Danny Tan's Throwback #141
SALAMAT, SALAMAT...MUSIKA! was the song that catapulted me to prominence! Out of nowhere, my name created a splash in mainstream popular music because of my arrangement of the 7th Metro Manila Popular Music Festival Grand Prize winning song of Gary Granada, interpreted by Ms. NANETTE INVENTOR in 1984. Most famous as a comedienne / stand up comic portraying Doña Buding, Ms. Nanette Inventor's interpretation of the song firmly established her status as a brilliant singer and performer. Usually, when you are Entry #1 in the order of appearance, the song and the interpreter tend to be overshadowed by the succeeding entries. In this case, Nanette's performance and my arrangement, modesty aside, sealed the win for Gary Granada. Undaunted by the prospect and pressure of arranging a song entry for the most popular national songwriting contest in the history of Philippine music, I wrote the iconic violin part of the chorus to signify the song taking flight, soaring above every obstacle along its path!

BACKSTORY: While studying at the UP College of Music in the early 1980's, Gary Granada and I stayed in a boarding house somewhere in Barangay Krus na Ligas in Diliman, Quezon City within the premises of the University of the Philippines. Before 1984, I transferred to a shared room for rent somewhere in Philam Homes, QC. One day, Gary asked me to arrange his song, which made it as a finalist of the 7th Metropop. I still remember Gary and I discussing what to do with the song outside the front door of the house I was staying in. The demo tape he let me listen to was a folk song he sang while playing the guitar. His choice of interpreter was the very popular, lovable, glamorous, snobbish but funny socialite Doña Buding played by Nanette Inventor. I suggested that I transform the song into a "festivalic" one. I buckled down to work: arranging for a rhythm, string, wind and brass section with backup vocals even without a piano in my rented room. Even though this was the first time I was working with Nanette, our vocal recording session went smoothly. Gary and Nanette were ecstatic to hear the final mix. I went to the Metropop Secretariat to personally submit the cassette tape of the final copy of the song. The office permeated with nervous excitement as the staff played the song. They listened very intently, with amazement written all over their faces, shocked with the complete transformation of the folk song they originally heard! Of course the staff had to stay neutral but I could sense that they already knew they had a possible winner in their hands. During the rehearsals at the Araneta Coliseum, established artists such as Verni Varga and Dulce came up to me to congratulate me for an astounding arrangement. The legendary director, Al Quinn hired me as musical director and arranger of countless projects afterwards, most notably the 8th Metropo and the 4th Cecil Awards in 1985. As the saying goes, the rest is history!

SALAMAT, SALAMAT...MUSIKA!
GRAND PRIZE - 7th Metro Manila Popular Music Festival 1984
Music & Lyrics: Gary Granada
Musical & Vocal Arranger: Danny Tan
Piano: Danny Tan
Guitar: Rudy Lozano
Bass: Roger Herrera
Drums: Jun Regalado
Backup Vocals: Basie Molina, Katherine Molina, Sylvia Macaraeg
Interpreter: Nanette Inventor

свернуть