The Music of Skarlet

interview by Hank Palenzuela for LOUD, March 2007 issue

Before my interview with Skarlet, I was lucky enough to hang around a bit of the photo shoot for the cover for this month’s LOUD.  With no costume direction whatsoever, she walked in pretty much as you see her here.  Thoughts of Betty Page as a pin-up girl and with a bit of Gwen Stefani and Vernie Varga thrown in her good measure came to mind as the shoot was going on.  And all I need to prove it is right here in your hands.

From two bands and a name change ago, I asked her to give me the down low on her musical evolution…

SKARLET: Actually, it was Cooky Chua na makulit na nagsasabi sa akin na “Tara sama ka na sa Bluesviminda, jam lang. Put3ska days pa yon,  Patago jam ko with Bluesviminda sa 70’s Bistro, mga one or two songs lang.  I knew only the basics back then.  Doon lumabas na closet fan pala ako ng old music…mga standards.

When the Brownbeat AllStars was formed and we were composing songs for our album, I wanted to fuse elements of ska with the swinging horns of big bands.  While doing my research I stumbled upon the neo-swing movement going on America at the time, spearheaded by Brian Setzer and his Orchestra, Royal Crown Revue and Big Band Voodoo Daddy.  From there I went further back to the greats, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. I have to thank Rhanny Torres for supplying me with a lot of research materials.

Madami din ang natulong ng ska.  Pioneers of ska, the Skatallites, always mentioned that they were influenced by swing big bands and jazz music, like John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk and Charlie Parker.  I fell in love with the music and they became my idols too.  So we (Brownbeat) came out with an album paying tribute to swing and fusing it with ska and other elements like Latin.  Pero…hilaw siya.  We put it out with outpouring passion and we had a grand time doing that.  Sarap eh!  Then as we were doing it, you realize as you go deeper into something, ‘Ah ganito pala ito, madami pa palang kailangan’.  After that, sabi ko ‘stop muna…research muna.’

LOUD: When you say ‘stop’, you mean you take a break from…

SKARLET: Not really take a break.  Di tulad na ng nangyari sa album ng Brownbeat na, “sige sama na natin lahat! Game ganoon agad.  Nagiisip na ako…’teka muna, di pala pwede ang ganito’.

LOUD: When you say that when you stopped, it helped your songwriting when you resumed?

SKARLET: “stop” didn’t mean na di na ako gumawa ng kanta.  It just so happened na di ko lang masyadong pinagtuunan ng pansin na isama ko ang element na yon sa sound ng Brownbeat.  I realized that I have to immerse myself.  But it was not forced, gradual ang nangyari.  I met jazz musicians.  Once in awhile I would jam and front their gigs.  Then I listened to more female jazz singers.

LOUD:  Who would you say you look up to as a female jazz singer?

SKARLET: I heard Ella Fitzgerald and PLAK!  That’s it!  I fell in love.  She’s the best.  For me she’s the greatest singer ever.  I also listened to Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn.  And realized, Wow! This type of singing is gone.  At that time singers were revered.  Their voices were instruments used as mediums to express emotion.  I love that kind of singing at hindi lang vocal calisthenics at yung pinaka mataas na nota na kaya mong abutin (which) most pop singers are doing now.  Sabi ko ‘I don’t want to do that.  I wanted to study traditional singing’.

LOUD: Traditional?  It seems like the type of singing you’re talking about is more…alternative? Considering what the pop scene looks like now.

SKARLET:  Oh yes!  In fact it’s almost extinct, if not in a coma.  Especially here in the Philippines, sa States nga ganoon din, wala na halos gumagawa noon.  But there are so many singers capable of singing like that.  I just saw Patti Austin and Diane Reeves contemporary pop singers, singing traditional jazz songs at a jazz fest.  And they were marvelous!  But I think it’s a matter of marketing.  A lot of people don’t want to get into that because it doesn’t sell.

LOUD: How about in the local scene?  Are there any female singers you look up to or would like to work with?

