John, Paul, George, Ringo... & Nyoy?

One thing I’ve always said about Nyoy Volante and Mannos is that they’re one of the most innovative and original acoustic acts around. Eschewing the propensity to merely dish out cover after cover, note per note, Nyoy and Mannos have purposely charted new territory by putting out original songs, and turning inside out (via imaginative rearrangement) the covers they do incorporate into their act.

Their current concert series is a Tribute to the Beatles, and it runs at the Republic of Malate Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays of April, and Thursdays of May, up to the 20th. Whether one is a dyed in the wool Beatles fan, or just on the lookout for irrepressible vocalizing and musicality, this tribute delivers with aplomb.

With his signature blue guitar and crooner microphone, Nyoy has added to the Mannos line-up of bass, kahon and violin, an additional percussionist, a guitarist and three back-up singers. The stage was then set for a rambunctious and diverse 24-song Beatles collection, that liberally picked songs from the early Beatles era, all the way to the swansong Let It Be album.

I entered the venue in time to hear an Oh Darling that emphasized the blues quality of the song, and sat entranced as a violin solo intro brought Yesterday into the playlist. And I Love Her became a lilting reggae inflected calypso number with a rap break, courtesy of one of the percussionists (and should we add he brought the house down early on in the night?). Introducing the song as one of his favorite early Beatles ballads, Nyoy then evoked sighs from the audience as he broke into Til There Was You with R & B "kulots" differentiating his rendition. His Here There and Everywhere went a capella for the first two verses, employing the three-member chorus!

My personal highlight came when he unstrapped his guitar and took on the electric piano to deliver a very Kenny Rankin version of With A Little Help From My Friends, followed by a gospel treatment of Let It Be. And just to prove acoustic can rock, scattered throughout the night were hot, electrifying (but NOT electric) versions of I Saw Her Standing There, Twist and Shout and The Long and Winding Road.

A key element to the Nyoy treatment is the guessing game that goes on as each song begins. Some of the rearrangements of the opening bars are so convoluted, even songs as familiar as these of the Beatles took on a "new lease on life", and one could audibly hear the collective buzz of recognition as the audience realized which hit was being interpreted. That has distinctly been one of the pleasures I’ve always found in catching Nyoy’s live sets. This foray into well-charted Beatles territory was still a night of surprise and delight and well worth the trek to Malate.