Review Briefs

Tunog Mindanaw by Stella A. Estremera

Reluctant composer rules Tunog Mindanao contest by Chris Te Fabian

Reluctant composer rules Tunog Mindanao contest
By Chris Te Fabian / Published : 2008-08-23
http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/story.php?id=21469

IT WAS a tough competition but one has to emerge as the grand champion.

A reluctant Davao-based songwriter bagged the top prize in the 2nd Tunog Mindanao, a pop music composition that incorporates Mindanaoan flavor, with his song Mag-Iban Kita which calls people to unite.

Emerging composer Paolo Salvador Sisi and his performing group took home the P100,000 cash prize.

With Paolo on bass, the Dinabaw-language song about unity was performed by Raffy Donato, Mark Asiong, Joel Carbajosa, Wilson Nason, Jessalyn Mae dela Cruz,Christiane Jayzel dela Cruz, Ana Katrina Ramos and singer Janice Uy during the main presentation Wednesday night at the carpark of NCCC Mall.

"Mag-Iban Kita" bested nine other entries, including four others from Paolo's Mebuyan band mates.

Fellow Mebuyan band member Geejay Arriola scored the second place with "Hohoy," while US-trained musician Francisco Englis emerged as the third placer with "Panawagan."

Three other members of the highly-recognized Mebuyan band - Maan Chua, Maree Contaoi, and Gauss Obenza - were in the top 10 with their respective compositions.

Davao City Tourism Office head Rizal Giovanni "Bong" Aportadera Jr., one of the judges, said all the entries were "very good." "Nag-daug lang sa commercial value," he admitted (The commercial value of Paolo's song made him win).

Bong said all the song entries have almost similar musicality and the grades were almost equal.  But Paolo's catchy ditty stood as the best among the rest.

Paolo said "Mag-Iban Kita" (a Dinabaw word for Let's Unite) is his first solo composition. He previously co-wrote a song titled Sa Davao Natu  with members of his other band, 7th Heaven.

Aside from Mebuyan and 7th Heaven, the good-looking 34-year-old Paolo is the bass player of other Davao's popular bands like Kardams, J&J Quartet, and Suave Latino.

Paolo was the official bassist in the Awit Tanghalan of ABS-CBN with host Pilita Corales, and percussionist in back-up band for Apo Hiking Society Live in Davao.

He has recorded with international artist Bruce Conte of Tower of Power and was bassist for Mike Hanopol and international artist Steve Kuban.

ENCOURAGED

Paolo told TIMES that he was only encouraged by his fellow Mebuyan bandmates, particularly Maree Contaoi, to write a song for the competition. Now, he said he might consider writing more songs in the future.

Initially, he was hesitant to join the Tunog competition since his experience in songwriting was not that developed yet. While he is into teaching various musical instruments to students of Conpinco School of Davao, Paolo's concentration is on playing bass.

But perhaps due to the positive peer pressure from Mebuyan ladies, Paolo said he was forced to write his song.

Each of the five members of the Mebuyan band individually wrote and submitted their respective songs. All the entries were accepted in the finals.
Paolo said that he listened to the composition of his fellow Mebuyan members - all the four ladies are already seasoned songwriters having won several songwriting competitions in the city in their individual rights - and got some pointers.

He admitted that other Mebuyan members contributed to his song which he wrote in just three days due to time constraint.

The winner said he fused soprano and mandolin sounds with the other available commercial and indigenous musical instruments. "I assumed that nobody will utilize such style in fusing with indigenous sound," Paolo said.
He also said that he minimized the lyrics as possible and have more melody in the three-minute song. "To make it catchy and easy to memorize, the lyric should be short," he said on his song.

Paolo said there is no serious competition among the participating members of Mebuyan which started as the all-woman music and theater group named Mebuyan Peace Project in Davao.

"Perhaps, it's (Tunog Mindanao) just a friendly competition," he said.

Paolo is the latest addition to the supposedly all-girl peace project. When the peace ensemble decided to have a group to concentrate in the live and recoding performances more than a year ago, Paolo was added to the list. Since then, Mebuyan has released one album which talks about children.

NO FAVORITISM

Paolo lamented the accusation that there was a favoritism in the competition since all the Mebuyan entries made it to the finals. Popong Landero, one of the organizers of the City Hall-organized songwriting composition for this year's edition and also one of the judges in Wednesday's night finale, has been accused of having close ties with Mebuyan.

At least two members of Mebuyan are with Popong's own band, PLO.
Paolo admitted he played with Popong in several occasions, and even in the last Tunog competition held in 2006 where they ended as the second placer.

"Popong is credible enough," Paolo said adding that those accusations were baseless. "I'm sure he would not let me win the competition just because he knows me."

For his part, Popong admitted his association with Mebuyan. But he said it was just usual since they share the same advocacy in propagating contemporary Mindanaoan music.

Popong, considered as one of the forefathers of cultural music in Davao, said he considers Mebuyan and other emerging individuals who are into writing and performing  Mindanaoan music as his children.

"I would not allow that (favoritism)," Popong said, adding that the competition was open to the public.

Popong said he envisioned to make Tunog an annual event to sustain the growth of Mindanaoan music.