At 80, Jose Mari Chan remains in tune with the times
MANILA, Philippines — Audiences have witnessed multi-awarded singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan conquer crowds at his concerts both here and abroad. He has successfully performed at major venues and sung his popular songs over the decades.
Now an octogenarian, Joemari continues not only to actively perform onstage but also to compose songs and jingles, guest on TV and even welcome product endorsements.
Recently, Joemari was deeply honored to be spotlighted in the concert “Afterglow: Seasons of the Heart,” alongside young talents. It was not December yet, but he gave his nod to headline a show at the PICC (Philippine International Convention Center) Plenary Hall.
Those who have not experienced Joemari live onstage have not heard him regale his audience with hilarious jokes only he could deliver.
The show did away with a live band or orchestra, with the artists singing to minus-one tracks. Joining Joemari onstage were young talents JM De la Cerna and Marielle Montellano, both grand champions of “Tawag ng Tanghalan: Duets” and grand winners of “Your Face Sounds Familiar”; “Pinoy Big Brother” Gen 11 third big placer Kolette Madelo; and “Tawag ng Tanghalan” sixth grand champion Lyka Estrella.
The young artists couldn’t have been prouder to share the stage with Joemari. Producer QR Events, led by Yuri and Beth Mercado, prepared a set list of Joemari’s classic love songs, timeless ballads, memorable OPM (Original Pilipino Music) tunes and most requested hits that delighted music lovers. The concert director was Carlo Jan Landrito.
“Afterglow: Seasons of the Heart,” which takes its title from Joemari’s very first single, Afterglow, released in 1967, saw the singer-songwriter amuse the crowd not only with his well-loved hits but also with a number of jokes interspersed throughout the concert that made the audience clamor for more.
Joemari recalled a greeting made by his friend at a gathering. “To our wives and sweethearts, may our sweethearts soon be our wives and our wives forever be our sweethearts,” Joemari teased. “To our wives and sweethearts, may they never meet.”
Former senator Dick Gordon, who was Joemari’s schoolmate at the Ateneo de Manila University, was asked what his code name had been when they were in college. Dick said, “Richard.” He was told it was too long. When he gave the name Dick, he was told, “Your Dick was not long enough.” Laughter erupted in the venue.
When the man of the house arrived home near dawn, the maid reported, “Tinanong po ako ni ma’am kung anong oras kayo umuwi. Sabi ko, hindi ko alam kasi nagluluto na ako ng breakfast.”
According to Joemari, there are two gates in heaven for married men. At the gate for regular husbands, there was a long, long line of men. At the gate for husbands who were “under de saya,” there was only one man standing.
St. Peter greeted the lone man, “Hello, I’m happy to see you standing here.” To which the man replied, “My wife told me to stand here.”
There was also a line for money, Joemari said. “Welcome, P10. Welcome, P5. Welcome to the gates of heaven. P100, welcome. P50, welcome. Welcome, P20.” But when P1,000 came, he asked, “What about me, St. Peter?” To which the latter replied, “I’ve never seen you in church.”
The crowd hollered with laughter and asked for more.
In Quezon City, there was a girlie bar named Traffic, Joemari shared. When the husband arrived home early one morning, his wife was standing in the doorway.
“Where have you been?” the wife asked. “Tell the truth.”
The husband honestly said, “I was in Traffic.” He was telling the truth.
“Are you having fun?” Joemari asked the audience, to which they replied with a resounding “Yes.” The crowd requested more jokes and hollered.
According to Joemari, when you go to Mass, there is a receptacle for holy water, so you should bless yourself when you enter the church.
“Do you know that they never put salt in the holy water? You know why? Because it’s a sin.”
More laughter followed, with the audience even clapping.
He acknowledged that guys meet girls on the internet. However, instead of having a virtual meeting, one guy proposed that they meet in person.
“We’ve been chatting for the last two weeks, but I think it’s time for us to meet.”
The girl agreed to meet him at a bar in a restaurant.
“So you would know me right away, I would be in a green dress,” she said.
To which the guy replied, “And I would be in a blue shirt. I look forward to meeting you personally.”
But the guy was worried. “What if she’s not pretty? You know what? I’ll wear something violet. If the girl comes in and she’s pretty, I’ll introduce myself.”
One girl walked in, and she was not so pretty, but she waited for him. After 30 minutes, she approached the guy in violet.
“Excuse me, are you Andrei?”
To which he answered, “No, Andrei is in a blue shirt.”
Another funny anecdote involved a conversation between the man of the house and his male assistant.
“Sir, may bad news ako sa ’yo. Natatandaan mo ’yung parrot mo, Sir? ’Yung perico mo, namatay ang parrot mo,” said the assistant.
“Huh? P20,000 ang bili ko doon,” lamented the boss.
“Hindi po namin alam, Sir. Siguro, theory ko lang ito, na-heart attack ang parrot mo. Kasi pinakain namin ng masamang karne.”
“Anong karne ang pinakain ninyo?”
“Karne ng patay na kabayo.”
“Pinakain ninyo ng patay na kabayo? Anong kabayo?”
“Sir, ’yung racehorse ninyo.”
“Siguro ho, na-heart attack, Sir. Kasi buong magdamag, pinagbuhat namin ng tubig. Pinagbuhat namin ng tubig buong gabi para patayin ang apoy. Sir, kasi ’yung bahay mo, nasunog.”
“Bakit?”
“Theory ko lang ito. May kandila kasi. Nasunog ang kurtina, tapos nasunog ang buong bahay.”
“Kandila? ’Di ba may electricity naman tayo? Bakit may kandila?”
“May burol po sa bahay ninyo.”
“Kaninong burol?”
“Si Mrs. po kasi, namatay. Dumating po siya nang hatinggabi. Akala ko magnanakaw. Nabaril ko po.”
The entire venue erupted in the loudest laughter of the night.
“After being a singer-songwriter for more than 60 years, this is a glorious event for me,” Joemari said. “I’m deeply honored—I don’t want to sound like a broken record—that they’re going to feature my songs in July.
“It’s so nice to be singing with our young talents. I was wishing that their journey would be long, gratifying, adventurous, romantic and fulfilling. You know, Filipino talent will never disappear from this planet.”
He shared how he penned Refrain while his then-girlfriend, Mary Ann Ansaldo, worked as a missionary and teacher at the Assumption School in Osaka.
“I was missing her, and I wrote this song and sent it to Japan,” he said. “She must have liked the song because the next year, she became my wife.”
Included in the first volume of “Words and Music” is the track Can We Just Stop and Talk A While.
There was an international song festival in Japan called the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival.
“In the ’70s, I remember Vic del Rosario called me up and said, ‘Joe, they’re looking for a Filipino song,’” Chan shared. “‘Can you submit a song? Just to let you know, I also asked four or five other composers to submit a song, so there’s no guarantee that your song will be picked by the Japanese.’
“So I came up with that song, Can We Just Stop and Talk A While, and I waited. After several weeks, Vic del Rosario called me and said, ‘Good news, your song was picked by the Japanese.’ So, I performed that song in Tokyo at the giant Nippon Budokan Hall. I performed with about 46 other contestants from different countries. Wow!
“It was a wonderful moment in my life to sing in Japan on an international stage and with other singers. That was an unforgettable moment for me. The song didn’t win, but that was immaterial to me. The important thing is that I was able to express my words and music to a wide Japanese audience.”
In the Philippines, Can We Just Stop and Talk A While became a hit.
“That was a turning point in my career, and I’ll never forget that,” said Joemari. “That was my first international appearance. BBC on Channel 9 produced a series of television specials spotlighting my songs. That was a turning point in my career.”
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