The Dowggie Blog

Dear Aya,
Here is your single’s love horoscope
for Tuesday, October 31:

Dream a little dream of love — or two, or three. After all, you can’t be about taking action all the time. Don’t be surprised if someone else sees this softer side to your personality and finds it very enticing.

Well… here’s my horoscope for the day. Either somebody up there loves me or is playing a cruel prank on me.

Either way, can i help falling in love with the queen?

It’s part of what knights do, isn’t it? Think Lancelot and Guinevere.

And didn’t Don Quixote fall in love with Dulcinea in part because she was ultimately unattainable?

Well, dear queen…

… if you ever read this…

Wala lang… byutipul eyes. :-p

I can love you well.

Be your knight in shining armor.

Well, I already am, as you well know. How much more so if I were to be a part of your life and you a part of mine?

The Queen of _____ ____ meets The Vyutishyan of Vivopf!

Bongga, di ba?

Ganduuhhh! Shine nuuuhhh!

c",)

Mababaw lang naman ang kaligayahan ko, eh.

To have spent a few moments in a crowded bandroom with the current apple of my eye has made my day.

To have seen her onstage, singing her heart out under trying circumstances.

To have received a friendly peck on the cheek… to have received a warm smile… to have received honest answers to earnest questions about the current state of a queen’s career…

… and i’m happy.

Uncommon heartbreak is often part of an uncommon path.

Mayhap uncommon happiness may also be.

c",)

Dear Aya, Here is your single’s love horoscope for Monday, October 23: If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll just keep getting what you’ve always gotten. Regarding your love life, it’s time to realize that you’re the director, not a gaffer. How do you want this production to look?

So says my horoscope for today, the 23rd of October, 2006. I get a daily horoscope e-mailed to me every day, you see. And above is today’s, verbatim. Copy-pasted here exactly as it appeared.

… Sigh. Director, huh? Me? Really?

Let’s see…

Do I also get casting approval? May I cast the leading lady myself?

‘Cause if i do… wow… I’m sure you all know who my dream leading lady would be.

Sigh. She’s young, famous, gorgeous… earns well… and everyone, his uncle and his kid brother (and his uncle’s kid brother too!) would pay dearly to be with her.

Many would pay dearly to have her. Possess her. Own her. Sadly, being anything but a typical male, I don’t think that way. I seek not to possess. Ownership ain’t my trip, ain’t my thang. Even less so, ownership of the sacred femme.

But what I would give to be with her!

Wow…

… think of all the good times we’d have…

Think of all the laughs we would share. All the sunset walks on some beach somewhere. All the midnight conversations which may or may not really make much sense at all but certainly be of colossal import at the time.

The trips to Sagada. Evenings spent in bracing mountain air. Dawns awash in the scent of pine.

The oh-so-sweet cuddles and snuggles. The guilty tweetums pleasures — holding hands, hugging, spooning, sotto voce sweet nothings… touches of quiet affection. Touching just for the sake of touching. Just to feel her face on my fingertips.

Sighs atingle with tiny frissons of pleasure… full of lovers’ hidden meanings, whispers of quiet kilig.

Looks shared across a crowded room, between two people with chesire chat grins of love discovered.

And oh, the music we would make!

Wow. It would be beautiful.

Grammy caliber. Musika worthy of a pretentiously capital M.

Quite a tale it would be. Quite a love story, quite a film.

An art film worthy of cinema. Pang-award.

And wow, the kids we would have. Quite a set of genes they would have. Their mother’s looks and sweet Saggitarian heart. Their father’s… ummm… remarkably wide forehead? He he he. ;-p

Haaaayyy… dream on, Aya. Dream on.

Sumuntok daw ba sa buwan?

At bakit nga naman hindi?

Is there any other target more worth shooting for?

Mmmm… aim high indeed.

Sige lang, Aya. Mangarap lang ng mangarap. Hindi naman po yan bawal. At lagi naman pong libre.

As the Side A song says… "You were just a dream that i once knew…. never thought i would be right for you. I just can’t compare you with anything in this world. You’re all i need… to be with forevermore."

Not quite Joey Benin’s finest work, to be certain, but what the heck… when one casts magic spells, one works with whatever one’s got.

Maybe sometimes dreams do come true.

i hope… i hope… i hope…

… maybe sometimes dreams do come true.

… can be painful at times.

Makes it all too easy a target.

Yes, I know Janis Joplin. May even have listened to her a time or too.

I suppose when a young female all too aware of her femininity is blinded by her own ego baggage, it can be easy for her to misunderstand certain things.

