By NATHALIE TOMADA

It is the place where his career truly found its wings, the country that embraced his music long before the rest of the world caught on.

“You know, I’ve got to figure that out because it’s been anywhere from 10 to 15 times,” he told The STAR during a recent visit, when asked how many times he had performed in the country. “My memory is getting worse as the years go on, but I know I can remember the first concert very well. That was in ‘81. If you think about it, that was 45 years ago.”

The American hitmaker (Take a Look Inside My Heart, The Key to You, Promise Me a Carousel, among others) still recalls that first Manila show vividly: “Nobody knew who I was. But I was this overnight star in Manila. One of my favorite memories (was) being treated like royalty when I was just playing nightclubs in Los Angeles (at that time).”

That’s why he has always considered the Philippines as the country that gave him his big break. “Somehow, my music just kind of caught on here, and it became very popular where it wasn’t so popular. It took a while in the U.S, but here it just exploded,” Benoit shared.

“So, I tell people that my career really got launched here, here in the Philippines. So that’s why I have to come back because it’s so special. Now, I guess, I’m kind of considered a legacy artist. But, you know, that’s okay. Because I do have a long legacy here in the Philippines.”

For Benoit, what makes Filipino audiences special is how “musical” and “appreciative” they are. “I don’t come here for the weather, of course,” he quipped. “But it’s the people, and they’re so kind. They’re so appreciative.

“It’s just beautiful that I was thinking about it on the plane ride today. I’ve written music that, you know, means a lot to people that they’re willing to fly me all the way over from California. It’s very gratifying.”