THE Sounds of Manila (SoM), a US-based all-Filipino show band aptly tagged as “Ambassadors of Philippine Music,” finally raised the bar of their decade-long musical supremacy this side of the east coast when they formally launched their much-awaited CD during a live concert simultaneously celebrating Cecile Azarcon’s 35 years of writing and composing timeless original songs at the Anna Maria Ciccone Theater of Bergen Community College along 400 Paramus Road in Paramus, New Jersey.
Despite the torrential rains and bone-chilling temp, not to mention the distance, avid fans and ardent supports simply ignored every possible hindrance that might impede their long-planned rendezvous with Sounds of Manila.
Bergen Community College’s Anna Maria Ciccone Theater, the venue of Sounds of Manila Sings Cecile Azarcon, was justifiably a perfect launching site although a much grander location could have been considered after a massive turnout of attendees that reached to the theater’s full capacity limit. However, the 300-seater theater has successfully achieved its primary purpose of providing superb entertainment site while simultaneously serving as a working laboratory for theater, dance, and music for their students.
Although the venue pales in comparison with world renowned classical halls of Harvard’s Wallace Sabine or Vienna’s Grosser Musikvereinssall or New York City’s Carnegie Hall, all known for their perfect reverberation and attenuation qualities, the Ciccone Theater has at least achieved the required standardized set-up and met absorptive qualities required of a multi-purpose auditorium. It has acceptably attained to eliminate the common vagaries of sonic texture and acoustic standards of a performing theater.
From a well-conceptualized and musically loaded repertoire, the over-enthusiastic audience was fittingly greeted with SoM’s intro song, “Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika”, a Ryan Cayabyab 1978 first Metro Manila Pop Music Fest winning piece as interpreted by Hajji Alejandro but this time revived through the powerfully blended vocals of SoM’s lead singing tandem, Suzanne Lansangan-Sabangan and Hermie Angeles. That initial number alone perked up everyone’s energy and prepared them for a more nostalgic collection.
The duo segued to Michel Legrand’s “How Do You Keep The Music Playing,” theme from the 1982 film Best Friends, just so to establish the influence of music on a duet. And to set the mood for timeless OPM, Hermie emotionally rendered Noynoy Zuñiga’s signature ditty, “Never Ever Say Goodbye” while Suzanne delivered her own vocal interpretation of George Canseco’s “Ngayon,” originally recorded by Basil Valdez.
The glaring spotlights guided musical icon Cecile Azarcon to center stage as she gently mounted before a grand piano after greeting her audience. The crowd was kept in an abrupt stillness as if waiting for Cecile’s initial act. Donned in a flowing grey metallic lamé kaftan top over a pair of black palazzo pants, the prolific singer-songwriter provided her audience with a vivid background of her early beginnings and the inspirational sources of each and every song she has written.
Accompanying herself on the piano, she rendered “Lift Up Your Hands,” her first ever composition she released when she was barely 19 and recorded by Basil Valdez. “I never realized that there was such a biblical verse (Matthew 11:28) since I merely wrote the song in a matter of minutes following a phone conversation with a friend who was undergoing a personal problem.” Cecile quoted.
Her second song, inspired by a friend’s constant jilts in finding Mr. Right, “Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga,” another Basil Valdez’s signature piece during the early 80s, tremendously assayed a more personal message. From a teleserye themesong that starred Lovi Poe came her next number, “Huwag Kang Mangako,” which Cecile rendered in both Tagalog and English.
The esteemed singer-songwriter has been openly proud that she was raised and tutored on the piano by her 93 year-old grandmother. As a tribute after her passing, she composed a very personal and lyrical song, “Awit Kay Lola,” which, according to her, hasn’t been recorded and had its maiden rendition that evening. Upon hearing it, not a few were blinded with tears while Cecile, herself, sometimes had to take control of her emotion before she chokes.
Another fresh and unrecorded composition, “The Journey of A Thousand Songs,” carries a sustained level of sentimental passion with lilting melody. Even first time listeners could easily fall in love with this piece for such is touted to be another potential mega hit at par with “One More Try.”
The audience was inevitably held in a spell with Cecile’s vocal rendition of her own compositions while accompanying herself on the piano. Dropping a pin could audibly create a disturbing sound had there been a culprit that dared spoil the sublime and the magical serenity of the whole scenario.
