Fusion/Smooth Jazz from Working Stiff: November and December Gigs at Strumm's

[working stiff]

Working Stiff at Strumm's Makati (Jupiter St.):

Nov.29 Wed 830pm
Dec. 6 Wed 830pm
Dec. 19 Tue 830pm

From Deodato to Spyro Gyra to Yellowjackets to Rippingtons.Through Crusaders, Al Jarreau, Bob James, Larry Carlton, Gino Vanelli, Jeff Lorber, Isaac Hayes, Bobby Caldwell, Kittyhawk, Dave Sanborn, Jeff Golub.

[Deacon Blues]

Nice rep ..

May we know who the band members are?

[working stiff]

WORKING STIFF

Mari Cancio (keyboards): plays keyboards for Overdrive; used to be with the Mexicali Blues Band
Kedy Sanchez (guitar): plays guitar for Overdrive; record producer and session musician
John Marin Flores (bass): plays bass for Jun Lopito
Raul Banzon (sax): Used to play for Overdrive; plays with Henry Katindig and Friends once in a while
Rookie Garcia (drums)
Oggie Benipayo (vocals)

Except for one, we all have day jobs totally unrelated to jazz music. Thus, the band name. Some of us have other bands as a sideline. Most of us played together during our high school and college days, growing up to the music of jazz fusion. We decided to band together to play jazz again early this year.

[Deacon Blues]

Hey, I remember these guys ... 

In fact, if I'm not mistaken, two of them were members of a fusion group called Affinity from way, way back, with Anton Periquet on guitar.

[Jim Ayson]

Hey, I remember these guys ... 

In fact, if I'm not mistaken, two of them were members of a fusion group called Affinity from way, way back, with Anton Periquet on guitar.

Omigod! Gasp! Wheeze! There is actually someone out there who remembers *that* Affinity (no relation to  Johnny Alegre).

Actually that Affinity had Anton on guitar, myself on drums, Jojo Macaranas (lives somewhere in Australia now) on piano,  Setsuko Watanabe on tenor sax, Bill Luz on flute, and Jeff Go on bass.

Bill Luz went on to become Aquilino Pimentel's arch nemesis, and Jeff Go founded the group Overdrive. And the rest shall we say, was history. And stayed history, till now.

The band name was taken from a classic Bill Evans/Toots Thielemans album, one of the few where I actually heard  Bill Evans play the Fender Rhodes piano.

[Deacon Blues]

Gotcha!

Yup, I remember that very well. A good friend of mine and I actually went all the way to the Ayala Museum to watch what I believe to be its first performance. Was it? 

Funny nga you mentioned Johnny's Affinity..

So, that was you pala on drums. Heck, I even remember Jeff Go, the bassist, pull out an ES-335 copy guitar (or was it an original?) and played Ritenour's 'Fly By Night' ...

And incidentally Jim, one of the pieces you guys played was Spinozza's 'On My Way To The Liquor Store'.. 

So, that's where you got the band's name pala. I love that album as well, with that harmonica-Rhodes tandem. Sweet!

[Deacon Blues]

But I remember, at that time, it was Raul Banzon on sax..

I remember coz he did make quite an impression on us. Pretty good sax player..

[Boddhisattva]

Working Stiff at Strumm's Makati (Jupiter St.):

Nov.29 Wed 830pm
Dec. 6 Wed 830pm
Dec. 19 Tue 830pm

I'll try to catch your Dec 6 show...

[working stiff]

It's a small world. Jim, Jojo Macaranas and I used to play together during high school in a fusion band called "Mainstream and Back". We used to practice Chick Corea and RTF songs (Spain, Jungle Waterfall, etc. pati Weather Report's "Birdland") in Jim's house, all plugging into Jim's small amp and thus busting it up. Bill Luz started jamming with us in college. At one point, Rookie I think hooked up with Affinity. Right, Jim? I got a copy of your composition "Slippery Samba" pala.

Hope you can all watch us. Thanks.

[Jim Ayson]

But I remember, at that time, it was Raul Banzon on sax..

I remember coz he did make quite an impression on us. Pretty good sax player..

Man you have the memory of an elephant... I don't recall the details or even the setlist for that one gig but Raul then and now was always the eternal jammer If you're talking about that Ayala Museum gig its quite possible that he came in and jammed on some tunes because he did end up playing with Overdrive later on during their Tavern gigs in the (gasp) 80's.

