Henri Matisse, from the Jazz series

Let there be Jazz!

The Eastern Jazz Brigade will make its first appearance this Friday (June 4) at Le Jardin. Since the local music scene is thriving these days (with yet another band every week or so), you may be tempted to miss this one.

This would be a huge mistake. The Brigade could appropriately be nicknamed the Phnom Penh Jazz All Stars. Every member of the band belongs to a handful of music gangs among the best you'll get to hear around town — le Jardin should be pretty packed with musicians! Most of them have been roaming the city for years, and first began to play together at the Miles, the now-legendary place where everything started... This is a debut, and yet this is a reunion; this is the very best of things past and this is where the future begins.

A page of the local music scene history will be written this Friday, and you have a unique occasion to participate. Don't screw it!