Newly formed Flavour Ensemble is lip-smacking good

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): The corridors of Jakarta's five-star hotels are once again reverberating with the sound of music. After the ghost-like silence that followed the country's recent economic and political troubles, happy days seem to be crawling back.

Recently, Flavour Ensemble, a newly formed group of young musicians, made its maiden appearance in Hotel Borobudur's plush Pendopo Lounge, overlooking the magnificent greenery of the hotel's 23 acres of landscaped gardens, dotted with century-old mahogany trees and now abuzz with guests galore.

One of the many guests tapping along to the music of the Flavour Ensemble was Rodolfo Alonzo, a Filipino vocalist who sings at another five-star hotel in town. He came with his Indonesian girlfriend, Stephanie Lie, because he likes the atmosphere of the place and knows everyone in the band. "We are all friends and we love the same kind of music," he said refusing to compare the ensemble with his own band.

"We don't do that, because we consider each other part of the same big family," Rodolfo said, keeping beat to the music being played by his friends on the stage.

Named for the different flavors the two vocalists from the Philippines and the three local musicians bring to the ensemble, the band entertains with a wide variety of music from the past and present.

Part of the band's repertoire are old-time numbers from the '50s to more funky favorites of today.

However, the mood at the start of the new millennium seems to demand a more mellow kind of Latin-inspired music, members of the band feel.

So Elmer Encinas, the Filipino tenor who has been in and out of Jakarta the past 15 years, is happy to sing the blues, if that is what the people want. What pleases him most is to be singing in Jakarta once again. He has played here before with show bands at discotheques, but is into softer and more romantic tunes these days.

"The 1980s danced to the tune of disco music, in the 1990s rap was preferred but the year 2000 seems to bask in rhythm and blues," Elmer told The Jakarta Post. In the end, he is prepared to sing whatever his audience requests.

Although considered one of Manila's veteran performers, having played with top bands like Turbo, First Born Child and Full Blast, Elmer prefers to perform in Jakarta for several good reasons. Out of 10 Filipinos, six are invariably into music, he says, and this leads to too much cut-throat competition. The music that is most popular in Manila even now is dance music that is loud and metallic, he added.

Besides, he appreciates the friendliness of the people here, who he says are soft-spoken and know how to cook the most delicious food in the world, minus the chilies, of course.

No one in his family is a musician and at first his parents, who were dreaming of having a doctor in the family, were shocked at the thought that all their only son wanted to do in life was sing. "I sometimes wish that I could take home as much money as some doctors do, but apart from that occasional thought I have no regrets about being a pop singer," Elmer smiles.

Also Filipino, the fairylike Leah Miguel looks tiny despite standing on skyscraper-high platform shoes. The alto admits that performing abroad also means making more money, but she likes to sing here because the audience concentrates just on enjoying the music. "Back in Manila it often feels that most people come only to be critical of whatever we do," she says. A trained singer, Leah insists that she sings from the heart.

She has been singing with Indonesian musicians for some time, and says that if the chemistry between the group is good it does not really matter what nationality a person is.

Ade Walelengi, the Indonesian vocalist who obviously prefers singing to talking about music, hastily agrees with Leah, adding that she has always enjoyed performing with her Filipino colleagues. And the happy notes that she sings are proof enough that Ade means exactly what she says.

Thin and tall, like a musical instrument made from reeds, Ade specializes in rendering the best in rhythm and blues in a style that is very seductive. The trio do seem to enjoy a tremendous rapport with each other, a feeling that is further enhanced by Irving Loukassy on the piano and Yatna Ardi on acoustic bass.

The Flavour Ensemble will perform every evening, except Sundays, between 8 p.m. and midnight until the end of July. For more information call 380-5555, extension 72012.