Yes, yes, yes… i’m supposed to be an indestructidog. But i’ve never claimed invincibility. i can be hurt.

(But i cannot be destroyed. God knows i’ve tempted His/Her hand often enough to know this for a fact.)

And this one hurts. That this latest arrow comes from a stranger i merely tried to befriend, to break bread with, makes it hurt all the more.

No, my object is not (and hasn’t been for the past 6 years) to impress anyone. The object is to release the song which cries for release.

When i make a comment like, "T_ngina, ang hirap mag-jazz; pawis na pawis ako," it’s an attempt at self-deprecating humor.

Ditto for the famed "chicks don’t dig jazz" observation.

It’s framed by jazz-deprecating ironic humor.

But then… perhaps irony is an exceedingly misunderstood commodity. Perhaps all too many people think irony is Bert’s best friend on Sesame Street.

So anyway, Miss Stranger-who-just-didn’t-get-it…

Fear not, i shall never deign to sit at your table nor darken your day again, with flippant remarks or without.

Which, i suppose, is my way of saying, "f_ck you, beeyatch."

There. Perhaps simple declarative sentences replete with profanity are more within your ken. 

Where’s Panget when you need her most? No, not you, friend Meg. Panget, The Sacred Saggitarian.

Strangely enough, the Sacred Sagg I miss most isn’t Sacred Sagg the lover/gf but Sacred Sagg the friend.

Ahhhh… sigh. =/

Oh… one extra point….

Why is it that when a Muslim commits a crime, the media always makes sure it includes the guy’s faith in its report, but when a Chistian commits a crime, no one ever talks about his religious orientation?

Do we ever read something like, "Bogart Banocnoc III, a Christian of Sampaloc, Bulacan, was apprehended by police today for pushing drugs"?

Of course not!

How about something like, "Procopio Batungbakal, Jr., a devout Catholic, is alleged to be the criminal mastermind behind the recent terrorist threats to Love Radio?"

T_ngina nila, labo nila.

Haaaayyyy….

Dapat patas.

Equality for all.

Where’s a panget sounding board when you need her most?

At manuntok daw ba sa buwan? Oo nga’t Saggitarian din si (… ummm… wag na… discreet is good), pero…

… t_ngina, what would a girl like that want with a guy like me?

She’s gorgeous, young, earns well, yummy, smart, good-hearted. Any straight male would want her, would kill or die for her. As a matter of fact, almost everyone wants her.

She’s famous!

What could she possibly want with someone like me?

When…

… I can only give her love that lasts forever

and a promise to be near each time she calls

and the only heart I own

for her and her alone

That’s all

That’s all.

Haaaaayyyyy….

Where’s a Sacred Saggitarian when you really need one?

I’ve been discussing this Sitti topic with various people over the past week or so. Friend Bo (Razon) raised a point or two which has/have stuck in my craw. Hope y’all dont mind if I process my thoughts in print.

As I understood it, the thrust of Bo’s thoughts was thus: there is something wrong with an industry which crowns someone "Queen of Bossa", "Bossa Diva" or some such when that someone clearly has a few dues left to pay before being stamped with the senyor seal of approval.

Before I go any further, allow me to make one thing absolutely clear: hindi po ako kasama sa mga senyor. Bubwit pa po ako, sa totoo lang. Bago pa man may sabihin si kaibigang Susan, ako na mismo ang nagsasabing bata pa ako at marami pang kakainin. (In English: I am in no way a senyor. I am but a fledgling musiko with much left to learn.)

Bo called to question the way Eileen (Sison, yes?) of Guarana has been made to front-act for Sitti. Eileen has been plugging away at this Bossa thing for so long, and yet… to be a front-act for a relative newbie?

I see Bo’s point. Hassle naman talaga.

Allow me to qualify that last paragraph, though… I’m not entirely certain of its factual accuracy. I’m not sure which particular event/show/gig Bo was referring to. If he meant Sitti’s "1st Major Concert", then I’m not sure Eileen was really a front-act. I think Sitti and her team may have considered Eileen more a guest than a front-act.

One possible rejoinder to Bo’s 1st point: Who/what do we have to blame but an industry which has long been a bastion of disparity, cruelty and sheer f_cking idiocy?

And by what other means can change be effected than by shaking up the status quo?

Further, might Sitti not be a force of change which may be directed towards change for the better?

A second cogent Bo Razon point: You gotta pay yer dues. Taas kilay ang senyor sa "queen of bossa" billing ng lolang Sitti habang medyo… ummm… how to say this without hurting anyone?… hindi pa authentic ang tunog.

