Mon David is a very good friend of mine. We used to have a jazz group in Manila called Fourplay in the 80's with 4 vocals ala MANHATTAN TRANSFER. He was the leader of the band and I, the musical director. One of the highlights of our group's career, the apex, I'd say, was when Manhattan Transfer came to Manila for a concert, heard about our group, went to our show and they were thrilled, so "flattered" because we adored and emulated them that they joined us onstage and sang a couple of their songs! What a high that was!! They also complimented my piano playing. My manager, in fact, told me later that they "want" me. To play with 'em?! Whoa! That could have been my passport to fame, huh!
Back to Mon, an incredible singer, world-class, he won the FIRST INT'L JAZZ VOCALS COMPETITION in London in 2006 representing the Philippines! Another Filipino, huh! In fact, just recently, I met John Calloway, flutist, percussionist, one of the most sought after Bay Area musicians, another Filipino, and I told him about last year's SF FIL/AM JAZZ FESTIVAL where we played together but at different stages and I mentioned that Mon is my friend and he says, "Oh, Mon, he's a 'killer' (musician)!"
Back to Mon's cd - great album, great band, great production! The music playing then had particularly great lyrics. One line got me hooked -
You can never lose a thing if it belongs to you.
Love it! When I reached home, I immediately looked for his album to see the title of the song and it's "Throw It Away". It looked ironic until I read the whole lyrics. Great song, great line!
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