FOUR-TIME Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves will perform at tonight?s closing of the Philippine International Jazz Festival 2009 at the Rockwell Tent in Makati City.

Reeves will be with her quartet of musicians playing songs that most jazz aficionados are familiar with. She is now making waves in the jazz arena with ?When You Know,? her first album in five years.

Reeves, who last won a Grammy in 2006 for her album ?Good Night and Good Luck,? will proceed to Indonesia for the International Java Jazz Festival.

Manila played host to the Philippine International Jazzfest 2009, the biggest gathering of international and local jazz artists this year, in a month-long music festival.

The festival, which features 14 international and 30 local jazz artists, includes the jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra, which also performed at the Rockwell Tent last night after coming from an engagement in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The jazziest event this year had a powerhouse lineup of performers from all over the world, starting with Festival Nights last night and closes with Reeves? performance at the Rockwell Tent.

The first night featured Pinoy jazz artists Humanfolk, Brigada, Asian Jazz Divas, Brass Munkeys and Japan?s most captivating pianists, Hiromi and her band Sonicbloom, and singer-songwriter-pianist Laurence Elder.

Jazz fusion guitarist and four-time Grammy nominee Mike Stern will also be featured along with Reeves tonight. Tickets are available at P2,000.

As part of the not-to-miss month-long festival, the event had an embassy mall tour on Feb. 27 with jazz artists from around the world?Sacbe, Laurence Elder, Amir Gwirtzman, Fabio Turchetti and a host of others.

The ?International Jazz Gala? was held at the Mandarin Oriental?s Captain?s Bar the night before, with a diverse lineup of performers bonded by their common love for jazz music?Laurence Elder, Marcel Worms, Chieko Fukuda, Amir Gwirtzman, Sacb? Jazz Divas of Asia, Tots Tolentino and many others.

They recently had a series of campus tours of the University of the Philippines, University of Sto. Tomas and Far Eastern University with jazz artists Laurence Elder, Amir Gwirtzman, Sacbe and Marcel Worms, and where they had an opportunity to bond with students, professionals and anyone within jazz music reach.

They also had a Gospel Workshop with Ray Sidney, Bola and Kookie Taylor, where attendees learned performance styles and a little bit of its history.

Free Jazz Workshops will be held at 1 p.m. today at Dencio?s, Rockwell Plaza with Dave Weckl and Charito.

At 9 p.m. on March 3, there will be a ?Friendship Jam? with Filipino and International artists at the Strumms.

Now on its fourth year, the Philippine International Jazz Festival continues to establish the Philippines as one of Asia?s premiere Jazz hubs and with a very loyal following. Isah V. Red