Sorry, Sitti… Sorry, Garrie… but on this point, I agree with Bo.

Opinyon lang naman po, pero… research pa po, kaibigang Sitti.

Lahat naman po tayo, pwede pang gumaling pa, tumalas pa, sumarap pa. Pati po ako. Pati po si Bo. Kahit pa po ang personal ko pong diyos (small "d") na si Keith Jarrett, may kakainin pa. And I’m sure he himself would say much the same thing about himself and his own playing.

Having said this, however, I hasten to add that I’m fairly certain Sitti herself had little to do with her market tag. A reasonable assumption in this case would be that her management team/record company/whatever had final say on how best to market her.

One possible danger, though…

Kung masanay ang D’Masang Public sa bossa nova na… ummm… hilaw, di ba kaya tanggihan na nila ang bossa novang hinog? Kung nasanay ang taong bayan sa panis, di ba kayang di nila tangkilikin ang putaheng masarap?

Case in point: These days, when the stereotypical Pinoy audience hears that you play Jazz, they ask to hear Toto songs, Mike Francis songs, Norah Jones songs. Ahhh… sigh….

Di po ba kaya masanay at makuntento na lang ang taong bayan sa… ummm… Tatooed? At hindi na mabuksan pa sa liwanag ng mundo ni Joao Gilberto, ni Antonio Carlos Jobim?

Ang sagot?

The answer?

Ewan.

Sa totoo lang, di ko po tiyak.

Ngunit ito po ang isang mapagkumbabang pananaw — nawa’y ang Diwa po ang tanging sagot sa mundong masalimuot.

In English: this writer’s humble opinion is — Awareness is key.

Awareness is all.

I choose to believe. I choose to have faith.

God’s will be done, not ours.

Woof. c",)

As is the normal occurence on a monday night, this little dowggie played a Bazookang Buntis gig at Diamond Hotel’s Palm Court Bar earlier tonight.

(… that little dowggie went to market, that other little dowggie went to town. This little dowggie cried wee wee wee all the way to the end of the set. =p )

Sarap ng tugtugan kanina! Mainit ang sabaw ng lahat. Naghulmahan ang mga diwa.

Let’s volt in! Tanant-tan-ta-nan-tan-tant! Ta-nan-tan-ta-nan… tan-tant!

=)

Ang siste lang po…

May kwelang guest kanina na panay ang request ng kantang Santana. Kahit anong kantang Santana daw. Una, pinatanong sa isang waiter. Nung kinausap ako ng waiter, sinabi ko na sa kanya na wala po akong pondong Santana na instrumental at pasensya na po ‘kamo.

(At mabuti pa nga ‘kamo may etiketa’t sentido common sa katawan yung waiter at kinausap ako habang hindi kami tumutugtog.)

Hanggang sa huling set namin, hindi pa rin ‘ata mapalagay ang guest nang hindi naririnig ang kahit anong kantang Santana, kaya mantakin mo ba namang lumapit na siya sa entablado’t kinausap kami… habang kasalukuyang nakasampa’t tumutugtog po kami.

Tila yata’y sentido common lang naman po yan, eh, hindi po ba? Paano po ba aasa ang isang taong may makakausap siya ng maayos kung ang kinakausap niya ay may ginagawa?

Nung una, si Bo (Razon) ang kinausap. Tumango na lang si Bo. So medyo sana nakahalata na ang guest… pero hindi!

Pumunta muna sa bar saglit tapos bumalik. At ako naman ang kinausap… habang tumutugtog kami! Kinausap po ako habang kami’y nasa gitna na ng isang kanta.

Anyone with an ounce of reason might’ve stopped to consider that speaking to a musician in midsong is not only moronic but pretty darned rude.

Alas, common sense is anything but.

Guest says, "Ano… hindi na ba talaga kami mapagbibigyan? Santana naman…."

Being not just in midsong but mid-flight in mid-solo at that point, my brow furrowed slightly as I shrugged and said, as politely as I could, "ummm… tumutugtog po ako…. wag mo muna akong kakausapin."

One might think a reasonable person would have gotten the point, which was, namely: How can you expect me to talk to you and play at the same time? (!!!)

My apologies, dear guest… I regret being merely human. Alas, it’s not within my ken to play involved, improvisatory jazz music AND carry a conversation at the same time.

If tonight’s guest had struck up a conversation while I was in the middle of, say, "Let’s Groove Tonight"… or maybe even "My Humps"… THEN I would gladly have exchanged pleasantries. Asked after his parents. Discussed the weather. Traded family recipes for breaded pork chops even.

