CAYABYAB. The music of the celebrated sexagenarian is as exemplary as it is accessible and diverse.
The star-studded concert, “The Music of Ryan Cayabyab,” which paid tribute to the cherished Music Man one day before he turned 60 years old on May 4, makes a good case for the widespread view that he should be declared National Artist sooner than later.
To ignore Mr. C’s exceptional contributions to Filipino music even as the country’s highest artistic honor bides its time in announcing its new set of awardees is tantamount to saying that there’s something flawed about the Order’s selection process—because how could it confer something supposedly significant on dubious achievers (like some of those declared in 2009) when you have artists like Ryan whose body of work is as exemplary as it is accessible and exhilaratingly diverse?
‘Senior citizen’
Is Ryan “too young” for the award? Well, he officially became a “senior citizen” last week, so age should be less of an issue from here on in—but, then again, why should one’s relative youth stop anybody from getting an award he richly deserves? After all, didn’t the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture, Napoleon Abueva, get his conferment when he was only 46 years old (in 1976)?
Let’s discuss diversity, which was on full display at the tribute show: It had soloist Ervin Lumauag, with the Mass Appeal Choir and Ateneo Chamber Singers behind him, singing the classically scored religious hymn, “Gloria” (from “Misa 2000”) in a repertoire that also included excerpts from Mr. C’s musical-theater triumphs (“Rama Hari” and “Katy!”) and Smokey Mountain’s wackily irreverent novelty hit, “Da Coconut Nut,” featuring Popo Suanes and Raymond Tolentino.
Directed by Mickey Muñoz, the nostalgia-fueled concert had veterans and newbies interpreting Mr. C’s hits—and seeing the top guns of OPM (Basil Valdez, Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, Mitch Valdes and Celeste Legaspi) converging on one stage was a truly special treat (“You won’t see this gathering again when I turn 70,” Ryan says), even when the singing in some of their production numbers wasn’t as pristine as expected.
For the “younger” performers, Piolo Pascual (who rendered the modern kundiman, “Sa May Bintana”) sounded a little phlegmatic beside the expressive—and more vocally precise—likes of, say, Bugoy Drilon and Morissette Amon.
Memorable moments
There were a lot of memorable moments, but four of them stood out for us: We can’t think of another singer who has the celestial flair and performing pizzazz of Celeste Legaspi, who vividly told “Limang-Dipang Tao’s” tale of love and jealousy in song and movement.
Morisette needs to work on clarity, but her technique and restraint are impeccable from someone so young—yes, even when her go-to-town version of “Sometime, Somewhere” sounded a lot like Regine Velasquez’s cover of the enduring ballad.
Also on top of our list were Baihana’s ravishingly jazzed up “Mamang Kutsero” and Gerard Salonga’s cleverly realized arrangement for “Tsismis,” which had its narrative bits gloriously popping from out of the ABS-CBN Orchestra’s instruments. We were moved when Gerard feelingly paid tribute to his beloved former teacher.
But, more than any performance or arrangement, the biggest star of “The Music of Ryan Cayabyab” was the Music Man himself—whose legacy will live on—and on! His music is a gift that keeps on giving. Happy birthday, Mr. C!