Witty banter & innuendos

The CompanY’s third solo concert at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines titled Let’s Kick Some BrASS!, culminated with two euphoric standing ovations from audience last Oct. 13.

 Alongside The UP Jazz Ensemble (headed by Reyben Maigue), the Philippines’ premiere vocal group gave a concert performance worthy of such a rare and intense response from the usually reserved and formal CCP audience.

Let’s Kick Some BrASS  pulled out all the stops in terms of musical content and showmanship from these performers. The repertoire was full of surprises and was pleasantly eclectic. No one expected that the show would begin with Middle Eastern chants conjuring images of Tangiers or Morocco. The CompanY emerged from the darkness, clad in ’30s art deco gowns and tuxedos masterfully executed by the group’s designer of 22 years, Danilo Franco. The vocal quintet then launched into an exotic a cappella version of Dizzy Gillespie’s jazz classic,  A Night In Tunisia, over a full luminescent moon. A couple of verses into this opening song, the stage was awashed with light and sound to reveal the 19-man strong big band under the musical direction of  Beth Martin. The audience was entranced.

Contrary to common preconceived notions of how a big band show should be, the Tunisia opening number would apparently be the only heavy and “serious” jazz number in the show. Every song and spiel that came after was just pure entertainment and hilarity. The CompanY then segued to a swing, boogie woogie version of the APO Hiking Society’s reggae hit, Lumang Tugtugin.

The welcome spiel of The CompanY was filled with witty banter peppered with zingers, innuendos, double entrendre and just flat out risqué green jokes. This opening spiel already set the tone for the evening. 

The night’s lone vocal guest artist, Arthur Manuntag, sang a counterpoint duet with The CompanY. The standards, Blue Moon and My One and Only Love, were arranged to be sung at the same time, a clever musical device involving organized chaos. Within the three minutes that Manuntag sang onstage, it was evident that this was a true vocal technician with a lot of heart. No gimmicks, just pure virtuosity.

The show’s second guest artist was introduced as the man who gave The CompanY the impetus to pursue this seven-year-old dream of staging a big band show. Michael Guevarra of the groups The UP Jazz Ensemble, Saxophoro and Guarana literally stunned the CCP audience when he performed the lead solo of the very popular The Flight of the Bumble Bee. At lightning speed, Guevarra successfully played this very visual classical piece as The CompanY accompanied him in a cappella.

Next came the spot number of The UP Jazz Ensemble who showed not only its musical skills but also the members’ pizzazz as live performers when they played Glenn Miller’s iconic hit, In The Mood. What could have been a predictable and overplayed musical number was transformed into a swinging, energetic instrumental as these horn players danced to the music. The audience rewarded them with a heartwarming applause.

The CompanY ended Act One with a bang… rather with a boom as the group gave an electric vocal scat riddled version of  Willy Revillame’s monster hit, Boom Tarat Tarat. As the H.R. Ocampo red curtain of the CCP came down on Act One, the audience was already mesmerized.

An Entr’acte (overture for Act 2) featuring The CompanY’s original hits (i.e. Now That I Have You, Muntik Na Kitang Minahal, Pakisabi Na Lang) started the second portion of the show.  The CompanY entered the stage in androgynous black and white gangster inspired apparel making it obvious that this was the contemporary and more casual section of the concert.

A vocal recreation of The Average White Band’s funk classic, Pick Up the Pieces showed the funkier side of  The CompanY in synch with the big band’s nasty grooves and horn hits.

Then without any warning, The CompanY shifted gears with ease and went original Pilipino music. From the group’s 2001 Storybook  album, The CompanY sang its original hit, Baka Ikaw. The CompanY soprano, Annie Quintos, has always been known to deliver a love ballad with much heart and precision.

To even show off  the members’ range as singers and live performers, The CompanY sang and danced a medley of old school/Motown R ’n B hits: Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Stevie Wonder), Getaway (Earth, Wind and Fire), Dancing In the Streets (Martha Reeves and The Vandellas) and Dance To the Music (Sly and the Family Stone). Choreographed by Ding Cruz of  Whiplash, The CompanY did signature Motown choreography as exemplified by groups like The Temptations, The Four Tops, etc.

Clearly, the members of The CompanY were taken aback when the CCP audience demanded a second encore from them. They capped the evening with an Afrikan-flavored a cappella version of Jambalaya. Even after 20 plus songs, the singers of The CompanY were singing and dancing on stage like crazy on this tribal take of  Hank Williams classic. When the last note was sung, the roar of the crowd was so loud as they accorded these truly talented musical artists their second standing ovation.

St. Mary’s College Meycauayan reunion

The St. Mary’s College of Meycauayan High School Batch ’87 will hold a grand reunion on Dec. 29, 4 p.m. at Plaza Verde Restaurant, Marilao, Bulacan.  Graduates of Batch ’87 are enjoined to attend. For details, call Rod Ortiz  at 0917-3273663; Eloisa Tanfelix, 0920-9508893; Noel Mendoza, 0917-9429795; and Anna Maria Trinidad, 0922-4240599.