Jacqui jazzes up the Kundiman

Finding the lyrics of the selections inside the album cover was initially an interesting novelty. Hey, I can sing along! Unfortuna-tely, having those lyrics meant less space for other things and later came times when I would have gladly given up the lyrics and those ubiqui-tous thank you messages in favor of notes about the artist and the contents. So I say bring back those song hits books. They did serve a purpose. Save those song lyrics for the music minus one tapes that are produced expressly for sing along sessions. And best of all, give me back those old-fashioned album notes with oodles of info we can surely learn from.

This is one of the reasons why Pag-lingon: Return of the Native by Jacqui Magno comes out special. There are no lyrics! Instead there are notes, albeit brief, about Philip-pine music, particu-larly the kundiman, about jazz and its place in native music and about Jacqui, who also gets her chance to say her "thank you's." Well, actually, it is just one thank you to God for the gift of music, for her children, her friends and the colleagues who made this very spe-cial album possible.

Now, here is one case wherein thanks are definitely in order to Bookmark which dared to release something like Paglingon. Ours is a time when the immortal music of Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago and others of the same bent stand no chance of being recorded by any of the big-selling pop artists or the major music compa-nies. The general belief nowadays is that kundimans do not sell anymore and even the balik-bayans, which was once considered the main market for those recordings, are now buying the revival tunes from Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla and company. So rather than loose a million pesos or more on such releases, produ-cers would much rather record adap-tations of old foreign hits and close their eyes or should I say their ears to the sound of Philippine music emitting its final gasps.

Thankfully, des-pite that risk and the probable, or maybe I should say, sure lack of radio airplay, Leny Tan of Book-mark, producer Pat Castillo and Jacqui decided to come up with an album made up entirely of Filipino music and old kundimans at that. Take a look at the line-up of songs that Jacqui chose to do. I assure you, these are 12 of the most beautiful compositions ever written over the past 100 years.

Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal by Ernani Cuenco and Levi Celerio; Bituing Marikit by Nicanor Abelardo; Mina-mahal, Sinasamba by Tito Arevalo; Nasaan Ka Irog also by Abelardo; Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig by Constancio de Guzman; Hindi Kita Malimot by Josefino Cenizal; Pahiwatig again by Abelardo; Pakiusap by Fran-cisco Santiago and Jose Corazon de Jesus; Babalik Ka Rin also by De Guzman; Mutya ng Pasig again by Abelardo; Saan Ka Man Naro-roon by Restie Umali and Levi Celerio; and Lagi Kitang Na-aalala by Leopoldo Silos and Celerio.

Now brace your-selves for another surprise. Jacqui Magno is singing those songs! I know we have come to expect to hear the old kundimans and balitaws recorded only by some of the few classical singers we have around. Truth to tell, the most pop we would dare go with the kundiman would be with Celeste Le-gaspi, who with Ryan Cayabyab, did some experiments with this type of song by combining it with electronic accompaniment. Perhaps the closest we are going to get the kundiman to Jacqui, would be to think of Tillie Mo-reno doing Bituing Marikit because she was the one who sang the soprano numbers when they were both perfor-ming with the Circus Band during the '70s. Jacqui is an alto of the full-bodied sort and after singing all those cover versions early in her career, she has now proudly and most comfor-tably settled down with jazz.

So if Jacqui deci-des to sing Abelardo, how do you think would she do it? Well, what do you think of a jazzed-up Nasaan Ka Irog or a Latin-tinged Hindi Kita Malimot? The only way to get an answer to those questions is for you to get a copy of Paglingon and to listen to it in its entirety. Besides, if you don't, how else will you be able to savor all the grace and elegance that Jacqui brought to the songs in this collec-tion, the well-thought out arrange-ments and the endearing way the old songs lend them-selves to the new treatment?