One evening in a rock ’n’ roll time machine

RJ Bistro, the metro’s acknowledged “home of rock ’n’ roll,” marked its 28th birth anniversary in style on Thursday at the Dusit Thani Hotel, with a show that tied music genres and generations of music lovers and talents together in a neat bundle.

Headlined by Philippine pop music icon Jose Mari Chan, Pinoy folk rock maverick Noel Cabangon, leading Pinoy blues jazz band Brat Pack, musical progenies Generation, The Band of Brothers and Ramon Jacinto himself with the RJ Bistro house band, the anniversary concert took the packed house down memory lane and to the future as well.

The Brat Pack kicked off the celebration with its dazzling brand of jazz-laced party blues, showcasing numbers from its just-released debut album, “Brattitude,” highlighted by an engaging, complex title track.

The group was a tough act to follow (having easily won over quite a few of the joint’s old-school rock ’n’ roll regulars), especially with its jazzified take on “I Shot the Sheriff,” complete with a bit of scat singing by vocalist Xtine Mercado.

Debuting band Generation took the stage next with several well-crafted soft rock originals that reflected a good mixture of their musical genes. Second-generation talents Kowboy Santos (Sampaguita’s son), Ige Gallardo (Celeste Legaspi and Nonoy Gallardo’s) and Mike and Joe Chan (Jose Mari Chan’s), with drummer Paolo Manuel sitting in, also dished out a Rolling Stones classic with show emcee Nadine Jacinto, (aka DJ Kyla, RJ’s daughter) guesting on vocals.

English set

Noel Cabangon got the audience singing along in an all-English set, a string of 1970s dzRJ folk rock classics by Don Maclean, America and James Taylor, finishing with the crowd-pleasing Jackson Browne favorite, “Stay.”

Pinoy melody maker Jose Mari Chan’s set was a full show in itself. With a back-up quartet, the consummate artist/entertainer was in top form as he treated the audience to his best-known  compositions. “Afterglow,” “Can We Just Stop and Talk a While,” “Be Careful with My Heart” and “Beautiful Girl”—each one moved the audience and were introduced with wonderful anecdotes.

(Who would have thought that he wrote the insanely successful “Can We Just Stop and Talk a While” in a week and, perhaps more incredible, that his wife Maryann pronounced it unlikely to become a hit?)

Signature song

Jacinto and the RJ Bistro house band stoked the finale with rock ’n’ roll standards, before the happy host embarked on his popular crossover signature song, “Muli,” a tune he wrote

while in exile in San Francisco during the ’70s.

The Band of Brothers cooled down the joint in a fitting end that showcased its Beatles-pegged music.

Needless to say, the party was a success. Bridging genres and generations was a masterstroke by Jacinto, who expressed elation and pride over the turnout. “I never imagined Bistro RJ would last 28 years,” he told the Inquirer.

He noted that the bistro gave birth to many bands and set the trend for live entertainment in Metro Manila’s nightclubs and music lounges. The anniversary concert seemed to signal a direction to broaden the bistro’s market. “Things are changing,” Jacinto said. “We’re preparing for the next generation of live musicians. We’re also trying to expand the public’s knowledge of rock ’n’ roll—that it’s part jazz, part blues, part country and part big band. I’m sure that the Bistro RJ audience, being connoisseurs of music, will appreciate very good young bands like The Brat Pack. I can see that happening now.”

Sounds like a plan for the next 28 years.