The foreign invasion continues

The parade of foreign artists hasn’t let up, or haven’t you noticed? Since January, more than a dozen foreign acts have been mounted here and, don’t worry, there are more — and more! — coming, making 2008 the year of, yes, “foreign affairs.”

Two of the forthcoming acts are Gary Lewis and the Playboys, and Al Jarreau and George Benson.

The son of comedian Jerry Lewis and, as Filipinos fondly remember him, the ex-husband of Jinky Suzara, Gary is the voice of such enduring ’60s favorites as, among others, When Summer Is Gone, This Diamond Ring, Let Me Tell Your Fortune, (You Don’t Have To) Paint Me A Picture, Sealed With A Kiss and You’re 16.

Like other Baby Boomers, I’m looking forward to hearing Gary Lewis and the Playboys once again — you know, I’ll see you in September when summer is gone...have a good time but remember, come back to me when summer is gone.

Gary and the Playboys’ six-date, five-city tour to be mounted by Steve O’Neal Productions will kick off on Sept. 5 with a dinner-show at the Heritage Grand Hotel Ballroom on Roxas Blvd., Pasay City before a major concert on Sept. 6 at the Aliw Theater at the CCP Complex, Pasay City.

Other performances are scheduled on Sept. 7, Ynares Center, Antipolo City; Sept. 10, Victoria Ballroom, Park Lane Hotel, Cebu City; Sept. 12, Cagayan de Oro City; and Sept. 13, CAP Auditorium, Davao City.

The tour will reunite Gary Lewis and the Playboys with thousands of Pinoy fans more than three years since their successful 2005 concert at the Araneta Coliseum with a jampacked attendance reminiscent of their SRO debut concert in the ‘60s, also at the Big Dome, at the height of their popularity. It will mark the band’s fifth visit here in the past 40 years.

What accounts for the continuing popularity of Gary Lewis and the Playboys with local music enthusiasts which has withstood the test of time throughout the past four decades?

With its thoroughly lively and endearing sound and style, the group hit it off beautifully with Pinoy fans,  who considered the band as America’s answer to The Beatles which was then at the forefront of the musical British Invasion in the US.

This affinity was further cemented when Gary married a Filipina lass, Sarah Jane “Jinky” Suzara, a pretty  coed from the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Santo Tomas, nine months after they met backstage during one of his shows.

Although the marriage that produced a daughter lasted only four years, this hardly affected the special affection and loyalty of local fans for Gary which  not only remained undiminished but became stronger through the years.

(Note: Tickets to the Aliw Theater concert are available at Ticketworld outlets at National Bookstore branches and Ayala Malls. For inquiries and revserations, call 891-9999.)

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Meanwhile, MTV Philippines announces that Al Jarreau and George Benson are featured in a one-night-only concert, called Givin’ It Up, at the Araneta Coliseum on Sept. 8.

A seven-time winner, Jarreau is the only vocalist in history to net Grammys in three different categories: Jazz, Pop and R&B. Jarreau’s unique vocal style is one of the world’s most precious treasures. He is a son of a vicar, which explains his first performing experience singing in the church choir. After receiving his master’s degree in psychology, Jarreau pursued a career as a social worker, but eventually decided to move to Los Angeles and try his hand in show business.

He was spotted by Warner Bros. Records talent scouts in 1975 and was signed to a recording contract. His debut album for the label, We Got By, was released to unanimous acclaim.

Benson is simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history. He is also an amazingly versatile musician who can play in just about any style —  swing, bop, R&B and pop — with supreme taste, a beautiful rounded tone, terrific speed, a marvelous sense of logic in building solos, and, always, an unquenchable urge to swing. His inspirations may have been Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery — and he can do dead-on impressions of both — but his style is completely his own.

In Givin’ It Up, Jarreau and Benson team up for a breezy, enjoyably melodic session that highlights both artists’ long careers. Expect the two artists to perform songs like the Bobby Womack classic Breezin’, Seals & Crofts’ Summer Breeze, John Legend’s Ordinary People and Darryl Hall’s Every Time You Go Away.

Also adding some unexpected fun and celebrity sheen to the proceedings is an impromptu “appearance” of Paul McCartney who joins in on Sam Cooke’s gospel-inflected Bring It on Home to Me, trumpeter Chris Botti, vocalist Patti Austin, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke.

(Note: For tickets, call Ticketnet at 911-5555. For more information, keep tuning in to MTV Philippines on Sky Cable channel 57 or log on to www.mtvphil.com. For sponsorship inquiries, call MTV Philippines at 706-1580.)

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