The baby-faced & musical maturity

Every so often, we have those artists or musicians who, for no reason other than genes or sheer luck, will continue to look much younger than his or her actual years. We don’t all have to look like Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, who even back then when he was 40, already looked like he came from three centuries ago and had just risen from the grave. Chris Botti is a renowned jazz musician, whose boyish looks makes him look more like an ex-member of Boyzone or Ronan Keating’s long-lost brother, than serious trumpet player. On our own shores, we have Barbie Almalbis, who after having paid her dues for several years with Young Poets and Barbie’s Cradle, has embarked on a solo career, with her cherubic countenance intact. With their new releases, both Chris and Barbie showcase a newfound musical maturity that belies their baby-faced looks.

• Chris Botti: To Love Again, The Duets (Columbia Records-Sony BMG). Botti’s technique and mastery of the trumpet has drawn comparisons to Miles Davis and Chet Baker. I personally frown on all that comparing. Miles is Miles, and his contribution to Jazz and Music has as much to do with his presence and persona, as it has to do with the music itself.

Having said that, Botti is an outstanding musician in his own right. Botti’s signing with Sony meant there were attempts to try and take him more into the mainstream, via jazz fusion. On this album, while joining the duet concept bandwagon, we thankfully have Botti moving back to the territory of jazz standards and classic trumpet-playing.

Sting, Jill Scott, Paula Cole, the predictable Michael Bublé, the unpredictable Steven Tyler, Renee Olstead, Gladys Knight (without her Pips) and Rosa Passos, these are some of the vocalists enlisted to duet with Botti on a number each, and spark magic with this consummate trumpet-player. Its song selections like What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life, Here’s That Rainy Day, Good Morning Heartache, Pennies from Heaven and Smile, with the London Symphony Orchestra reporting for duty on several of the tracks. Jill Scott and Chris’ Good Morning Heartache is my personal favorite, and I know listeners will be surprised out of their socks with Steven Tyler’s Smile.

Other than a couple of semi-upbeat numbers that swing, the general mood of this CD is "indigo" – you know, a languid evening or late-night feel with a lot of atmosphere. You recall classy lounges and upscale bars, where the musicians are topnotch, where lush string arrangements back up the dialogue going on between singer and trumpet. It’s this kind of music that streams out of the speakers. Music of this high standard deserves an audience. There were times when I wondered if Botti could project beyond his good looks and be treated seriously as a musician. With the maturity of the music and his playing on this CD, there are no doubts left, and I’m a believer.

• Barbie Almalbis: Parade (12 Stone Records-Warner Music Philippines).

Barbie Almalbis is enjoying a resurgence in the music scene, this time as a solo artist. Hot on the heels of her music video last year with then unknown Sam Milby for CloseUp, she provided the jingle for a Sunsilk campaign that is a favorite download of teens this summer. Her first CD of new material since going solo, Parade, is out; and it strengthens her profile as a quality singer-songwriter.

Pag-aalis is my current favorite cut, and along with the perky carrier single/video of Dahilan, they’re perfect examples of the special musical magic the new "improved" Barbie can create. If previously, her songs carried something of a jazz tinge, borne by her then constant listening to artists such as Joni Mitchell, there’s more of a rock/alternative sensibility to her current crop of compositions. The effective use of native, indigenous instruments as accent is also shown in the introduction to the song Dahilan.

Her nod to the "duet" and collaboration syndrome is courtesy of her version of the Speaks song High – joined as she is by the lead singer of the group. From the recent tribute album to the Eraserheads, Drive of Ely Buendia, is included in this CD. There are illustrations by a bunch of artists in the liner notes pamphlet that accompanies this CD, and it’s interesting to note that boyfriend Martin Honasan is responsible for three of the renderings. They, along with the other drawings, help provide a signpost to the state of Barbie’s inner person status. There’s new-found maturity, and enthusiasm in developing as an artist. While others may stick to reliving their glory days, this new Barbie is a welcome addition to the local scene. That natural contrast between her winsome voice and the harder-edged base of her current musical output makes for wonderful alchemy.