Sunday, May 22, 2011

I Miss Sunday Jazz Nights at 19 East

Just as the title indicates, Jazz Volunteers stopped gigging every Sunday at 19 East in Sucat for quite some time now. Given it's a Sunday right now, I just miss having something to do at any given Sunday to end a weekend on a high note. Below is bootleg audio recording I made of one of the last times I watched Jazz Volunteers play in 19 East last May 3, 2010. That night was especially a treat given that Aya Yuson (my friend Paolo's guitar teacher), and Karel Honasan were there to jam.



So much talent and skill in one band. And to think they attract some of the best jazz musicians in the country to jam with them. Sundays used to be that pool of crazy mad skillz.


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Saturday, May 21, 2011

Nykó Macá Presents Gafieira

I've seen this band twice now and both times they have managed to blow me away. Nykó Macá is an awesome singer whose sound minds very soul tones the likes of Erykah Baduh and Jill Scott. She's been around in the scene for quite some time now showcasing bands that mesh well with her sound. This time she's been associating with herself with Gafieira.

I was lucky to catch her last May 13, 2011 at B-Side, at the Collective in Makati. My friend Joseph and his wife Sarah were supposed to meet up at my place before heading out. But they were running late. So I thought I would not be able to catch Nykó Macá Presents Gafieira's set. When the pair arrived, we got in a cab and started heading to the Collective (where B-Side is a part of). I remember the cab driver distinctly because I wasn't sure whether he was playing dumb or really was just having difficulty understanding directions being given. That and the fact that he was severely ngongo made the trip to B-Side hilarious.

Luckily Nykó Macá Presents Gafieira hasn't played yet when we arrived. Sarah ingeniously was able to work up a table for us and seats closest to the stage despite the place being packed. We watched a band (the band name escapes me at the moment) with a French singer who despite saying his Tagalog wasn't so good managed to sing an entire song written in Tagalog. His two chick singers were kinda useless. They didn't provide any harmonic back-up to the vocalist really. Either that or the tech just really sucked and kept their mic volumes low.


After a while, Nykó Macá Presents Gafieira started setting up. That was the only time I found that they haven't played their set yet. Definitely a pleasant surprise.


I dug the percussionist's technique. She's not so glitzy with her fills. But the tone of her strokes we full bodied. It's either her technique skill, or the fact that her congas were really nice (expensive LP Tumbadoras) that made her sound that way, or both.

Below is a video I took of one of the songs they played that night.



Obviously the band's mission is to not stop until Kakoy (the guitarist) says they're done with any given song. LOL! I love the Deep Purple riff they stuck in the the song for flavor. They be good. I can't wait to watch them perform again some time soon.


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Thursday, May 5, 2011

Elevator Etiquette

This was meant to be a series of tweets. But I decided to put it all in one blog post instead. Below are all the elevator pet peeve behaviors that I have given that I always use both my office building's and apartment building's elevators.


Scenario #1: While waiting for the elevator.

Pressing the button repeatedly over and over again.

Waiting for the elevator can be annoying especially around lunch time or around 6:00PM when people end their work shifts. But the elevator really won't move any faster no matter how many times you press the button.

Pressing both direction buttons.

Same thing with this one. Pressing the opposite direction of where you're going only delays the elevator further. Why? It's because the elevators now will have to open up on the floor you're on going the opposite direction before coming back to head towards your direction.

Standing right in front of the elevator door.

The last thing you want to do if you're in a hurry is delay the people getting off making it take longer for you to get on. It's funny how people continue to block the doorway and shuffle right and left. When it's just plain easier to step back let those people out and then go in.


Scenario #2: While riding an elevator.

Pressing multiple floor buttons that are above your destination floor.

Kids do this a lot. But I have seen grown men and women act this juvenile. Although it doesn't delay them from getting to their destination floor, it definitely delays everybody else whose destination floors are higher up. Some elevators have the ability for you to cancel a selected floor. However, not all elevators have that (i.e. my apartment building's elevators).

Jumping up and down while the elevator is moving.

Kids do this a lot too. And that's fine since they're small and lightweight. But when grown men or women do this in an elevator, you feel the impact. Now most elevators can probably withstand that. But it sure does freak out certain people, and annoy others.


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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

My New Toy and the Jerks

I recently bought the Zoom Q3HD from JB Music in Park Square. I have a Zoom H4n. But the thing is bulky. So I would end up just bringing my iPod and Belkin Tune-Talk combo instead. I also found myself taking video with my Blackberry or crappy video camera. Which I would then have to splice with better sounding audio before uploading it to YouTube. Therefore, I decided to buy something that could handle recording live performances in one unit, with a form-factor that fits in my pocket. I bought the Zoom Q3HD because it has the same twin condenser mics (a little smaller) of the Zoom H4n. Other video cameras have their audio as an after-thought. So the same audio recording technology, at as high as 1080p video resolutions. This beloved gadget was really made to record live performances.


So I was excited to road test my new toy. I had two choices last Friday. Either test it out on the Jerks at Handle Bar or Julianne in Saguijo. I love both bands. But found going to Handle Bar more convenient. I met up with my good friend Roland and his brother Abe. We got to Handle Bar in time for the Jerks' second set.