Mishka Adams: Jazz for you

Jazz is foreign to the ears of most music-loving Pinoys. But if they only try to listen to the musical instruments in the background and the vocal improvisation of the artist, they will surely appreciate and love it.

This is what Candid Records artist Mishka Adams wants to happen soon, especially now that her sophomore album Space is out in the market. That means more jazz songs for pop music enthusiasts to explore.

“I just want to do what is natural to me,” the half-British, half-Pinay singer describes her style. “I just  play the music I’m connected to. Jazz is very close to my heart. I started to play saxophone when I was younger.”

This explains why Mishka has taken the road artists like Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday have taken. To this day, she holds on to jazz as a medium of self-expression. Since she’s a good child of jazz, it has never failed to feed Mishka’s musical enthusiasm and craving as there are more jazz artists and proponents to study and to discover.

As Mishka puts it, “Everything is changing (with jazz). You don’t play the same thing.”

True to her words, Space, Mishka’s much-anticipated follow-up album to God Bless the Child, brings a new interpretation and vibe to jazz. Mishka says the new album carries more original compositions compared to her debut CD. The lyrics are more personal this time around. It is not surprising to someone like Mishka who doesn’t hold back her emotions and who follows the dictates of her feelings.

What she also likes about Space is the collaboration between her and the musicians. Mishka says they have a different approach and sound which results to a more progressive music. The arrangement is wide and dispersed.

Listeners will hear the real Mishka in Space as Candid Records big boss Alan Bates has given the young artist the freedom to fully express herself and the chance to work with producer John Hoare of the UK jazz scene and his group. Mishka, recipient of Awit Awards’ Best Performance by a New Recording Artist a few years ago, delivers in the album.

Tracks in the album are Space, Under a Brazilian Sky, Sunrise, Calling Out, Summer Dreams, Disguise, Angel, All I Need, A Portrait of You and Somewhere in the Night.

Although her music has changed a bit, Mishka’s crusade still remains the same: To let the public see the beauty of jazz.

“I just want people to realize that jazz is not only for the oldies and the intellectuals, though it requires thinking and takes time to appreciate. That’s why I encourage people to just listen to it and use their ears to see the interaction of the musicians playing the music on stage. Just enjoy the interaction. You’ll be surprised you have appreciated it. Through my songs, I hope I will be able to correct some misconceptions about jazz.”

What’s next for Mishka?

“I don’t confine myself,” she says. “I welcome new challenges. I want to do summer workshops for jazz enthusiasts in the future.”