Mainly spontaneous jazz compositions , fish music, and scenes of Manila, Philippines
River of
Rice. "I was sitting at my piano, looking at the cover photo in the April-June 2007 issue of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) magazine Rice Today, which depicts the Mekong River as it winds through northwestern Yunnan Province in China. I began to play an impression of the scene. It came together quite quickly and after an hour I had a piece that ran for nearly 4-1/2 minutes. I added a bass line and some percussion to enhance the mood." IRRI liked it enough to put it on their web site. In May 2008, IRRI put the tune on YouTube with a moving video about the importance of rice to the poor. Click Click here to view the video.
Jeepney Ride is a favorite piece. But it took several layers to make---the 1 part of inspiration needed another 9 parts of sweat to get the feel of one of these Philippine mini-buses as they career around Manila streets. Here is how it starts: jeepney ride..
In August 2007, Jay visited Alastair Dingwall and Chiqui Mabanta in their 37th floor Rockwell apartment that overlooked just about the whole of Manila. He took his keyboard next visit and began to play the dusk scene. Entitled simply Rockwell at Dusk, its tranquil mood reflects the elevation rather than the action below! It's short because a phone call as he was playing told him that a scuba diving friend was missing after a dive.
Jay was also doing "real", that is, written, compositions during 2007. He scored six new songs from the outstanding (some would say controversial) lyrics by friend Robert Salamon for a Christmas nativity play on behalf of the Kaibigan street children's foundation that he has been involved with since 1995. One of the songs is now on YouTube. It is a touching song called If I had the Chance.
Finally (for 2007) , there is Mallegory , the Mallery Allegory, a song Jay wrote for the retirement of Lynette Mallery from the Asian Development Bank. She began as an editor, as the lyrics suggest, rose to run the Bank’s publication arm, and retired to run a guest house and restaurant in North Carolina—hence the bluegrass motif. The allusions to a 9-storey building and committees, etc., reflect the Bank’s premises and administration. Guy Sacerdoti is the lead singer, adding his own interpretation to the breaks; Jeff Hiday and Albert Atkinson sang the harmonies; Jeff also played drums. I used a keyboard for the piano, banjo, and bass parts. Guy’s son Roland did a great post-recording mixing job in their studio, the “Egg Room" in Manila. Click here to listen.
Jumping back to pre-history, 1963, Jay was already composing tunes, not songs because he disliked words getting in the way in those days. One tune has lasted in his repertoire and he still finds it haunting. The name gives the feel and the inspiration: Maria's Sleepy Birthday Waltz.