What I play on gigs like tonight’s isn’t exactly a no-brainer. A Bazookang Buntis gig is not one I can blithely do while half-asleep. Alas, I’m not that talented.

So the guest walks away, muttering, "ay… ang bastos!"

Knee-jerk reaction: Ah, ok… ako pa pala ang bastos. Ayos, ah.

Further impulsive urges: kumprontahin ko kaya ‘tong tangang ‘to at pagsabihan.

The adolescent in me would dearly have loved to have given the idiot a rather large piece of my mind.

To wit: DO NOT TALK TO A MUSICIAN WHILE HE OR SHE IS IN MIDSONG, DAMMIT!

One doesn’t talk to a surgeon while his hands are inside a patient’s body, does one? One doesn’t talk to a crane operator while he’s busy at work, does one? Does one talk to a bus driver while he’s busy threading his way through the zigzags of Kennon Road en route to Baguio?

Didn’t think so.

So why do some people persist in the notion that they can talk to a musician while he’s busy playing? (!!!) Ditto the people who try to hand an instrumentalist a song request scrawled on a piece of tissue while said instrumentalist has both hands on his/her instrument… and has no other hand with which to take possession of the dingblasted song request.

Kung hindi ka ba naman tanga….

Haaayyy… sana balang araw kumpiskahin na lang ang mga utak ng mga taong ganire’t mukhang hindi rin naman nila ginagamit.

So anyway….

Thankfully, newfound levels of budding maturity kicked in and I kept my peace.

Deadma na lang.

After the set, while the adolescent in me so dearly wanted to confront, intimidate, annihilate, decimate, exfoliate…. the 33 year old in me chose to just walk to the bar and light a cigarette.

Pero oo, sumama nga ang loob ko kanina. (… hindi naman halata, eh, no? he he he…)

Balang araw, nawa’y ni hindi na ako tablan ng, o mawindang sa, mga ganoong pagkakataon. Nawa’y ni hindi na mayanig ang aking peace of mind.

Balang araw, kung ipagkaloob ng Poong Maykapal.

Balang araw.

The tale continues. The beat goes on. Another day, another moment, another song.

Woof.

c",)

I’ve been participating in a debate of sorts on the PinoyJazz e-group.

The debate has been between myself and an august personage named Susan Arcega (who goes by the e-handle, Warrior Society), and has been about Sitti Navarro and Zen and The Art of Award-Giving Bodies.

Space considerations prevent me from posting the whole exchange on this blog of mine, but here are the cogent points…

Susan Arcega/Warrior Society’s point(s):

1) Awards don’t mean jacksh_t. They are an exercise in commerce.

(I happen to agree wholeheartedly.)

2) Batang-bata pa si Aya Y at marami pang kakainin kahit malaki na ang tiyan.

(Salamat! Masarap maging bata. At masarap kumain. Pabor po sa akin ang mga puntong iyan.)

3) Senyor at kagalang-galang si Susan Arcega

(Well, Ms. Arcega… if  it makes you happy to see yourself as you seem to, more power to you. I mean that. Sarcasm aside, pramis. Kung ano po ang ikaliligaya niyo, suportahan ta ka. )

Aya Y’s points:

1) Wag na nating awayin si Sitti. Wag na nating ipagkaila sa kanya ang kung anumang biyaya ang natatama niya. Oks naman siya, eh. Andon na tayo’t hilaw ang 1st album niya, pero… sino ba sa atin ang naging perpekto mula’t sapul? Sino ba sa atin ang hindi nagkakamali?

Let him/her without sin cast the first stone.

Besides… I’ve heard her live a couple of times since her 1st album came out. Mas malinis ang pagkanta niya sa mga sandaling ‘yon kaysa sa pagkanta niya sa album. So that means she’s grown since releasing the album in question.

2) What does it benefit anyone to bring others down? Who benefits from crab mentality?

As I myself was once admonished — if you see a better way, then just do it!

Naysaying benefits no one.

Ego benefits no one.

Energy rebounds.

Whatever one sends out, one receives in return — tenfold.

Lastly…

Para po sa kaibigan nating si Sitti… Remember — ikaw si GWH/Spidergirl.

With great power comes great responsibility. The essence of business is making a profit. The essence of Music is sharing The Bounty.

,,, and The Essence of Chicken is good for colds and mild fevers.

Love, Light, Laughter,
c",)

Would like to weigh in with my two centavos’ worth on the matter of Sitti and The Sitti Navarro phenomenon.. ..

