Emcy: To the music born

MANILA, Philippines - She was exposed to music early on in her life. Raised by parents who are both musicians, Emcy Corteza-Faustino started playing the piano at a very young age in her native Bacolod.

Her father, Archiebald Corteza, played jazz and her mother, Sylvia Almazan, was a classical piano player. “When I was still a kid, I could hear my parents while they taught students how to play the piano,” Emcy recalls. “What I did was after the students left, I would go straight to the piano and without hesitation, I would play what I just heard.”

However, Emcy opted to expand her musical knowledge so in college, she moved to Manila and decided to take formal lessons. She enrolled at the UP Conservatory of Music.

While in Manila, Emcy discovered jazz and got inspired by it. She decided to embrace the musical form by joining the UP Jazz Ensemble, thereby also venturing into singing. While with the group, she acquired the traditional bepop music of Ella Fitzgerald, Diane Schuur, Bill Evans and Mel Torme.

As part of the UP Jazz Ensemble, Emcy was fortunate enough to have been mentored by noted teachers. Elmo Makil was her voice teacher, while Ryan Cayabyab and Chino Toledo became her teachers for composition. She also became a member of the UP Concert Chorus.

Emcy later turned professional by joining the band Fourplay, when she was only 19. Her stint with the band brought her to a more cross-oriented, cross-over and funkier form of jazz similar with the likes of noted international artists such as Manhattan Transfer and Sergio Mendes.

“One of the most difficult to do is being an alto next to a soprano.” Emcy says. “I find the songs of Manhattan Transfer challenging in terms of harmony.”

While with Fourplay in the early ‘80s, Emcy performed in several night spots, hotel lounges and other popular music bars around Manila. The group also got to perform in Japan.

In 1986, Emcy decided it was time to go solo. Hence, from that time until the ’90s, she had stints at Hyatt’s Calesa Bar (with Rudy Francisco and Blackbird Band), Manila Hotel’s Tap Room (with Joselito Pascual), Strumm’s (with Eddie Boy Aromin), Birdland, Tavern on the Square, Manila Garden’s Concourse Lounge (with Ely Saison), Mandarin’s Captain’s Bar (with Tateng Katindig) and Makati Shangri-La’s Conways Bar.

“I was fortunate enough to work with great pianists such as Rudy Francisco and Joselito Pascual when I went solo,” Emcy recalls. “Through the years, I got to sing a wide variety of songs although standards were much required. But my passion is really jazz. I also love to do scathing and Ella Fitzgerald is my kind of style. Scathing is an improvisation to a song just like ad-libbing to an instrument.”

With her vast exposure into music, Emcy is fortunate enough to find a partner in life who’s also into music. Husband Tek Faustino is the drummer-brother of musical director Mon Faustino. Brothers are Tats and Ding. All of them are into music.

“My husband plays pop music while I do jazz,” Emcy discloses. “We compliment each other in research and sharing each other’s thoughts. We’ve been married for 24 years. My life has evolved, still growing and learning all sorts of music.”

At present, Tek plays drums at Merk’s Place (owned by singer Richard Merk and wife Roni Tapia-Merk), where Emcy also sings regularly every Wednesday night. Her varied repertoire includes such songs as Killing Me Softly, Better Days, One Hello, People, Rainy Days and Mondays, Out Here On My Own, One Note Samba and Someone To Watch Over Me.

Also part of her repertoire are songs like Somewhere, Half a Minute, Stardust, Every Breath You Take, If, Blue Moon, Fallin’, Alfie, As Time Goes By, Mas Que Nada, Misty, Carpenters medley, It Might Be You, More Today Than Yesterday and even Katy Perry’s Firework.

“I love Patti Austin, Diane Reeves, Randy Crawford and Grammy Award winner Diane Schuur, a great blind singer who inspired me to sing and play the piano at the same time,” Emcy maintains. “Diane plays the piano with (jazz guitarist) Lee Ritenour and (pianist/composer) Dave Grusin whom I also both love.”

On Tuesdays, Emcy sings at Genting Resorts World. She also performs with Poppin’ Jazz, a band she formed with husband Tek (on drums) and his brother Ding (musical director and on first keyboard), while Emcy does vocals and grand piano. They do mostly fusion artists such as Sergio Mendes and Seawind when they sing at the Tap Room of the Manila Hotel.

Meanwhile, Emcy will be featured in a special performance in A Valentine Concert at Barbara’s in Intramuros on Feb. 14.

When she’s not singing, Emcy attends to her more important personal role as mom to her four children — Nicole, Josue, Michael and Justin.