The Minstrels return in a big reunion concert

Several generations of The New Minstrels have gotten together again for the biggest reunion concert ever. If I remember right, the last one was five years ago but featured only the original members. However, The Ultimate Reunion Concert (The New Minstrels’ Five Generations) at the Aliw Theater today will have not only the originals from the ’70s but also those who joined the famous show band over the succeeding years. Some were easily found hereabouts, but others had to leave home and fly in all the way from the US, Canada, Australia and Singapore.

Here now are those who will perform in the concert tonight: Eugene Villaluz; Louie Reyes; Ding Mercado; Cesar de la Fuente; Annette Belen; Eileen Dolina; Aida Balmaceda; Rene Puno; Babes Conde on piano and keyboards; Mei Ling Gozun; Joey Albert; Ray-An Fuentes; Louanne Cuenco; Grace Pimentel; Jessica Cabasal; Arlene Arcilla; Bobby Domingo; Joseph Olfindo; Ernie Mercado; Mon and Ariel Vitan on keyboards and drums; Jaramie and Zoe Zuñiga; Rudy Bautista; Juno Henares; Jeffrey Coronel; Patti Manuel; Kash Gatuslao; Alynna; Ems Domingo; Rizza Tolentino; Jinky de Jesus; Bobbit Pablo; Bobby Fider on bass guitar; Bert Escario on guitars; Rene Tengasantos on drums and Dingdong Fernando.

At a time when old songs are suddenly new again and when foreign pop acts from ages ago are making a killing in the local concert scene, there is no reason why fans of The New Minstrels or just plain music lovers will not welcome this grand reunion. The name New Minstrels has always been synonymous with good music. By this, I do not mean just the Top 40 stuff that the group used to dish out during its regular gigs many moons ago but also with daring, innovative moves that helped turn the tide for Filipino pop music during the ’70s.

During those years, the local pop music industry was dominated by covers of foreign hits and the occasional original work by Filipino composers. Then something strange happened. At a time when old Tagalog songs were considered baduy, The New Minstrels did the classic Mike Velarde love song Buhat. The recording became a hit and suddenly, it was not surprising anymore to find the new pop stars like Rico Puno and Didith Reyes following suit and also including classic Filipino songs in their repertoire.

So thanks to The New Minstrels, it became hip for local kids to also enjoy listening to our old songs like Dahil Sa ‘yo, Ikaw, Balut and Lahat ng Araw. To this day, that pop revival of Buhat is acknowledged as one of the events that fuelled the explosion of new Filipino pop music that came to be known as The Manila Sound. After that, it was fairly easy to sell pop songs in Tagalog to music buyers.

Buhat though is not the only claim to fame of this group. As the country’s leading performing band, The New Minstrels was known for impeccable showmanship and extraordinary vocals and these qualities led to many successful stints here and abroad. It also resulted in successful solo careers for some of the members. Eugene Villaluz scored with Gulong ng Palad. His duet with Louie resulted in Nothing I Want More. Ding Mercado who became a big star for several years in Hong Kong TV had a seller with See You There. Ray-An Fuentes, Rene Puno and of course, the most successful of them all, Joey Albert are others who ventured forth as soloists.

It would be great to watch The New Minstrels perform together again all those songs they used to do. Hopefully, there will be lots of dancing as well. And then maybe just to show kids today that they can still dish out the pop stuff, they may also do some current favorites. Tickets to the show are available at SM Ticketnet outlets, the Araneta Coliseum box-office and at the Aliw Theater.

M.Y.M.P. wins MYX’s Favorite Ringtone award

I wish to extend my apologies to M.Y.M.P. In my piece on the recent First MYX Music Awards, I failed to mention that the duo of Juris and Chin also won the trophy for Favorite Ringtone for their song Tell Me Where It Hurts. This means that along with their win for Favorite MYX Live Performance, they were among the top winners who brought home two awards. The others were Rachelle Ann Go and Rivermaya. Of course, the band Cueshé topped everybody else with three wins.