There was at first a slight confusion over the name of the jazz bar where the event “Mermaids and Tangos” would be held. The numerals 78-45-33 served as the bar’s name. After some thinking, eureka! Those numbers refer to the formats of vinyl records—their revolutions per minute or RPM, depending on the record’s size (75, 45 or 33).
But what’s in a name?
The music that came from this duo, the piano played by Mariel Ilusorio and the flute by Joshua Cerafica, sounded as sweet and rocking as any that could come out of a 30-seater neighborhood bar at LPL Mansions Condominium, San Agustin Street, Makati City. With the limited seating capacity, 78-45-33 presented two sets of shows, one at 7 p.m., the second at 9 p.m. on a Sunday night. Tickets were pegged at an ultra-reasonable Php500 each.
No, these classical musicians weren’t doing a casual gig nor were they playing for the fun of it. Ilusorio said, “It was more of a challenge to play (in a) more relaxed and free (environment), to just be and not do, to not think and just enjoy, connect and communicate.”
Communicate they did the music of Claude Bolling (“Sentimentale,” “Veloce” and “Irlandaise” from Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio), Astor Piazzolla’s History of Tango and Carl Reinecke, the first and fourth movements from his sonata Undine.
The Frenchman Bolling’s Suite made one sit up further on the bar stool at their familiarity. Cerafica’s smooth and singing playing invites comparison to, do we dare name his name? To another Frenchman, Jean-Pierre Rampal, the master of the flute!
Undine is the mermaid referred to in the event title, a water nymph in German fairy tale who aspires for an immortal soul which can be gained with the love of a mortal man. And as tragic tales go the union was frowned upon by water spirits, the mortal is slain with Undine’s kiss, and she returns to her abject, water form, dissolving by her beloved’s corpse.
The teacher in Ilusorio also traced the humble genesis of the tango from the whorehouses or night clubs of Buenos Aires, Argentina all the way to concert halls. At times she would clap, tap the piano or her thighs forcefully to emphasize the rhythm while Cerafica carried the melody.
Visions of a sight-impaired Al Pacino dancing the tango in the film Scent of a Woman were evoked, although “Por Una Cabeza,” the tune he danced to, was by another composer, Carlos Gardel, also an Argentine like Piazzolla.
During the intermission, a student of Ilusorio, guest pianist Ricardo Padilla, performed Gershwin pieces, “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “The Man I Love,” to hearty applause. The songs were, almost needless to say in this setting, jazzed up.
As to why these musicians decided to step out of their comfort zones like recital halls, Ilusorio said, “Once in a while, I find ways to step out of my comfort zone as a way to grow. We can grow more when we do something that doesn’t come so naturally.”
But some members of the audience had to focus hard on what the musicians were trying to do and express because behind the bar, drinks were being prepared, shakers could be heard, ice clinking against glass, stirring of liquids, even chewing and the like.
Ilusorio agreed that these sounds were distracting, saying, “However, that was to be anticipated. Instead, I focused on the appreciative audience as they were actually very quiet, and I felt like they were really listening. This is what mattered more.”
Performing for two consecutive sets required some stamina, too, from the musicians. She said, “The second set had a wonderful audience, too. It was also a first for me to repeat a program one after the other. In a way, we were more free and relaxed. At the same time, I felt a bit tired, also from repeating my spiels, so that I wasn’t sure if I said some things in the first set or in the second set and was a bit confused.”
Ilusorio, Cerafica and Padilla ought to be congratulated for bringing what otherwise would be deemed as high-brow music to the neighborhood bar on, of all days, a Sunday night when one is getting much-needed rest in preparation for the week ahead.
Their music provided their audience a virtual shot of whiskey or brandy, a pleasant buzz in the head before they headed home. Looking forward to more alternative sites for fine music in the city.
Photos by Elizabeth Lolarga and Bianca L. Susi