One: Some great jazz albums. Check.
Two: OPM albums. Check.
The artist at the very top of my OPM wishlist is local jazz legend Bong Peñera. However, the hunt for his elusive album A Samba Song ended up as a mere exercise in futility.
Good thing I was able to snag his self-titled album. That's a whole lot better than being left totally empty handed, right?
To be honest, the name did ring a bell. Faintly. I can vaguely recall his tunes being played on the radio. I was even under the impression that he used to perform classical music.
The first musician that came to mind the moment I heard this album was the late Antonio Carlos Jobim. The gentle keyboards, chiming guitars and seductive bossa nova beat were almost identical to the likes of "Aguas De Marco," "Wave," and "One Note Samba."
Copycat? Well, if Mr. Peñera openly wears his heart on his sleeves in admiration of such a great artist, who are we to complain? Who didn't turn to their contemporaries for inspiration?
Go ahead and read about how the Beatles' Rubber Soul inspired Brian Wilson to create Pet Sounds and vice versa when the Liverpool lads came out with the landmark Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Didn't Bob Dylan echo the works of Woody Guthrie in his early recordings?
The excellent musicianship is on full display here. There's passion, soul and not just some virtuoso showing off technical skills. And if you think the album's Jobimesque tracks are the only highlights, you're sadly, sadly mistaken.
The opening track "Sa Dako pa Roon" and its reprise featuring that kid on lead vocals will give shivers down your spine. The jazzy "Love Notes" with Pat Castillo lending her pipes could very well be mistaken as a long lost Joni Mitchell song or an outtake from Court and Spark. "Sinta" and "Melancholy Dreams" are a couple more excellent tracks in this all killer no filler album.
It's quite unfortunate that the guy's music has been buried knee deep in the marshes of forgotten OPM luminaries. It's quite unfortunate that his genius will forever remain a mystery to most of our countrymen who were either too young or too naive when he first burst into the local music scene.
If by any chance you'd be able to dip your hands on this CD or LP somewhere, go ahead and you won't be disappointed.
