The night the stars crossed over

"Mighty oaks from little acorns grow."

When the brains behind 105.1 Crossover conceptualized a monthly concert series in April 2001, little did they realize that this "seed" would blossom, reach out to the heavens and bear much fruit.

The concept was simple: take a respected performing artist, concoct a repertoire of songs that stick to the FM station’s unique blend of "crossover music" (a healthy mix of smooth jazz and R&B) and assemble the country’s first-call session musicians and musical directors in a plush concert venue.

This germ of an idea soon evolved into a monthly habit – the much-awaited Crossover Presents Concert Series which kicked off with no less than the chameleon-like diva Lani Misalucha at the Mandarin Hotel’s Captain’s Bar.

Crossover Presents infused new blood into the pop and rock-oriented live concert circuit. After nearly two years, Crossover mounted yet another grand spectacle as it launched its Best of Crossover Presents CD, a collection of easy-listening pop/jazz remakes interpreted by some of the country’s leading pop stars.

Held at the Le Pavilion along Roxas Blvd. a few weeks back, the show was a welcome pre-Christmas treat and year-ender for smooth jazz lovers.

The event was kicked off with a rare treat from what could possibly be the most under-rated bunch of musicians today: the Da Capo String Ensemble. Armed with only a violin, acoustic guitar, flute and a keyboard, the group mesmerized the incoming audience with their own arrangements of such standard gems as Sting’s Fragile, George Benson’s Breezin’, Feel Like Makin’ Love, Dance With Me, and many others.

What was surprising was how the quartet actually sounded much fuller than it looked – at several times prompting such remarks as "Oh, I thought that was a record playing!" It did seem pretty deceptive since most of the incoming concert-goers could not see the musicians, who were (sadly) situated at the floor area near the front row seats.

After a rousing opener from young upstart Yamani, Crossover CEO LouieVillar welcomed the crowd and formally announced the launching of the new album, a collaboration between Crossover and Viva Records. He also dedicated the album to his dad, the late Luis Villar, Sr.

This was soon followed by the grand entrance of the stars who came in from the main entrance, walked through the middle aisle and converged onstage. All looking spiffy in their formal garb, they made the event a night of high fashion as well.

As the stars made their way to the stage wings, the lights dimmed and the band warmed up that cold December night with their jazzed-up version of the Beatles’ Norwegian Wood, with Mel Villena’s sparse soprano sax lines snaking in and out of the tight, intricate funk groove. The Hotlegs, dressed up in vests and top hats, provided a visual spectacle with their bone-jarring dance steps.

Prior to the performance of each of the major stars, short film clips played on the giant video screens, with each artist narrating what Crossover music meant to them. Ogie Alcasid, for instance, spoke of how such music elicits "wow" reactions.

Janno Gibbs, on the other hand, interprets such melodies as "a way of keeping in touch with our sensitive side."

Gary V opened the series with his version of Randy Crawford’s One Hello. Lani Misalucha strode in afterwards with her solo rendition of Shirley Bassey’s Never, Never, Never, which was rearranged with a Latin touch. The intro sounded pretty much like Matt Bianco’s Half A Minute.

Gary then returned onstage to join Lani in a duet, Things Are Not The Same, a cut from Gary’s One 2 One album.

The Opera, one of the busiest back-up vocal groups these days, displayed their flawless vocal harmonies through their version of Whenever, Wherever, Whatever.

One of the highlights of the show was the comic interplay between bosom buddies Ogie Alcasid and Janno Gibbs. "It’s like watching a sober version of S.O.P!," remarked a friend.

After their respective solo spots (Ogie did Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke while Janno sang I Will Always Stay in Love This Way) and their "Dolphy-Panchito routine," the duo scatted their way through George Benson’s version of Moody’s Mood – with Janno’s voice dexterously soaring an octave higher to sing the woman’s part. Heck, the two were even locked in a tight embrace at that point.

What followed were equally spellbinding performances from Nanette Inventor (You Made Me So Very Happy), Jaya (Away from You), Side A’s Joey Generoso (Hardcore Poetry), Regine Velasquez (Love Is Stronger Far Than We) and the great Basil Valdez (The Harder I Try, from the Fifth Dimension).

With due deference to all artists, my personal pick as the best performance for the night was Regine Velasquez, with her hauntingly brooding rendition of the Ester Satterfield-Chuck Mangione ballad. Imagine the stillness of a cold December night giving way to the sound of warm, full-bodied chords deftly plucked on an acoustic guitar.

Now, imagine further the meditative and even more haunting sound of a harmonica providing a perfect prelude to Regine’s effortless singing. While she can normally do justice to just about any song, this old jazzy standard seemed to be the perfect vehicle for her style. Kudos likewise to Mel Villena whose lilting harmonica riffs could almost remind you of jazz harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans.

As their finale, the stars again gathered onstage and grooved to their version of Shalamar’s A Night To Remember.

The band was composed of Roy Mercado (drums), Cezar Aguas (guitars), Bond Samson (first keyboards), Bobby Taylo (bass), Mel Villena (sax, flute, keyboard) and Gerard Salonga as musical director. Louie Ignacio was stage director.