This quarterly feature written by various writers from the Jazzphil editorial staff, or from guest contributors, will focus on musicians and performance venues such as night clubs and eateries where jazz is being presented. The Spotlight on Artists, while not intended to be “critical” in character as with the Views, Reviews & Interviews page, will feature promising young jazz talents as well as veteran talents in newly organized bands. [The views and opinions expressed by the writers do not necessarily reflect those of the Jazz Society of the Philippines (Jazzphil) web site editorial staff.]

JUN REGALADO was born in December of 1948 under the sun sign of Capricorn. His musical career spanning four decades has been no less than stellar! Jun's path as a professional drummer started when he was only fourteen years old; before that he was already adept at various musical instruments such as the clarinet, sax, flute, guitar and piano. This comes to no surprise since Jun comes from a family of musicians from the lake shore town of Pakil, Laguna. His parent mentors were his father, clarinetist Nemesio Regalado Sr., a famous bandleader of the 50's and 60's, and his mother pianist-educator, the former Martha Vito .

Today Jun continues to be one of the most sought after drummers to handle any challenge required of him, both in the studio and live circuit circles. His credentials as a drummer are outstanding having backed-up the entertainment industry heavies from A to Z. He endorses Shure microphones, Premiere drums and Zyldjian cymbals; something his dad Mesio did for Conn wind instruments in the 1930's. On a tour to Manila that had Jun on drums, Berklee College of Music faculty, pianist Bob Winter, wrote a dedication to Jun on a photograph that read, "Now I know why they call you Asia's best drummer!"

Jun's Cd album, Patterns & Fills, is a testimony to his honed skills as a consumate drummer. Pop, Rock and Funk grooves are his popular choice for young and upcoming drummers who have dreams of their own to become top notch! Various variations, patterns and loops present a clear view of options to take when needed; something drummers have to deliver from time to time! Joining him on keyboards is Yoyong Nalasa, while Jeri de Leon provides the solid bass lines.

In Jun's own words: Patterns and Fills that I played in this material are just some examples of todays kind of drumming for Pop, Rock and Funk which I want to share to all co-drummers. I hope you may get a lot of new ideas that would help you find more grooves and enjoyable sounds on your drumming. To get the most out of the recorded materials, you must focus on your listening on how thay are played and try to adopt it on your actual performance. When playing with the band, you must listen to everyone to get the whole picture of the music. In other words play musically. LISTEN, PRACTICE, PLAY, HAVE FUN and ENJOY.

Richie Quirino

8/27/05

CLICK BELOW FOR INFORMATION ABOUT REGALDADO’S
CLASSIFIED AD FOR DRUMMING INSTRUCTION
 

VESTRE ROXAS - LATIN MOOD

When Vestre Roxas called me up from Melbourne last week to say hello, his voice didn't sound like he was over 80 years old. Nobody really knows his exact age except for Vestre himself, who prefers to keep people guessing! Small talk or "tsismis" I heard from some of his closest allies, have revealed that the man was a hopeless romantic, wooing celestial beauties from all walks of life. "There wasn't a night where Uncle Vestre romanced away, he was a real ladies gentleman" says his nephew, saxophonist par excellence, Ding Basbas. Vestre was a real "dandy" in the true sense of the word, his wardrobe consisted of name-brand three piece suits that were tailor-cut to fit his lean and mean body. Most of his peers today are surprised to hear that Vestre is in the pink of health and has survived the rigors of a life filled with music, despite him being quite sickly through his middle aged life. He attributes this turn-around to the Almighty who he says has been kind to him in every sense of the word. Well, time waits for no one, and Vestre knows this so well!

A priceless slice from Vestre's past is "Latin Mood", a live recording done sometime in 1960-61 in Tokyo, Japan. Recorded by major label Columbia Records, aside from Vestre on the trumpet, Romy Katindig is on piano, Eddie Katindig Sr is on vibes and conga but is mostly heard on percussion, Roque Gonzales is on bass and Dading Papa on drums and timbales. The most popularly recorded Gershwin classic, "Summertime" is the opening cut, followed by the Duke's "Caravan", then "Cotton Candy". Track 4 is "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", followed by Spanish favorite "Besame Mucho", standard "There Must Be A Way", and blues grooves "Sugar Blues" and "St.Louis Blues". This is truly a rare recording being that the famous Katindig brothers, Romy and Eddie, are candidly captured on this wild and wooly night of Latin-jazz in Asia's capital of jazz, Tokyo - Japan.

