RJ Jacinto bounces the standards

In spite of the fact that he has been at it since he was only 15 years old, that means more than 50 years ago, and he should now be blasé about the process, RJ Jacinto has not lost his love for making music. He is still always cooking up something fun and musical. Would you believe, he is now bouncing the standards.

More than eight years ago, RJ came up with an album titled Swingin’ the Kundiman. Swing the kundimans was just what he did. He took classic Filipino compositions and folk songs and gave them new swing arrangements. These brought new life to the old works as well as new listeners who then stopped thinking of those Filipino songs as old-fashioned and lacking in modern appeal.

It was refreshing to listen to a swinging Constancio de Guzman’s Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig, as well as to Ikaw, Sitsiritsit Alibang-bang, Leron-leron Sinta, Dahil Sa ‘yo, Matud Nila, Itik-itik, O Ilaw, Tinikling, Bahay Kubo, Atin cu pung Sing-sing, Pamulinawen, Muli and Magtanim ay di Biro.

It is now 2023 and RJ is back with a new album with the same concept. Released last week, it is titled Ramon Jacinto Bouncing the Standards. This time around, he has taken foreign standard songs and then bounced them. Bouncing in RJ lingo is putting a pronounced danceable beat to the old songs to dance to.

The vibe is very RJ. It is very much like what you will hear when you enter RJ Bistro at the Dusit Thani in Makati when he is performing on stage. It is light, fun rock tunes you can boogie or twist to. But in the case of the album Bouncing the Standards, the melodies are not the usual rock and roll classics.

RJ has a great feel for what songs his followers enjoy listening to and he has chosen a nice batch that is as sentimental as they come and which he then arranged to his own style. Moon River, Fly Me to the Moon, Gonna Get Along without You Now, The Way You Look Tonight, Only You, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Without You, Love and Puppy Love.

A surprise cut is Oh, What a Circus, a number from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita.  Not the usual standard but old enough to be one and the melody suits RJ’s guitar style. The same goes for Santa Esmeralda’s You’re My Everything, which is another nice guitar showcase in the album.

The whole collection bounces but what I like best of all about it is the inclusion of the rarely heard hit tune from the ‘70s, Babe What Would You Say, which RJ sings with gleeful gusto. This was the biggest hit by the British musician and engineer Hurricane Smith, who also wrote and produced his own songs. He had minor hits with Don’t Let It Die and Who Was It. Smith passed away last March 3, 2008 at the age of 85.

After so many years as a musician and I am sure now countless recordings, RJ can pretty much, as the cliche goes rest on his laurels. Still he seems to approach every project he embarks on with great enthusiasm. Not only that he keeps thinking of ways to spice up his productions like bouncing or swinging the songs.

RJ is also very involved with the process. Of course, he is always expected to sing and play the guitar during the recordings. Like why get somebody else when you have the top guy. But I checked the credits and found out that RJ also played keyboards and percussions and even sang backing vocals. I guess that is why, there is no stopping the country’s legendary guitar man and living rock and roll legend.