Pinoy musician shines in Hall of Famer’s band

MANILA, Philippines — London-born Filipino musician Manolo Polidario is making waves as the lead guitarist and back-up vocalist of The Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone’s solo band, gaining even more plaudits now performing on the 30th anniversary UK tour of Fame The Musical.    

Polidario, 38, joined Blunstone’s five-man band three years ago and has become a fixture in the group that is a favorite in the UK concert circuit. Blunstone was recently a headliner in the On The Blue Cruise with both The Zombies and his solo band aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Mariner of the Seas that sailed from Miami and visited Nassau and the private island of Labadee in Haiti on a five-day journey. The cruise brought in 3,100 passengers who were treated to live music by Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues, Alan Parsons, Procol Harum, Todd Rundgren, Steve Hackett of Genesis, Danny Seraphine and Bill Champlin of Chicago, Vanilla Fudge,  David Pack of Ambrosia, John Elefante of Kansas, Poco, Stephen Bishop, Al Stewart, Dave Mason of Traffic, Wishbone Ash, The Strawbs, The Orchestra with former ELO musicians and Poco.

Blunstone, 73, was impeccable on stage. His voice remains as powerful as ever, like it was when he sang She’s Not There and Tell Her No in several sold-out shows averaging 30,000 fans at the Araneta Coliseum in 1967.  With Polidario, Blunstone rolled out a set list of 14 songs — What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted, Wild Places, I Don’t Believe in Miracles, Any Other Way, Caroline Goodbye, Tracks of My Tears, Though You Are Far Away, Time of the Season, Wonderful, Never Say Goodbye, Andorra, Misty Roses, Say You Don’t Mind and She’s Not There. With The Zombies, Blunstone sang Roadrunner, I Want You Back Again, I Love You, Sanctuary, Moving On, End of the Rainbow, Time of the Season, Care of Cell 44, This Will Be Our Year, I Want Her, She Wants Me, Tell Her No, Hold Your Head Up, She’s Not There and God Gave Us Rock and Roll.

London-born Filipino musician Manolo Polidario is Blunstone’s lead guitarist with his solo band. This writer interviews Polidario during the recent On The Blue Cruise.

In an exclusive interview, Blunstone said he’d drop everything in an instant to return to Manila. From The Zombies’ first visit in 1967, the group has come back to perform in the country in 2006, 2012 and 2015. “The Philippines will always be special to me,” said Blunstone who’ll be inducted with The Zombies into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 29. “It’s the only country in the world where I sing How We Were Before, my first-ever composition and Miles Away. I love Filipino fans and I know they love our music.”

Polidario, who’s booked to join Blunstone on a 12-date UK tour in April, said it would be a treat to return to Manila and perform with the Hall of Famer. “It’d be great if it happens,” he said. “I’ve only been able to visit the Philippines once before as a child so I’d love to see how it’s changed since then. I grew up eating Filipino cuisine and I’ve got a couple of favorites, adobo and dinuguan.”

Polidario’s father Perfecto was from Albay and worked as a cook at a North London hospital where he met his wife Celia, a medical technician from Sta. Mesa. Polidario is the oldest of three. His younger sister Marilyn is a primary school teacher in London and another sister Melinda is a freelance editor working for various publications in the UK and Europe. His father passed away when he was only 14.   

Polidario studied four years at the Leeds College of Music, a conservatoire where he took up jazz and contemporary (classical) music. At 16, he got his first paying gig, performing Jimi Hendrix covers in a London pub. He’s since been involved with Abba Mania, The West End Experience, Jesus Christ Superstar, Bat Out of Hell, Fame The Musical and performers like Blunstone, Gareth Gates, Tatiana Okupnik, Joe Longthorne, Mitch Winehouse and Dennis Rollins.

Polidario is gaining even more plaudits now performing on the 30th anniversary UK tour of Fame The Musical.

Blunstone said Polidario was recommended by his bass guitarist Pete Billington. “I wanted my solo band to be distinct from The Zombies,” said Blunstone. “Steve Rodford was my drummer and Tom Toomey my lead guitarist for both the solo band and The Zombies. So I thought of retaining just Steve and bringing Tom exclusively to The Zombies, creating an opening for Manolo. I think Manolo is a fantastic musician and a credit to the Philippines.”

Performing with Blunstone is a highlight in Polidario’s career. “Colin is ever the consummate professional when we’re at work and the results are clear to see,” he said. “He never fails to do a vocal warm-up before we sound-check and then again, before we play the actual show. His voice is still as strong now as it ever was. He’s also quite particular as to what he wants to hear from the band, whether it’s a particular type of chord voicing on the guitar, he himself plays very well, or how he’d like a solo to be shaped. In terms of humility, in the time that I’ve known him, he’s the least typically Rock & Roll artist I’ve worked with. He’s just very down to earth. The Zombies have been a huge influence on a lot of well-known acts over the decades and it’s about time that they’re recognized for their contribution to popular music.”

Polidario said he was inspired to play electric guitar by Hendrix and Eric Clapton as a teen. “I got very involved in rock, blues and eventually pop as I diversified as a musician,” he said. “I find that playing different genres of music requires a lot of discipline and I’ve noticed that each one can help to inform the choices made in another, in a good way. Besides, it’s useful having an understanding of different genres as a lot of modern musicals will switch between a few within a show. Even Colin’s gig goes through rock & roll, classic, ‘60s pop, ‘80s rock, prog, country and bossa nova in a single night.”