CELEBRATION!!! The Winston Raval Trio

Winston Raval’s lifetime of musical journeys has taken him from Manila to Honolulu and Los Angeles, where he has shared his artistry as a jazz pianist, arranger, bandleader, and musical director. He is noted for his live jazz improvisation, yet it is as a composer that he earned some of his most distinguished accolades, particularly for his contributions to Philippine cinema.

In 2018, the Manunuring Pelikulang Pilipino (Philippine Film Critics Group) honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in film music, their first in 40+ years, recognizing the music he composed for more than 21 films, for “raising the standard of film music unmatched by his peers…” and “inspiring the next generation of film scorers”. Earlier in his career, the same group bestowed upon him and his band, The Vanishing Tribe, the Best in Film Music Award for their work in “Ikaw Ay Akin” (1977).

Recognition of his work in music also came in California, with lifetime achievement awards from the San Francisco Filipino-American Jazz Festival (2011), Jazz Phil USA in Los Angeles (2013), and the LA-Philippine International Film Festival Reel Award (2019). The San Francisco group also recognized him as a pioneer in jazz fusion with the introduction of indigenous music and instruments to what has become known as Pinoy jazz. This bold blending of tradition and innovation was powerfully evident in “Isang Munting Alamat” (1978), the ethnic rock opera he composed for the gala reopening of the newly restored Manila Metropolitan Theater. Decades later, the same spirit endures in his Broadway-inspired musical “Warrior” (2018), which continues to carry the imprint of his deep connection to ethnic roots and cultural identity.