Richie Quirino

8/27/05

POINT OF VIEW as related by Vestre Roxas
to Nello Giansiracusa in Melbourne Australia in June, 2005.

During one of our conversations with our friend Vestre Roxas, I asked him if he could give me his point of view about Jazz, improvisation, technique, feeling and if he could speak about some of his personal experiences, so here are some of his thoughts that relate to Jazz music starting with "What is jazz?”

What do Sidney Bechet, Count Basic and Thelonious Monk have in common? A lot you might say, how about this: They all played music that was, at bottom, emotional even to the point of up-ending technique. In fact, I believe that the essential reason we hold their music and that of others close to our hearts is because we revel in their joyous, gutsy, heartfelt expressions.

Indeed, with all the talk about today's crop of bright, educated, technique out-of-the wazoo players, the words of one former great jazz great (trumpeter, Booker Little) carry a special significance, before he died in 1960, he said, "My own feelings about the direction in which jazz should go are that there should be much less emphasis on technical exhibitionism and much more emphasis on emotional content on what may be termed [the] humanity in music and freedom to say all that you want to say". Do these conjure images of let-it-all-hang-out expressionism? Or that precarious imbalance between head and heart? This is a very serious question for all of us in the jazz field, as for myself V.R., I believe that you need to develop enough technique on your particular instrument as to be able to handle music that is technically challenging but technique should be only one side of the coin as the otherside, even more important, is of course to play from the heart with passion and emotion. This is my approach when I practice at home. I play very technical so that when I play on stage I don't have to worry about the technical aspect of the music that I'm playing and therefore can play from my heart with all the passion and emotion that I know how to express. Back to "what is jazz?"

I don't know what it is, when I recall a past conversation I've had with jazz trumpeter Roy Eldridge he would express it in this fashion: “Jazz is already inside you from the time that you're born and you just have to develop it,” and then he would say to me, "Jazz, is this: If you got it, you got it. You are there, and if you don't got it, forget it". I wanted to make sure if he was talking about me so I replied, "do you mean I don't got it? No man you're there. I've heard you play and you've got it'.

                       “To be a master, one must not only shed incessantly
                   but master technique in the service of feeling.”
                                                                        
                                                                               Vestre Roxas

Another thing comes to mind [re.] this matter. Thelonious Monk once said to me that he was not sure if what he played was jazz or not, that he knew that whatever came out from his piano playing was true to his being and definitely came straight from his heart; as to whether it was jazz or not, he didn't really know or cared about [it].

How incredible to hear how this genius, acclaimed jazz master felt about jazz, that it's really something that you're born with, a gift of nature. This brought me back to my youth when I thought in a very similar way. I remember one instance when playing in a big band that required [me] to play everything as written including the solos. I certainly didn't subscribe to that as I always played the music the way I felt it, straight from the heart especially when improvising a solo. So on this particular night, I played the solos the way I wanted, and afterwards the bandleader approached me and said that next time I should play the music as written on my chart especially the solo parts, I replied, you won’t have to worry, there won’t be a next time and I started packing my horn and went home.

The following day rumors spread around town that I had left the band in the middle of a gig because I refused to play a solo as written, so I couldn't get a job. Almost every band leader didn't like my attitude, so they boycotted me, but at the time I couldn't care less, I was young, aggressive and restless, and I believed in myself; I knew that sooner or later players would be able to improvise as they felt and surely that was to become the standard.

Let’s go back to technique: too much technique fogs things up, and you lose a certain organic purity in music when you focus on technical things. One needs to get past that technical phase, which leads to the next level where you learn to meditate with those around you and with the material you're playing.

What Booker said is really beautiful, powerful and simple. In this day and age his words address the loss of the human and emotional aspect in the music, the basic impulse that makes us want to create music, a desire to communicate on a human level, honestly and integrally. We still need to go back to some of our musical heros such as "Pops" Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, etc. Their excitement, charisma and drawing power always revolved around expression and emotion. To be a master, one must not only shed incessantly but master technique in the service of feeling.

Vestre Roxas, Melbourne Australia June 5 2005

One on One with Bel Cruz

By Richie Quirino

Bel "Bugudoy" Cruz Jr. hails from a famous clan of musicians being the grandson of Tirso Cruz Sr., the most popular band leader of his day. His father, Belong, was the drummer and percussionist for the Tirso Cruz Orchestra. All his children ended up being musicians as well. As of May 2002, Bugudoy has been laying low due to health problems that have affected his playing career.

