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For a few bars more

A chanteuse and a pianist work up a rhythm

PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

RHYTHMIC NOTES Cheryl and Marcial

This is the season for listening to some jazz as it pours outside and you are in the midst of a business meeting. At Seasons Bar in Taj Krishna, as you dip your warm finger foods into those chutneys and sauces, listen to some funky jazz and pop rhythms as two Filipinos strike a few bars and exercise their vocal chords.

If Cheryl is the vocalist with throaty, husky notes that booms across into the lobby, Marcial a.k.a. Yo Yang is the pianist with restless fingers who can match Cheryl note for note as they perform Endless Love.

If Cheryl likes to work the repertoire of singers like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Tony Braxton, Yo Yang likes to strike the bars to create the magic of James Ingram, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. So as you sit and nurse your drink, you can get the whole range of musical experience.

"Yeah, beside playing I can break into a song," says Yo Yang as his brow furrows and his widely splayed feet beat a rhythm as he brings alive a portion of Warsaw Concerto by British composer Richard Addinsell.

But you don't have to be an aficionado who can distinguish his Bach from Beethoven to enjoy the fare belted out by Cheryl and Yo Yang. The duo calling themselves Vital Signs, have performed in some of the best bars and hotels in Manila, Philippines. As any pubber will tell you it takes real talent and ear to tune in to an audience that is nursing a drink (remember the don in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa). "The idea is to play popular numbers which even novices can relate to and enjoy," says Cheryl. Both the artistes are self-taught musicians. Interestingly, Cheryl started as a beauty consultant with Bvlgari and Estee Lauder before striking it out solo as a vocalist after a bit of freelancing. She calls her music "... that will relax you from a busy day's work or liven up your night with the song."

To lend that oriental touch the duo also dishes out some Filipino numbers.

If not their Filipino numbers, they also perform foot-tapping, hip-shaking Latino numbers. Now, who wouldn't want to wind down a hectic day with some live music that soothes the soul and burnishes the flame?

SERISH NANISETTI

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