Raul (have sax will travel) will never turn down the chance to jam, that has always been his character!

[Jim Ayson]

It's a small world. Jim, Jojo Macaranas and I used to play together during high school in a fusion band called "Mainstream and Back". We used to practice Chick Corea and RTF songs (Spain, Jungle Waterfall, etc. pati Weather Report's "Birdland") in Jim's house, all plugging into Jim's small amp and thus busting it up. Bill Luz started jamming with us in college. At one point, Rookie I think hooked up with Affinity. Right, Jim? I got a copy of your composition "Slippery Samba" pala.
Hope you can all watch us. Thanks.

Hmmm no I don't think Rookie was ever in Affinity I believe he was in Anton Periquet's "Only for Tonight Band"
"Slippery Samba" was a group composition I think.... Affinity did have one original recording, and that was my composition "Forest Dance" (no relation to Morning Dance) which was modelled after those Claude Bolling-Jean Pierre Rampal suites, but even that was deemed to far out for RJFM airtime Years later Jim Sarthou emailed me an mp3 as he kept all the master tapes all these years.

[Deacon Blues]

Wow! Lotsa interesting trivia there, Jim ..

John, sorry if this thread is turning out off-topic. Maybe we should create a separate thread to dig up pinoymusika's 'colorful musical past' ... hehehe ..

I owe it to myself to catch Working Stiff's gigs one of these days then ..

Thanks for the update, John .. and Jim..

[working stiff]

Friendly reminder to all jazz fusion/smooth jazz listeners:

Working Stiff this Wednesday Dec 6 at Strumm's Jupiter. Gig starts at 9pm. Hopefully, but not sure yet, Iwi Laurel will sing some songs with us by Seawind, Brand New Heavies, and Richard Elliott. She already sang with us last November 29 along with Marissa Lopa. Hope to see all of you there. Thanks.

[kedysanchez]

Ah, yes, Slippery Samba....

That was you, Jim, and Mari who were jamming this chord progression which eventually ended up as a full song.  We recorded at Greenhill Sound which was managed by Ed Formoso then (I remember him raising an eyebrow because we were recording a pretty jazzy tune for DZRJ.). 

Other trivia....

1.  Played acoustic guitar for the lead track because I busted my e-string that evening.  There was nowhere to get new strings at 3:30 am...
2.  We included a percussion solo with all those latin gizmos.
3.  We recorded with a group who sang something entitled Kapayapaan - a la What A Fool Believes.  Eventually this group would become the SIDE A Band years later.
4.  Slippery Samba played for less than a week at DZRJ because the version they had on cartridge got all messed up resulting in really bad flutters toward the last minute of the song.  It was years later that we finally got a clean copy.
5. Forest Dance (your masterpiece, Jim) was recorded a year later, I think, at Jim Sarthou's Studio Z.  It was a start ofa long working relationship with the guy as we also recorded a few more songs for posterity.

Try to watch us, Jim....

[Boddhisattva]

Great music! I was there last night but I was only able to catch the first set since the show started rather late - thanks to that party that went way over time. Anyway, I'll catch you again sometime and I hope to hear some Deodato and more Spyro...

BTW Working Stiff, who are you there?

[kedysanchez]

Naman.... di man lang kayo lumapit nang makilala man lang namin.

Pasyal kayo ng December 19.  Sagot ko na ilang beer.

[working stiff]

Great music! I was there last night but I was only able to catch the first set since the show started rather late - thanks to that party that went way over time. Anyway, I'll catch you again sometime and I hope to hear some Deodato and more Spyro...

BTW Working Stiff, who are you there?

Sorry for the late start. Strumms pulled a fast one on us by just informing us of the party the day before. But they promised that it would end by 9pm latest. We even had to cut the sets by at least 5 songs. Sayang, we played more Spyro in the second set and we usually save our Deodato songs for the second to the last number because we individually solo until we get tired. Band intro din. Hope you can watch us again on Dec 19th. I was playing bass. Where were you seated? Thanks for watching.

[kedysanchez]

For some reason ouir original December 19 gig has been PUSHED BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL PLAYDATE.

DECEMBER 20 AT STRUMMS.  That's Wednesday at 9:30 pm.  With special numbers from Ms. Iwi Laurel.

Guaranteed to be a fun night.