Music Yearender: Some rays of cheer in a gloomy landscape

FILIPINO-AMERICAN singer-songwriter Bruno Mars got a similarly warm welcome at his Big Dome concert on Apr. 8, 2011. Photo by Pocholo Concepcion

The past year was quite glum for the music industry, as local record companies desperately tried to survive the financial fallout from steadily diminishing CD sales worldwide. (Surprisingly, reports say album sales in the United States and Canada were up by 3 percent.)

Alpha Records closed down its office and tapped another company to distribute its releases; Sony Music Philippines downsized operations while outsourcing its own product distribution; and still another local label shut down its CD manufacturing plant.

One piece of good news is that singer-songwriter Noel Cabangon successfully crossed over from alternative to mainstream artist, when his major-label debut album, “Byahe” (Universal Records) went platinum, with a follow-up, “Panaginip,” enjoying brisk sales as well. This is proof that consumers have not altogether stopped buying CDs; they just became more discriminating.

Other notable local CD releases this year: Gloc-9’s “Talumpati” (Sony), “The Essential Gary Granada Collection” (PolyEast), Mishka Adams’ “Stranger on the Shore” (Candid), Jed Madela’s “Breathe Again” (Universal), Barbie Almalbis’ “Goodbye My Shadow” (12 Stone Records) and three independently produced jazz albums, Kiss the Bride’s self-titled CD, Henry Katindig’s “You & Me,” and Trina Bascon’s “Wanderlust.”

Concert scene

The concert scene was alive as ever. Two big events—the month-long 6th Philippine International Jazz and Arts Festival (Pijazz) and the week-long 1st CCP Jazz Festival—brilliantly

SKARLET joined Mel Villena and the AMP Band at the 1st CCP International Jazz Festival last August.

showcased a mixed lineup of local and foreign artists, giving the audience a really good time.

More than a dozen foreign concerts were mounted this year, most remarkable of which were those by Taylor Swift, Kylie Minogue, Bruno Mars, Incubus, Korn, Maroon 5, Pitbull and All Time Low—the last one marked by the throwing of bras onstage from rabid young female fans.

Oldies aplenty

“Oldies” foreign acts were aplenty as well, although a few of them were so disappointing, we hope they never return. But among those who showed that musicians could age gracefully were Don McLean, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., Trini Lopez and Howard Jones. Their concerts were all held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Local gigs held in smaller venues, like the Music Museum, Teatrino, Peta Theater and NBC Tent, featured excellent performances by Cabangon, Mon David and Identity Crisis. Resorts World Manila’s Newport Theater staged one of the best performances of the year: Ryan Cayabyab and Friends, starring the maestro with Dulce, Bituin Escalante and Jett Pangan.

“Jam for Japan,” a benefit show for victims of the Tohoku earthquake, featured some 30 local and international music artists at the Ayala Museum.

Mourning

COUNTRY-POP star Taylor Swift performed before an SRO audience on Feb. 19, 2011 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The six-hour gig was a roaring success, raising P17.5 million in corporate and individual donations, on top of ticket sales.

The Pinoy jazz and rock community mourned the passing of musicians Edgar “Koyang” Avenir and Manny Amador.

Avenir, a sought-after guitarist of dozens of bands whose talent and generosity earned him the respect of peers and the younger generation of local musicians, died of pneumonia arising from lung cancer. He was 61.

Amador, best known as the loud-playing guitarist of The Breed, was found dead reportedly from cardiac arrest in his rented house in Cebu, where he had relocated to pursue work as an IT professional.

Pop at the CCP

Jed Madela broke new ground when he staged a concert at the CCP Main Theater, in which a part of his repertoire required him to sing as Jesus and Judas.