IBO the first

Some months ago Sean Power, main man of the acid jazz slash funk group IBO, wrote to say thanks for a review of his band’s second album, Moon of Compassion, that came out in another section of this newspaper. Before that he had called on the phone to convey his and IBO’s appreciation for the write-up, saying that since the project was an independent one, they needed all the help and exposure they could get. He also mentioned that he was starting to put together tracks for IBO 3.

Part of his letter goes: "I have to confess that working on IBO albums isn’t like work at all –it’s pure pleasure with the quality of musicianship (not to mention laughter!) that Filipinos bring. In fact, I’m going to lay down the first track for the third album in a few weeks time. Can’t wait!"

Enclosed with his note was a CD of the band’s first album, entitled Love is Where We’re Going, which he admitted was not as "jazzy" as the sequel.

It’s alright to listen to IBO, in this case, going from point B to point A, or from IBO the second to IBO the first, since prequels seem to be the order of the day and half the night as well.

The first few random listenings to Love is Where We’re Going didn’t quite register as immediate as Moon of Compassion, and to this we can attribute the fact that expectations and trusty curiosity were heightened after IBO 2.

Of course there are no luminous showcases like Moon’s Wayang Kulit or even the delightfully clever My Socrates in IBO 1, but then there’s enough in Love that should give us a hint of the slowly brewing acid jazz sound that is distinctly the Irishman Sean Power’s.

The first obvious difference is that there are fewer musicians involved in the debut, as if the barkada was just starting out. No Johnny Alegre or Rowena Michael, both of them an undeniable presence in the follow-up CD. However, the maiden CD has Wdouji saxophonist Ronald Tomas performing session work on track 9.

There are common denominators that helped Power shape and define IBO, such as Power’s partner in crime Victor Oria on keyboards, Riki Gonzales on guitars, and vocalists Judith Alegarbes and Maria Cielo del Carmen.

Notwithstanding that Love has neither the breadth nor depth of Moon, we get a good enough dose of the rudimentary IBO, and so it would be a welcome treat for the band’s fans familiar only with the second CD.

The truth is that I was a bit hesitant on writing a review of Love is Where We’re Going, for the simple reason that on first listening the CD’s opening tracks came across as too easy listening for comfort, with the melody and instrumental foundation of the title track evoking images of beauty contestants or models sashaying across the walkway.

It was only after repeated persistent turns on the CD player did the IBO debut sink in; indeed the solid lyric turns of Power’s band are not easily appreciated by a listener who grew up on metal and the more traditional jazz.

But is this jazz, one may ask? Alegarbes, who sings lead in half the tracks, has a definitely appealing persona, her phrasing at times verging on scat. The third lady vocalist, Jingle Sayson Bueno, isn’t as provocative a singer as Alegarbes. But it is del Carmen who steals the thunder in About to Happen, as she flirts with the higher registers to the point of almost losing the thread of melody. Indeed if anyone tried to sing along, it would be impossible to keep in step without sounding patently ridiculous.

Alegarbes too has her moments, particularly in 20/3/24, a wistfully melancholic tune of love and affection unconveyed. Could the numbers perhaps signify the birthdate of the one to whom the song is dedicated –March 20, 1924? It might be a song for Power’s parent.

In A Matter of Fact, the crisp percussion downbeat suggests the use of an ethnic instrument, indicating how Power continues to meld both eastern and western influences in his music.

It is never a task listening to IBO, whose revolving ensemble approach is reminiscent of Steely Dan and even Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue. Few will dispute their keen pop sense that is not blatantly commercial, and fans can only wait for the next installment of this ever evolving musical amalgam.