While enjoying a midnight snack at the North Park Noodle House along Makati Ave. one evening, Bel "Bugudoy" Cruz walked in. We immediately recognized each other, and he waved for me to join his table. After a few pleasantries I asked him if I could schedule an interview with him. To my surprise, he didn't waste any time and started talking, which lasted more than an hour! We met a second time at the Conservatory of the Manila Peninsula, where a more formal interview took place on May 7, 1999.


Richie C. Quirino - What are your earliest recollections as far your being exposed to music?

Bel Cruz - I was 6 years old, and I started on the piano right away. My first piano teacher’s name was Auring, but she passed away shortly after we met. Then I had a male teacher whom I called maestro. At the age of 11, I transferred to the house of my grandfather, Tirso Cruz Sr. I then started to take up traditional piano, chords and harmony at the UP Conservatory. Then my grandparents enlisted an excellent teacher by the name of Marcelino Carluen. Then at the age of 13, I was fortunate to study under Bading Tuason. It was Bading who opened my eyes to the wonderful world of jazz. He taught me how to improvise which is the main ingredient of jazz.

I started to play professionally at the young age of 14 in a Latin band called Soy Con Junto, which means “I am alone” in Spanish. It was headed by a Puerto Rican bandleader by the name of Chino Santos. We played purely Latin music, and that's why I specialize in ritmos Latinos even up to today.

Then there was this guy by the name of Rey Cristobal who introduced me to Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock's music. Although Rey was out of the country most of the time, when in Manila he would share with me all that he knew, and was very generous with his music. This was a total enlightenment for me, as long as these greats existed it was a reason for me to live the rest of my life pursuing jazz as my intimate companion.

In 1985 or so, Bobby Enriquez came home for a couple of shows. One of them was held at the Birds of the Same Feather, and during this show a guy by the name of Brother Wayne saw me sitting in the back and pointed at me. So Bobby called me and asked me to play, and the people, who were mostly from La Salle, enjoyed it. After I played two pieces, they requested that I jam with Bobby, four hands on the piano. From here on Bobby was not the only "wild man", at ayaw bitawan yung audience (the audience wouldn’t let us go). The impact came a few days later, in the Sunday Panorama Magazine, which featured both of us. One comment mentioned was that when I was still in my mother's womb I was already playing “Chopsticks”.

RCQ - As a session pianist and musical director, how did it feel to work with well-known artists from overseas?

BC - Very challenging, pero (but) enjoy! The first time na dumating si Jack Jones sa Araneta Coliseum {The first time Jack Jones arrived here, at the Araneta Coliseum), I accompanied him together with a local session band that I put up just for this series of shows. Then there was Matt Monro, whom I accompanied on three occasions. Proud si Archie Lacson, at pina-solo niya ako, at tuwang-tuwa si President Marcos naman (Archie Lacson was proud, he let me take a solo, and that in turn pleased President Marcos)! I also played with Van McCoy and I was the only local musician in his band. Then there was Peaches n' Herb, who required a big band that I musically directed. During this time in the mid-70s I was president of the musicians union called Musophil (Musicians Society of the Philippines) set up by Eli Gardner, lead singer of Brown Boys, who would gig around Vietnam and other U.S. bases.

RCQ - Your first overseas gig was in Melbourne, Australia in 1967. Can you tell us about this and other travels where your music has brought you?

BC - Yes that's right, the continent from Down Under was my first taste of playing overseas. We played for 6 months at The Lido Theater, and I was bandleader of a jazz quintet. From here we lasted not more than 2 weeks at any given venue, because I didn't get along with management. I'm very temperamental, and they couldn't understand what I was doing. One of my uncles, the late Carding Cruz, bandleader sa Bayside noon (bandleader at the Bayside then), got irked with me because I wasn't commercial, and people could not understand what I was doing. My reaction to that was, take it or leave it. Most of my relatives pitied me, because I was a good musician but I didn't compromise. If it wasn't jazz ‘di wag na lang (then forget it)! I didn't have a job or any money, and I had to talk to my wife to understand me, which she did and those that didn't like my music could go to Hell.
 

