At Tago Jazz Café, the music speaks louder than words
Tucked away in one of the small side streets of Cubao lies one of jazz’s few remaining keepers of the flame in Metro Manila —Tago Jazz Café.
With no signage to guide passersby, Tago’s quiet exterior belies the vibrancy that lies within. Were it not for its smooth concrete facade and soft lighting differentiating itself from its neighbors, one can easily miss the venue. But jazz lovers know how to look for the soft, warm glow on the unassuming building along Main Avenue.
Tago Jazz Café isn’t just a bar—it’s a passion project, a labor of love started by Nelson Gonzales in 2011. Back then, there were no other live jazz venues in the city.
"It was really small when we opened," Gonzales recalls, "and it struggled until the space gained traction."
“No one wants to dedicate their space for a creative-centric business. We took a dive and poured all efforts into being in existence,” he added.
From its humble beginnings, Tago has grown into a beloved community spot, welcoming both locals and foreigners who return time and again to rediscover their love of the genre.
Truth in jazz
The night we visited, the evening’s performance featured a lineup of celebrated local musicians: Lorna Ciffra on vocals, Tots Tolentino on tenor saxophone, Yong Aquino on piano, Dave Harder on bass, and Rey Vinoya on drums. The ensemble played bebop standards from Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea, and even George Gershwin.
The café seats just 60 people, and each table is close enough to the stage to feel like a private concert. Every weekend, Tago would feature local players as well as those renowned internationally for their talent. But at the heart of it all is jazz music.
"Jazz has a certain call to the soul," Gonzales explains. "I’ve played all sorts of music, but I yearned for the honesty and challenges of jazz.”
He admits that he is aware whenever people would give bad reviews of Tago, but he takes it in stride. There are also good reviews, after all.
“We serve the music first, then offer it honest and truthful. We don’t embellish and present ourselves as something we are not,” Gonzales says.
Gonzales is a central figure in Tago’s operations. From scheduling gigs to cooking in the kitchen and even playing the drums, he’s involved in nearly every aspect of running the café.
“Yes, I am in charge of the janitorial, building maintenance, social media, artist’s/gig scheduling, reservations, kitchen management, accounting, and playing the drums whenever time permits it,” Gonzales says. “I get a great deal of help from my life partner, too.”
Tago is only open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Gonzales says that they only make enough to keep them afloat.
"Of course, it's not enough to run a business being open only three times a week," Gonzales admits. "We’re still struggling financially, especially post-pandemic, but we still offer the truth in jazz, and the talents of the Filipinos who are truly involved soul deep into the art.”
Growing jazz community
If Gonzales seems intense about his passion for jazz, it’s probably because he almost literally died for the art.
“I had a jazz radio program from a few years back called the 'Tago Jazz Hour' on DWDD AM Radio. We tried to put back jazz in the airwaves, but we had no funding and support. We were thankful that this military radio station allowed us to air our weekly jazz program once a week. It was going smoothly, until the radio station caught fire in December 2017 where me and my co-host Pete Canzon almost died inside the DJ booth,” Gonzales recalls.
Thankfully, despite the incident, Gonzales' unwavering love for jazz remained intact. And in a relatively short time since it opened, Tago Jazz Café has already fostered a strong sense of community. On any given night, the café is filled with a mix of regulars, local jazz aficionados, and curious first-timers. The international audience is also a key part of the space’s dynamic.
"People of different races come, go, and come back again to support the local jazz scene," Gonzales says. "We owe it equally to both our local and foreign visitors."
Jazz might not be mainstream anymore, but thanks to Gonzales and Tago, a new generation is discovering its beauty.
"There are more younger audiences now, and jazz is more accessible with technology," he notes.
Gonzales doesn’t push the music onto anyone, though. He presents jazz honestly, letting listeners decide for themselves. “I am just a simple guy offering jazz to as many folks as possible,” he says.