The penultimate portion was the most awaited part of the show since it was purely about the SoM CD launch segment. The crowd was all set to listen to the result of a three-year-long production. The band opened with Cecile Azarcon’s telenovela songs beginning with a duet of Gary Valenciano’s “How Did You Know?” from “Blessed” followed by one of Cecile’s most popular works and recorded by Kuh Ledesma, “One More Try,” which soared to even greater heights via Hermie Angeles’ justifiable rendition. After serving as theme songs in a number of TV drama series and the movies, “One More Try” reached its peak when it became the musical background of “My Husband’s Lover.”
Suzanne added a dash of her own style to “Even If,” initially recorded by Jam Morales, and rendering it as if her own. Then the duo performed an original Azarcon piece, “All My Tomorrows,” which, incidentally, is their album’s first cut. Another Kuh Ledesma’s recorded song, “I Think I’m In Love,” gave Hermie a solo spot that finally brought him and Suzanne to a duet of Martin Nievera’s “Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin.”
The finale brought the audience back to reality and created indispensable havoc. With just the first few notes the audience got on their feet and threw every caution in the air as they allow the infectious beats to influence them. Dancing with gusto to “Manila” and OPM Disco songs such as “I-swing Mo Ako,” “Swing,” “Rock Baby Rock,” “Tayo’y Magsayawan,” and “Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko,” the crowd went wild while in a hyper dance mode. The atmosphere was akin to a dimly lit disco with matching dancing lights.
An all-cast performance led by the Sounds of Manila Band, Cecile Azarcon, San Lorenzo Ruiz Society Choir of Little Ferry and Monachie, and Pasalubong Dance group, pulled down the curtain as they sang “One” in unison that brought the show to an end.
Suzanne and Hermie’s well-formulated chemistry was obviously vital in delivering a high quality performance while simultaneously bringing out nothing but only the best from each other. Their long and tested partnership on stage had considerably established a perfect sense of camaraderie and reliable trust resulting to hallmark performances which fully solidified their mutual confidence and harmonic blending even more.
There’s certainly no denying that the massive fusion of SoM’s musical talent is something to seriously reckon with. After hearing SoM lead vocalists Suzanne and Hermie sang together in different occasions, their performance in last Saturday’s CD launch was quite a revelation—confirming their melodic tandem to be a truly consummate partnership. Their blended voices were impeccably matched and had effortlessly straddled the genres of pop, rock, and OPM) without sacrificing the quality and texture of the music.
Collectively the band played with such distinct precision and constantly built the show’s energy from the start ‘til finale. Fervently armed with peculiar capacity to execute mustered expertise with their instrument, every SoM member effortlessly played their respective parts to the hilt. SoM members who performed in the show included: Ronnie Sabangan (bassist) and JR Gendrano (drummer). Incidentally, Bobby De Leon (musical director-keyboardist) and Aaron Garcia (guitarist) were both on leave. Guest lead guitarist for the event, Carlo Tampac of C2, successfully delivered much more than what was expected of him.
An evening of OPM with prolific singer-songwriter Cecile Azarcon and featured unrivaled music arranger-accompanist Lorrie Ilustre was one momentously poignant celebration of heartwarming and romantic Philippine love songs that inevitably induced the audience to gaudily tread down memory lane. Nostalgic while simultaneously throbbing, Cecile Azarcon’s songs are masterfully interwoven with simple but soulful melody and profusely laced with sentimentally well-chosen lyrics one could easily relate to.
Former HotDog Band member Lorrie Ilustre was undoubtedly one of the evening’s (unheralded) stars. The multi-talented musical icon hasn’t lost his Midas touch on the keyboard after all these years. Unassuming and low-key, the inexhaustible musical director-composer-music arranger-conductor cum keyboardist has consistently proven his unrivaled mettle and knowledgeability in the business he supremely reigns for decades. A virtuoso in his own right, Lorrie has had distinctly carved an enviably most-coveted niche and successfully stamped his indelible mark in the Philippine entertainment industry.
Neophyte performers and greenhorn players of Pasalubong Dance Ensemble, the Filipino-American Club of Bergen, ably acted as curtain raisers, though delivering a rather egregious and risible performance, but aptly redeemed their weaknesses by consistently exhibiting intense passion and genuine enthusiasm. This young group of promising entertainers still has all the ample time to perfect their act and eventually develop fundamental skills of their burgeoning career to completely overcome their pusillanimous stage presence and who knows one of the best future performers could be from Pasalubong.
True enough, OPM is all about love, life, family, faith, destiny, and about almost anything and the Sounds of Manila has justifiably conveyed its very essence via effectively interpreting Cecile Azarcon’s songs and music. If silence is the language of poet Rolando Carbonell’s heart, music then, for the Sounds of Manila, is the lingo of their soul.
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