SKARLET:  There are several but ill limit it to two or three.  Unang una si Cooky Chua, because she’s a friend and an inspiration…at ka-generation ko! (laughs)  Kaming dalawa na lang ang natira.  Kasi natural lang. Nandoon lang kami.  Ok! (gives a thumbs up).  Good time lang! Di ba?  We follow our hearts!  (more laughing).  Second, si Susan Fernandez.  Pangatlo, not for anything else, dahil curious lang ako.  Most of the time kasi, dito sa eksena ng jazz, sinasabi nila sa akin, “you have a semblance to Vernie Varga and you even exude the same aura when she was younger’.  Di lang minsan, actually madalas sa gigs people tell me, “akala ko pumasok si Vernie Varga”.  Ganoon na ba ako ka-sexy?” (laughs again).  I haven’t seen her in person yet.

LOUD:  I saw Vernie Varga perform about 2 years ago.  I don’t know how old she is but God she’s HOT!  Inay ko po!  You should try to catch her live.

SKARLET:  haaay! I’ve seen her on youtube with Bobby Enriquez.  Basta gusto ko siya maka-trabaho!  Another one na gusto ko rin makatrabaho si Annie Brazil, the Queen of Philippine Jazz.  I almost did a gig with her pero na-late ang flight niya.  Augh!  It was such an honor na sinabi ng matatanda na “Ayan, ka-duet mo si Annie Brazil”.  Di naman nila ako ipapahamak.  Sayang di natuloy!

LOUD: at alam nila kaya mo.  What about the younger, up and coming singers?  Who stands out for you?

SKARLET:  Si Mishka Adams.  Naka-trabaho ko na si Mishka.  She’s a very talented girl.  Multi-talented pa nga eh.  I think she’s so lucky.  Bata pa siya, na-pursue na nya ito.  Had I known about jazz at her age?  Oh God!  Ang saya siguro!  Oblivious pa ako noong bata pa ako.  Underground!  Punk! At yun lang.  Natutuwa ako sa younger artists who are picking jazz up.  Yung sa Up Dharma Down…

LOUD:  Si Armi?

SKARLET:  Si Armi.  I can sense na maganda boses niya.  And another one na gusto ko rin makatrabaho, na ka-generation ko rin, although she’s from the other side of musical fence, si Bituin Escalante.  Yes, I want to work with her.  Ang galing ng vocal stylings nya.  Na –justify nya ang feelings ng kanta.  Yun ang idea ko ng ‘beautiful’.

LOUD:  Speaking of “beautiful” I noticed the cover of your new album, Skarlet The Powder Room Stories.  Lets talk about that.

SKARLET:  the video for the first single, “Skarlet”, should be out soon

LOUD:  I haven’t seen a video with that on the title screen for awhile…

SKARLET:  Natatawa nga ako. “Skarlet” by Skarlet from the album Skarle. It has the sub-title “The Powder Room Stories” kasi kung gagawan ko ng snippets ang buhay ko, nandito na ang mga pinakanatatandaan ko.  Mga milestones sa buhay ko.  May masaya.  May malungkot.  May kanta akong sinulat 15 years ago, na nasagot na ng kanta na nasulat ko 6 months ago.  I had to dig up yung ibang songs para maintindihan na “Bakit nandito ako”.  Interconnected ang kanta ko.

LOUD:  I take it’s a very personal album

SKARLET:  Yes its personal and sacred to me.  It’s my story.  It’s a vain but I can’t talk about something I don’t know about.  Yung pananaw ko sa singing now is not just for entertainment value.  It’s a release.  Ultimately it’s for expression.

LOUD:  I noticed not all the songs are Skarlet’s compositions.

SKARLET:  The album has 14 cuts.  Ten are original compositions.  Out of the ten, one is composed by Aya Yuson, my guitar player.  There are 4 renditions,  2 of which are foreign.  “Call Me”, the Blondie hit from the 80’s by Debbie Harry and Giorgio Moroder.  Then we also have a blues/jazz rendition of “One Way Ticket To The Blues”.  Of the 2 local renditions,  one is an original from The Executives Band written by Mr. Francis Manglapus and Mr.  Freddie Kauffman, it’s called “Im In Love With A Dream”.  It’s a song from the late 50’s or early 60’s, old school.  Then the other one is “Babae Ka”, which is a composition of Ani Montano.  Metro Pop winner siya noong late 70’s, wala siyang radio airplay in the 70’s because of its lyrical content.  The original singer is Susan Fernandez.  It’s about women’s empowerment and waking up the women.

LOUD:  Would it be wrong then If I said more power to you, to women and the new album?

SKARLET:  syempre ok lang yon no. Yeah!  (with fist in the air)