Memories of the Blackbird Band

Pop violinist John Lesaca and jazz vocalist Richard Merk are not considered the usual twosome these days. Except of course during special concerts when they take turns guesting in each other’s concert gigs.

But in the early ‘80s, they were inseparable.

For at least three years, they were part of a group called the Blackbird Band which attracted SRO crowd at the Calesa Bar of Hyatt Hotel along Roxas Boulevard.

"That was the time for great music," said John who used to be in the string section of the country’s leading symphony orchestras before he turned to pop. "That was one time when music had special meaning and we were not time or money conscious. If we were hired to play until 12 midnight, we would extend it without extra pay if the audience was still hankering for more."

Says Richard: "We did it in the spirit of fun. That was also the time of great camaraderie."

This was the time when the exchange rate was P18 to a dollar and Martin Nievera was still making a name for himself, professional managers were still hard to find and PAs (production assistants) were still unheard of in the hotel entertainment circuit.

"We carried our own instruments and we set up the stage ourselves," adds John. "Other musicians and singers would drop by certain days and jam with us."

These are the likes of Vernie Varga, Jacqui Magno and even Pepe Smith.

"That will give you an idea that we had such an electic crowd at that time," continues John. "We basically had a paying crowd and on the other side there were activist types from UP, most of whom are my friends and I didn’t mind treating them once in a while. When this happens pretty often, I ended up oversigning."

The band was The Blackbird because they loved a Paul McCartney song of the same title and Richard did an unforgettable rock version of it and those who first heard it just loved it and found a new sound to patronize.

Before the Blackbird group, John was part and main mover of the HR (Hyatt Regency) Band and at that time, they had no regular vocalist and had to make do with available volunteers. When Richard came along, they found their soloist. Apart from his unique talent as singer and arranger, Richard had instant rapport with the group. With him as vocalist, they found their missing link and night after night at the Calesa Bar, they earned and got a regular following.

"When Richard came into the picture," recalls John, "it really helped a lot. He was one of the frontliners of Blackbird and he started this fad of re-arranging popular songs to give them a new flavor. When we were asked what the name of our new group was, we just thought of the McCartney song that Richard arranged and that was that."

Apart from Richard and John, the members of the Blackbird Band were Sonny Tolentino (bass), Dong Zamora (guitar), Uly Avante (percussion), Mario Elepano (keyboard), Jun Viray (drums) and Egy Abenir (guitar).

Tolentino had passed away but there is no forgetting the spirit of the Blackbird Band.

"Masarap talaga ang tugtugan noon," muses Richard who notes that even during breaktime and days-off, the members of the band were still together. "We organized billiard tournaments in that hang-out along Pasay Road and we pitted ourself against members of other bands. And we didn’t seem to run out of energy. We rehearsed new songs after our regular gigs and that was close to five in the morning," he recalls.

Even as their following increased every night (their followers would extend at times to the hotel lobby), they didn’t take their performances for granted. They constantly rehearsed new songs and tried new arrangements.

"We felt we had to be dynamic because we didn’t want to repeat the same old program every night," John points out. "We had to try new songs because we could not afford to bore our audiences. Every night was different for us musicians. Hindi kami naguulit kahit na may sinusundan kaming format. We might be singing the same songs some nights but with totally different delivery and of course, lots of fun."

That was also the time when rumbles were relatively tame and audiences had yet to howl and yell ‘Go for it John!’

In that Calesa Bar hang-out, there is a group called The Wild Bunch (not the usual coño kids) who reacted at slight inconvenience. Perhaps it started with a bad stare or someone accidently bumped their table and before John and Richard could react, chairs and bottles were flying all over the place.

When that happened, John and Richard and the band didn’t stop playing and even casually told the girls to go onstage to avoid the fray. Richard recalled that one of those who took shelter on stage while the rumble was going on was then very young Plinky Recto.

"That was the unruly side of our Calesa Bar days," recalls John. But on top of that, they also got pieces of paper requesting – not favorite songs – but an invitation to intimacy.

"Yes, we got a lot of indecent proposals, too," admits John. "We would ask the waiters and waitress who sent them but that’s about all. I felt flattered but I myself did not pursue it. I was enjoying good company with the boys and giving in was out of the question."

And so that was the good old days of the Blackbird Band.

(The remaining active members of the Blackbird Band led by Richard Merk and John Lesaca will have a reunion on Sept. 27 in the opening of Merk’s Bar Bistro in Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.)