Not ‘jazz’ any other night

For one Friday night at the Mandarin Oriental’s Captain’s Bar, one could be excused thinking one had been transported to Ronnie Scott’s in London or the Blue Note in New York City — both signature venues for the best in jazz music. The reason? Mishka Adams’ one night at the Mandarin, before flying back to London, where regular gigs and further education await her. We were treated to two hours of scintillating music that flew by in an instant, and given how jazz is such a niche musical genre here in the country nowadays, you know how rare it is to find a performer currently making waves in the genre on a global scale performing here in  Manila. Chalk that up to Mishka’s provenance, and our good fortune. Daughter of Filipina Agnes Arellano and Michael Adams, an Englishman who calls Manila “home,” Mishka was in Manila for the Christmas holidays and couldn’t say “no” to the numerous requests to perform. Mishka is truly that rare bird, one moment doing her spiels on stage with a delicate English accent, and the next talking to her family in very fluent Tagalog.

Much of the music that night was from her new CD, Space. It was an eye (and ear) opener to see just how accessible the music can be when performed live. On the CD, they come across as tone poems, meandering (in a good way) and something of a challenge to listen to. In a live setting, the compositions sparkled and really “swung”! The horn section of tenor saxophone, trombone and flugelhorn took over the parts played by John Hoare on the cornet on the CD, and that provided additional texture and variety. The rhythm section was subtle but persistent, and kudos to the keyboards for providing such strong support to the winsome vocal style of Mishka.

As a jazz vocalist, Mishka is not in your Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington mode; she’s more delicate, like Joni Mitchell or Eva Cassidy, with a little bit of Cassandra Wilson sprinkled on top. I especially liked the blues treatment of the standard, Willow Weep for Me, and her take on the Fred Hirsch arrangement of Lennon/McCartney’s And I Love Her. From Space, Brazilian Skies and A Portrait of You were my favorites. Mishka has great respect for the other musicians on stage, moving to the side whenever they would solo. And in an almost shy, apologetic manner, she would introduce the songs, and talk about life on the road — and the wonderful dinner the hotel had spread for her and the band. Laughingly, she contrasted this to the standard styrofoam box with a heaping mound of rice and miniscule ulam they would get at most gigs.

It’s the affable, non-assuming personality that wins the audience each time I catch Mishka. My ultimate highlight of the night was her version of Prelude to a Kiss. It was this mix of standards given the Mishka “touch,” and her own compositions which are more poetic and improvisational in nature, that made the night quite special, with something for everyone. It may be something of an esoteric field, jazz music, but here is a Filipino artist who knows her roots, and is making a name for herself abroad. I can’t wait for the next time she makes it back to our shores.