Many years later in 1988, I traveled to Singapore, playing at the Mandarin. My band consisted mostly of my children. I decided later on that this would be the last time I would play with my kids because I couldn't stomach what I was playing. Believe it or not we were doing MC Hammer, Madonna, Michael and Janet Jackson, panghanap buhay talaga (it was really just for the money)! My daughters Laura, who I named after the ballad, and Melody, both ended up getting married. Sandro, my son, played lead guitar, while my other son Rommel played the keyboards and sang. My brother Mory was the bass player, while my youngest brother Bambie played the drums. Our lead singer and trumpet player was Carding "Ricky" Cruz. The name of that band was Frontline.

Oh yes, I just remembered in 1973, I opened the Bali Hyatt’s Matahari Bar with a band I called Bel Cruz and the Cruzeiros. Then the following year with the same band, I went to Hongkong, where we played for a year at the Mandarin. In 1981 or '82, I went to Osaka Japan and played as a solo pianist for 6 months. In 1983 Boy Katindig offered me to play in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. (I met the #1 pianist in K.L. by the name of Micheal Virapan who originated from the Fiji Islands, and who was a graduate of Berklee.) For this band, I had Colby de la Calzada on bass, Gil Dumas on drums, Ador Girzo played tenor sax and Sarah Silva sang like a bird, she was really good. This lasted for 4 months.

RCQ - You stopped playing for 8 years. With all that talent why?

BC - Yes I really stopped playing for about 7 or 8 years because if I couldn't play jazz then forget it, I'd rather starve! Those were dark and painful years, years of uncertainty. After this period Harry Tambuatco contacted me and convinced me to start playing again, this was at his newly-opened bar in 1995. I'm grateful to him for bringing me back to what I love to do most, play jazz! It was at this time that I was offered by BMG to make a CD album called Bugudoy, a childhood nickname given to me because I was big for a toddler.

Everything I have now, and everything that I know about the piano I owe to my grandmother Josefa, who paid for everything and supported me through all my artistic endeavors. Thanks Lola.

RCQ - What are you doing nowadays aside from playing 5 days a week at the Conservatory of the Peninsula? Any projects in the pipeline?

BC - Since mid-March of this year I started rehearsing with a new band called RM Special Band named after my cousin and manager, Rey Martinez. It consists of 2 trumpets, 1 trombone, 1 tenor sax, 1 female and 2 male singers up front backed up by a rhythm section. A la Tower of Power, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Commodores and the Temptations. Our specialty is Latin and jazzed-up pop, and pop songs na ginawang (converted to) Latin like “Always” and “How Do You Keep the Music Playing” by Michel Legrand. I do all the arrangements.

RCQ - Who are your favorites when it comes to the ivories?

BC - (Big smile) Oscar Peterson, no doubt! The father of Latin on the piano Noro Morales, and Duran, who were both bandleaders as well, were the greats of the ‘50s. Oscar Hernandez from the generation of the 80s was an exceptional arranger and pianist. This guy Gonzalo Rubalcaba from Cuba was amazing. He did a duet with Chick Corea, bakbakan talaga (it was a real showdown), they played “Spain” to its extreme and this was featured on T.V.

RCQ - Is there anything that bothers you about the local music industry?

BC – Yes, plenty. Number one is the government. Why is the government giving such a hard time to singers and musicians who want to perform overseas? Why do they require so many documents. The ARB, or artists’ record book, is ridiculous. So much has to be paid and then you have to report for 2 to 3 weeks for orientation, what a waste of time! Why don't they have singers audition singers, musicians audition musicians, as simple as that!

RCQ - What do you think Pinoy jazz lacks?

BC - Funding and support from the government and the private sector. I was invited to attend a jazz festival in Djakarta, Indonesia but there wasn't enough funding. People should get together and organize jazz festivals. Right now it's not what you know but whom you know. Politics, PR. and diplomacy are, sadly, the name of the game. Musicians should be showcased for what they play.

You know 30 years ago, the Filipinos were number one in Asia. Then Japan took over. The Indonesians are second place because of government support. In Japan and Indonesia there are so many foreign acts that come in, here hardly anything. The Japanese sounded mechanical before but not anymore.

RCQ - Are there any parting words that you would want to convey to the Pinoy jazz movement?

BC - To all the jazzheads, if you feel that jazz is your music, fight for it, die for it and don't be sorry because the rewards will be great.

Read RCQ’s review of Bel Cruz’s Bugudoy CD on the New Releases page.

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