Ronald Tomas CD Album "Travels”
Another Filipino artist who have somehow got his ideas by travelling a lot and by listening to great musical personalities especially on jazz ect. As I played the CD music I thought I was listening to somewhat foreign artist but somehow as I pondered the rhythm is familiar and is more native and this time I was amazed and so proud to tell everyone who may visit here that this is another milestone, a craft that should be displayed not only locally but even so worldwide. Remember the name Ronald Tomas “Nonet”. This music can be played on coffee shops local or foreign and even on Dine-In Restaurants and any type of Hotels for that matter.
Ronald Tomas Nonet “Travels”
A brave kaleidoscope of musical fare from all over the world textured with indigenous Philippine rhythms and melodies over jazz as foundational bedrock. This in essence is the core of what the music of Ronald Tomas Nonet and their full length album “Travels” is all about.
Progressive and at the same time traditional in approach complemented by strong performances is what the group unapologetically radiates in every track. The new “Travels” album is in the “Sounds Like” category of Miles Davis’ Nonet of Birth of the Cool featuring the arrangements of Gil Evans, Joe Lovano Nonet’s 52nd Street Themes, Kalayo, Bob Aves and traditional Philippine Pasyon, Harana, Kundiman, Kulintang and Kalinga music.
Unique in vision and unprecedented in musical treatment, this record is tightly arranged and produced by Ronald Tomas, engineered by Shinji Tanaka and Johnoy Danao and mastered by Darryll Swann (record producer, songwriter, educator and musician who has worked with prominent artists including Macy Gray, Black Eyed Peas, Mos Def among others and has also done substantial work for Atlantic Records, Sony Records, and Universal Records.)
This trailblazing effort has both energy and driving power coupled with class, sensitivity and style thus making the group and the album project one broad spectrum of musical soundscape all rolled in one neat package.
The track list and their individual description are as follows:
1. Chili Con Pasyon- A fusion of the Traditional pasyon and a rhythm i heard from Chile with jazz harmonies
2. Pandango Palawan- based on a Palawan highland melody fused with the Argentinian Tango and a little bit of the Colombian Cumbia.
3. Very Early- a cover of one of the songs of one the most influential jazz pianists, Bill Evans.
4. Joselynang Baliwag- a rearrangement of a very old Kundiman that was said to be the favorite of the Katipuneros which also served as a signal for the revolutionaries to attack and a warning when the Spaniards were coming to attack. I put a drum and bass beat underneath to con temporize it a bit.
5. Dum Da Dee Dum- a composition of my good friend Aya Yuson. We chose to not put lyrics here even though a female voice was used to carry the melody because we both felt that the melody itself could carry the song.
6. Duyog Sunrise- based on a Maguindanao rhythmic pattern interspersed with jazz
7. Ground Zero- my rearrangement of the jazz song that won the Katha music awards for the jazz band WDOUJI (Witch Doctors of Underground Jazz Improvisation) back in 2001.
8. Ramut-a reinterpretation of the rhythmic interlock present on most Northern Luzon highland music. This was one was taken from the kalinga of benguet province.
9. Natutulog Ka Na Ba Sinta?- originally a HARANA written by the late National Artist Levi Celerio and Santiago Suarez.
10. Sinulugang Taktak- A jazzified version of the Maguindanao Sinulog.
You Tube Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHKLsCJVpSY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjy3jIyr-Xk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2amyNEhUSGY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrsNEUKl7o0
FB Fanpage
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ronald-Tomas-Nonet/169196716463086
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