Baihana!

Another thing I am thankful to PhilPop for is the experience of working with this awesome female trio.  It's hard not to become an admirer once you've seen and heard them sing live.

You'll get an idea of just how good they are by just watching their numerous videos on youtube.  No fancy microphones or effects, just an ordinary video camera and awesome live performances.  You can tell these girls really have a passion for what they do by the number of videos they've uploaded showcasing their growing repertoire.  Here's one of my favorites.  You'll be impressed at how tight the vocals are, and it also shows their fun and "kuwela" side.

Krina Cayabyab (center) is the group's musical director, vocal arranger and sings Soprano 1.  I can't imagine the kind of pressure that may come with being maestro Ryan Cayabyab's daughter, but Krina has definitely showed us that not only has she inherited her father's musical genes, but she's made a name for herself and can definitely hold her own.

Artista-pretty Anna Achacoso-Graham (right) sings Soprano 2, and the group's soulful and sexy Alto is Mel Torre (left).  The group recently won Best Jazz Band in the Boy Katindig Jazz Competition held last month.  Krina also won Best Instrumentalist in the competition.

Months before this all happened, I was thinking of what kind of entry to submit to PhilPop.  I wanted to come up with something very different, and when the idea of writing a song for a big band, Baihana immediately came to mind.  Since Krina was disqualified from joining the contest, I didn't have to worry about her submitting her own entry performed by Baihana and having to compete against that, so it was perfect.   I was so excited about the idea of an Andrews Sisters-kind of vocals to go with a big band arrangement.  I sent Krina a message, telling her what kind of song I wanted to do and to ask if Baihana would record the song for me, and I was thrilled to see they were just as excited, without even having heard the song!

When my composition "Bigtime" was done, I sent both Mel Villena and Krina a copy of my rough demo, in which I decided to sing all 3 parts so that the instrumental arrangement could be built around it.  As the recording date was approaching, I told Krina I'd write the notes down so they could already start rehearsing the vocals.  Before I could finish the piece, Krina sent me an email with an attached Sibelius file, asking me to check if she had correctly written down the notes.  My jaw dropped.  I was so amazed not only by her skill but also with her enthusiasm and hard work.  She could have just sat back and waited for me to provide them with the piece, as I said I would.  Instead, she listened to my pathetic rough demo and wrote down every note she heard.  I was slightly embarrassed that she actually went through all the trouble, but at the same time I found it so endearing that she and her group mates were  just as excited as I was for the project.

Recording day came and I wasn't sure how to record them, since it was my frist time to work with them.  Would they record their individual tracks separately or together?  After some deliberation, I told them we'd first do a guide track using just one mic where all three of them would sing so that the feel of the vocals would be there, and then each of them would sing along to this guide track one at a time.  That way I could adjust the levels of each voice as needed.

Well, the recording process turned out to be much simpler.  They sounded SO good using just one mic that there was no need to record them individually.  Their vocals were so tight, it was actually like recording one person who had 3 separate voices.  Amazing!  They saved me time and money.  Yahoo!!  I couldn't be happier!  The vocals went perfectly with the big band arrangement.  I was so happy!

And then I got to see them perform live for the first time at 70s Bistro in Anonas one evening.  After having worked with them and seen them perform live in front of an audience, I can't help but be a fan.  I watched their concert at the Music Museum last Friday and had a blast. 

More power to you, ladies!  I do hope I get to work with you again in the future.

TO BE CONTINUED...