It’s apparent that there are a number of us in the industry who feel Sitti is undeserving of whatever success she has reaped thus far — hence a few posts here and there about separating the wheat from the chaff, about how the Aliw Award-giving body should be a tad more discerning.

Well…

Point One: The Sitti Phenomenon/Bossa Nova Phenomenon increases bossa/jazz bookings.

Jazz musicians have never made much money. While stalwarts like Buhay, Tots Tolentino, Affinity (… and yes, Wdouji) have done much vis a vis the Philippine jazz scene, it takes someone like Sitti to bust the door wide open for us all.

While artists/acts like Sitti and The Brass Munkeys sometimes give purists some cause for concern, it is now my considered opinion that these artists/acts are cool. Necessary (but not necessarily evil). A good thing.

They represent the friendly face of jazz/jazz-related music. A friendly face D’Masang Pipol can get down with (knowhutahmsayin? ).

Jazz Lite is a window, a door through which D’Masang Pipol can enter. The more of D’Masang Pipol we get into our humble abode, the happier we’ll all be.

Point Two: Having jammed with Sitti twice, spoken to her once, engaged in a number of text exchanges with her and having been curtain opener (front act) for her first major concert, I believe the bottom-line is this: maganda ang pagkatao niya.

In English — she’s a beautiful human being.

It’s not what you play. It’s not how you play it. It’s who you are.

If this is the yardstick by which an artist is measured, Sitti’s got IT in spades.

Yes, there are dangers implicit in this present Sitti Navarro/Bossa Nova Phenomenon.

Open the door and all the sh_t can come in, too. The Attack of The Sitti Clones and all that jazz. Witness the present and future proliferation of Bossa Lite.

Bossa Bandwagon.

Pero sige lang! The more, the manier!

If this is what it takes to raise consciousness, increase mainstream awareness of good music then f_ck it, i’m all for it!

Yes, of course, if the bean counters and The Suits had their
way, they would reduce Music to its lowest common denominator.

F_ck ‘em. That’s all part of the game.

Evolution. An upward spiral.

The Sitti Phenomenon — I for one am all for it. Obvious infatuation notwithstanding, it is my considered opinion that this trend is a good thing.

(Let’s just hope her management team doesn’t overflood/oversaturate the market too soon.)

The more Sitti busts the door open, the greater the chances Elhmir Saison, Tots Tolentino, Mar Dizon, Koko Bermejo, Eileen (Sison?), Dix Lucero, Ding Basbas, Terry Undag, Arthur Manuntag, Skarlet R, Simon Tan, Dave Harder, Alvin Cornista, Michael Guevarra, Richie Quirino, Bogart Banocnoc — all the kith and kin — will earn money commensurate with their Music.

‘Yun lang po. Bow.
c",)

Played a rather good gig last night at Eastwood’s Citywalk 2. Oks din ang tugtugan.

Skarlet on vocals, "the" Simon Tan on upright bass, Glen Velarde on drums and some funny-looking bald guy on guitar. =)

Niggles/beefs/blues/hinanakit: Labo lang ng mga everlowlahloo, for the second time, hindi handa ang cheke on the night of the gig, samantalang napakatagal nang naka-book ng gig na ‘to. Ang baba-baba na nga ng bayad sa ‘min, cheke pa… late pa! Hassle.

The gig did have its rewarding aspects, though. Despite inclement weather (exactly a week since that fateful Milenyo day), a fairly respectable crowd checked the music out… and chose to stay.

The crowd seemed to have enjoyed itself.

A number of young ‘uns (late teens, early twenties) sent a whole sh_tload of requests in. Pretty hip song choices too! One kid asked for "The Very Thought of You"!

Wow! Color me impressed! That a guy in his late teens would know, let alone ask to hear, a song as beautiful, as ancient as that bodes well for the next generation(s). Bodes well for the future of Music With A Pretentiously Capital M, too! =)

And Qwela with a Qapital Q, nakipagkilala ‘yung mga bagets… at nagpa-picture kasama kami! Hahahahahahahahah! =D

Di nga, nakakatawa nga po ‘yon para sa ‘kin. Eh, hindi naman po tayo celebrity katulad ng kaibigan nating si Sitti….

(… Sitti, kung mabasa mo man ‘to –> ; p)

But seriously, it warmed my heart to witness a response like last night’s. =)

And it bodes well for mareng Skarlet’s upcoming, soon-to-be released album.

Which means money for the dowggies of the world.

And that’s a good thing.

Ahhh, sigh….

Guess it’s true what they say… unlucky in love, lucky in jazz.

Woof!

c",)