David has a smoky baritone, and with his pencil-thin moustache, vaguely bears a weird resemblance to Robert Goulet in the liner photos. Yet, David’s vocal flair extends beyond crooning for swooning. It turns out he has a real gift for scat singing. In fact, his vocalizing effects are the first sounds to be heard on the opening track, a Filipinized rendition of Nnenna Freelon’s lyrics to the Wayne Shorter composition, “Footprints.” It is a dramatic vocal showcase for David, frequently segueing between scat and lyric interpretation, while allowing space for a brief but swinging solo statement from pianist Tateng Katindig.
Though arranged as a warm ballad, David still shows his powerful range on the standard, “Invitation.” Featuring special guest Justo Almario on tenor saxophone, it is the sort of romantic vocal jazz that never went out of style, and has recently experienced a surge of popularity. David also chose some tunes that could be considered slightly off the beaten path, including Abbey Lincoln’s “Throw it Away.” Aside from a few melismatic moments, David’s sensitive interpretation plays it scrupulously straight with her bittersweet lyrics.
Returning the favor from “Harana,” Clamor herself also makes a guest appearance on “True.” Though their harmonized scatting is quite impressive on “Only Once,” the tune itself might be a bit too cute. At least it serves as an effective vehicle for another swinging solo from Katindig. In contrast, one of the album’s strongest moments comes with David’s stripped down version of “There is No Greater Love,” accompanied solely by bassist Dominic Thiroux.
As Clamor has championed a “Jazzipino” concept fusing jazz and traditional Filipino musical forms, David also brings a distinctly Filipino sensibility to traditional jazz standards. He performs a memorable version of Thelonious Monk’s “Well You Needn’t” with his own Filipino lyrics, redubbed “Kailangan Yan.” It also proves conducive to David’s most dynamic, uninhibited scatting to be heard on “True.”
Blessed with a rich voice, David is a well-rounded jazz vocalist, and even shows some finesse on acoustic guitar. While “True” certainly leans towards jazz’s straight-ahead mainstream, David’s Jazzipino touches give it a distinctive sound. It is a stylish recording that casual jazz listeners will find quite accessible.
Joe Bendel blogs on jazz and cultural issues at www.jbspins.blogspot.com and coordinated the Jazz Foundation of America's instrument-donation campaign for musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
