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As fitting tribute to the late guitarist, musical arranger, composer and artist Menchu Apostol, the Makati Golden Lions Foundation, Inc. presents a special one-day concert billed Remembering Menchu tonight, 7:30 at Crossroad, 77 Mother Ignacia corner Scout Reyes street, Quezon City.

Beneficiaries are the Turning Point Foundation, Inc. and the Philippine National Red Cross.

Leading lights in the music industry, like Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Kuh Ledesma, Side A, Leah Navarro, Verni Varga and Ivy Violan will perform.

Menchu's colleagues, the Ugoy-Ugoy band, Tots Tolentino, Rey Cristobal, Colby dela Calzada and Jun Regalado will also be there.

Menchu was one of the best session guitarists and musical arrangers in the industry. He rose from the ranks as choir instrumentalist to the pinnacle of the pop music world.

He joined the Music and Making Company in 1978 and performed with the Romy Posadas band up to 1980. In 1981, he started playing jazz at Birdland, where he was made guitar magic with a group called Sticky.

He was in demand as studio and session instrumentalist cum musical arranger. He amazed colleagues by when he learned reading music through a friend who taught him the solfeggio.

Menchu's first exposure to the international jazz scene came in 1981 when he was invited to the three-day Monterey Jazz Festival in the US. From 1982 to 1983, he continued his nightly gigs at Birdland. In 1984, Menchu was invited to play at the International Jazz Festival in Singapore. The following years were considered the peak of Menchu's career, when numerous projects for musical arrangement and session work came his way. A highlight of his career was his collaboration with jazz great Emil Mijares in 1988.

Menchu directed concerts and TV shows. In 1996, he worked as musical director of Nora Aunor's Superstar while maintaining his session work. He worked with the likes of Kuh Ledesma, Gary Valenciano, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Ray-An Fuentes, Verni Varga, Louie Reyes, Jacqui Magno, Leah Navarro, John Lesaca, The CompanY and others. His masterful musical touch has been felt in all-time OPM favorites like Gary V's Paano and Di Na Natuto.