There’s this Filipino band called Guarana which has done much this decade to promote Brazilian music in the country. Theirs is the kind of promotion grounded on real understanding of genres bossa nova and samba. The proofs that they’re real and not pretenders come plenty.
Percussionist Richie Quirino stated his affection for their sound, “Para sa akin madaling sakyan ang samba at bossa. What we’re offering is authentic Brazilian music. We understand the language and we’re not playing songs na hindi namin naiintindihan ang lyrics.”
That’s a testament to professionalism or to spice up some flavor, a strong statement against those who may be doing an injustice by singing a bossa nova or samba track with foreign lyrics they actually do not understand at all. Guarana is not one to fool audiences; all the more they deserved getting featured in a Brazilian TV show called “Fantastica Volta Ao Mundo,” the primetime airing of which resulted to 60 million viewers seeing them.
The eight-piece band recently launched their sophomore album “Spirit of Samba” at Café Havana in Greenbelt 3 Makati. The group energized the crowd of mostly true fans of the “island” sound. The group has developed a steadily increasing fan base through years of performing together.
“Ang Pinoy mahilig sumayaw kaya hindi malayo na magustuhan ang tunog na ito ng mas marami pang listeners,” Quirino argued.
In 2007 the band released their debut CD “Musica Brasileira” in which Sison exercised her skill at writing songs even in Portuguese. She also reworked famous Brazilian songs into Tagalog adaptations.
For her efforts alone, Sison was handed an award by the Brazilian Embassy here in Manila “for her invaluable cooperation in promoting Brazilian Music.”
Internationally acclaimed singer Sofia is all praises for Sison who is her mentor. “Siya ang nagtuturo sa akin mag-Portuguese. She’s really good,’ she told Bulletin Entertainment.
The 10-track album distributed by Viva Records contains gems like “Tayo Naman” which pays homage to both Philippines and Brazil. The lyrics extol the nation’s customs and traditions, while the sound is undoubtedly Brazilian. Also worth-mentioning are two other Tagalog tracks, namely, “Tanong Nila” and “Kailan.” The former displays Sison’s vocal power in conveying the Brazilian feel even in Tagalog vernacular, while the latter is a real funky Latin pop-jazz piece (dated 1992) which flutist Michael Guevarra rearranged to suit the band’s taste.
The album’s killer track and carrier single is not Tagalog though. But an English number carrying the album’s title. This track is the single most fitting representation of the band’s musical ingenuity.
Other members of the band are acoustic guitarist Tom Marco, trumpet player Jon Abundo, drummer Arwin Nava, vocalist/percussionist Mike Ponce De Leon and bassist Ike Ijiran.
While Guarana sounds Brazilian, it is evident that their discipline as artists comes from their Filipino roots. The natural gift of Pinoy as performer gets through their music, making them all the more an act that this country should be proud of.
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