Music review: Emcy Corteza and Eddie Boy Aromin serve up smoking jazz and standards

All Mondays of March, the wonderful duo of Emcy Corteza and Eddie Boy Aromin play at Merk's along Pasay Road. 

 

Emcy is one of the Philippines' finest singers, and Eddie Boy is one of our finest guitarists. Together, they're yummier than Goober's PB&J – the highest praise I can muster.

 

Aside from being a singer armed with perfect pitch, Emcy's also a killer pianist who can both accompany herself admirably and spin out post-bop piano solos at the turn of a dime. Eddie Boy, meanwhile, aside from being an incredible George Benson-like guitarist, also possesses a fine tenor voice which he employs in, again, a Benson-like manner.

 

On the night I went to watch them perform, Monday, March 4, they started their first set with Eddie Boy singing a tune called "Gonna Love You More". The whole tune was drenched in a George Benson vibe. If Benson himself had been there, he might have mistaken the song for a tune of his own, and he doubtless would've applauded the bop-meets-pop of Eddie Boy's soulful guitar solo.

  

In Aromin's hands, the guitar purrs like a pleasured cat. You can check out for yourself this said purring axe in this video on Aromin's FB page.

  

Next up was the old-but-seldom-sung-nowadays standard, "'S Wonderful", which the two sang as a duet. They again sent me with each of their improvised solos. Eddie Boy Aromin is a master whose every no e is a polished gem, and Emcy is a wonderful improviser who even an average Juan like, say, a taxi driver may sometimes mistake for a supernatural entity. 

 

On a personal note, Emcy was the one who taught me to play less and to play slower and choose each note with more care.

Here's one of Emcy's nuanced performances on the Lynn Sherman show (RJTV).  

On "The Days of Wine and Roses," again a duet, the pair swung masterfully. They were swinging so hard I could barely restrain myself from dancing up and down the aisles. Again they each turned in a solo that could each be a master class in modern jazz improvisation. Every note was perfectly chosen, perfectly placed, impeccably executed. And, oh, God, how they swung!

 

Next was an Eddie Boy-helmed instrumental, "Breezin'". Eddie Boy's playing was such that even Benson himself would've paused and done a double take. I myself am a huge Benson fan. As far as I'm concerned, Benson is tops. But even by this fan's standards, Eddie Boy's version of this Benson tune was equal to the original.

 

Emcy then asked her audience if we had any requests, so I yelled out,"Stella (By Starlight)!" Yes, I can yell in parentheses, it's a gift.

 

Emcy gamely gave in, and I was treated to another master class in just how to do it best.

 

It's not just that Emcy's got monster skills, which she does. It's also that, along with Arthur Manuntag and Mon David, she is perhaps our only singer who can scat at the same level as top-flight instrumentalists. Her note choices are always lovely, her execution impeccable. Yet she does take chances and risks when she scats, always landing on her feet like a cat.

   

Eddie Boy then gave us a beautiful take on The Beatles, "Yesterday". Like Emcy, Eddie Boy is a master musician whose every performance is exemplary in every way.

   

Masterful too was Eddie Boy's take on "Here, There and Everywhere". In local parlance, "Kahit si Benson, malalagyan."   

Particularly piquant were their takes on "Ibong Pipit" (which morphed from stop-time to uptempo jazz waltz in the blink of an eye) and "My Favorite Things" (which featured show-stopping solos from both and a subtle reharmonization which highlighted an angular blues/hard-bop slant).

 

But if I had to choose just one take-away from that evening, it would have to be Emcy's take on "Follow Your Road".

 

Not just a scatter extraordinaire', Emcy is also a consummate master of her vocal chords. She does any melody – no matter how tricky – justice. – KDM, GMA News