Like mother, like son

Talent runs in the family is the reason Richard Merk should give to questions about why he sounds better than he ever did before these days. His mother, jazz diva Annie Brazil sounds even better. I will not say how old she is but Annie has been performing all over Asia since the ’50s. That is how she got to meet and in some cases even perform with jazz legends like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Anita O’Day, Ellis Marsalis and many others. Now, Richard is better known around here for his show band stint with Sangkatutak but he was brought up on jazz and that is how he does his first Christmas album.

Merk Christmas has Richard performing with the Fifth Gospel Choir with arrangements by Toti Fuentes and vocal supervision by Jacqui Magno. The songs sparkle but Richard’s singing is at its best when he is in a jazzy mood so I pick out his Jingle Bells as the cream of the crop in this collection. His The First Noel is particularly moving and the light-hearted Manna marks one of his rare songwriting jaunts. It is dedicated to his little girl who is also named Manna, which incidentally, is also the name of his record label.

The other cuts in the album are O Come All Ye Faithful, Silver Bells, Hark The Herald Angels Sing, Christmas Song, O Holy Night, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Grown Up Christmas List, I Offer My Life and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Part of the proceeds from the CD goes to the Children’s Hour. This is a fund-raising and grant-giving organization committed to the betterment of Filipino children.

Also on Manna Records is Annie Brazil Live at Merk’s. Annie, nowadays, holds court weekly in a jazz joint in New York City. In fact, she was recently honored with an Asian American Jazz Festival Award for her artistic achievements. One of her recent visits here found her singing in special shows at Merk’s with a band of select musicians led by Romy Posadas. It was one of these evenings that was recorded live and released as an album.

Annie’s sound is a study in contrasts. She is like a lovely 20-year-old with her sweet voice and the clarity of her tones. On the other hand, she is also a jaded sophisticate with her complete grasp of her materials. Let us all wait and see if Richard will be as confident with the music when he reaches her age. The only gripe I have here is that I think talent such as hers would be better showcased in a studio-recorded album with superior equipment.

Annie’s live album includes S’Wonderful, East of the Sun, Besame Mucho, I’ll Remember April, Good Morning Heartache, Mr. Sandman, My Way, It Had to be You, The Very Thought of You, I Could Write a Book, You Do Something to Me, Here’s to Life and What’s New.

Still on Merk’s, the bistro at Level 3, in Greenbelt 3, Makati, continues its commitment to great music and cuisine with its December presentations. Along with the country cuisine courtesy of the famed Bistro Remedios Kitchens comes this schedule of performers.

Acoustic nights has Dawn and Laura on Mondays and Acoustic Jive on Tuesdays; Richard, plus Eddie Katindig and Sandra Lin jazz up the Wednesday Jazz Festival tonight and on Dec. 14 and 28; Retro band Route 70 performs tomorrow, Dec. 9, 22, 23, 29 and 30 while Zyncxation is onstage on Dec. 15 and Kearney Street on Dec. 16 and 21. Happy hour has Romy Posadas from Monday to Wednesday, acoustic girl Mae on Thursdays and Saturdays and Dawn on Fridays.

MYX turns five

An estimated crowd of 80,000 recently came together to celebrate the fifth anniversary of MYX, in what is now considered the biggest music event of the year. The number one music channel in the Philippines gathered the hottest hitmakers and the best upcoming acts for the memorable concert dubbed MYXMO! Check out all that happened when the show airs in MYX! tonight at 10; Dec. 15, Thursday at 7 a.m. and Dec. 19, Monday at 12 noon.

Performers include Greyhoundz, Gloc9, Francis Magalona, Nina, Sugarfree, Bamboo, Rachelle Ann Go, Parokya ni Edgar, M.Y.M.P., Christian Bautista, Jay R, Kitchie Nadal, Barbie Almalbis, Hale, Sarah Geronimo, South Border, Orange and Lemons, Rivermaya and so many others. Also present are MYX VJ’s Luis Manzano, Iya Villania, Karel Marquez, Geoff Eigenmann, Nikki Gil and Heart Evangelista.