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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Charmaine Clamor in Concert


Originally from the provincial town of Subic-Zambales, Charmaine Clamor began her singing career at age 3, entertaining passengers (whether they liked it or not!) in the back of buses traveling to Manila. As she grew, she began providing piano accompaniment while her mother sang kundiman (Filipino torch songs) and English language classics. From these early memories comes her love of the Great American Songbook.
Charmaine Clamor in Concert Seattle Asian Art Museum December 29, 2007

Another gem of a discovery was the attractive Filipino vocalist named Charmaine Clamor. Ms. Clamor is receiving a lot of rave reviews all across the country for her unique musical form that combines American jazz and blues with the melodies, languages and instruments of traditional Filipino music entitled jazzipino. The African Marketplace and Cultural Faire, North American Stage area was transformed into an intimate jazz club for this new singing sensation. Charmaine performed tunes from her debut CD-Searching For The Soul and her latest CD-Flippin' Out.




She was accompanied by good musicians for her set-Abe Lagrimas Jr.,-drums/ukulele, Richard Ickard-guitar, Gary Wickes-bass and Gustavo Garcia-percussions. The tunes featured were “My Funny Brown Pinay”-a different version of “My Funny Valentine”, “With or Without You” by U2, she honored the legacy of Bessie Smith, Nina Simone and local jazz and blues legend Linda Hopkins on the tune “Sugar In My Bowl”(women blush upon hearing this song) and performed a classic Filipino tune “MinaMahal Kita.”

About Charmaine Clamor

Charmaine Clamor is the first Filipina jazz singer to find success on American radio. Her debut album, Searching for the Soul (2005), “announced the arrival of an impressive new vocal artist. When Charmaine Clamor's warm, luscious contralto slips into a seductive rhythm or purrs through tender lyrics, there's no doubt that a first-rate jazz talent is present” (LOS ANGELES TIMES). Critics and disc jockeys have compared her “bedroom eyes voice” (ALL ABOUT JAZZ) to legendary vocalists like Sarah Vaughan and Cassandra Wilson, all the while recognizing her individual style and sound.

Charmaine's second album, Flippin' Out (2007), synthesizes American jazz, blues and soul with traditional Filipino folk music, instantly creating a new hybrid genre she calls jazzipino. The album debuted on the JazzWeek World Music Charts, a first for a Filipino- born artist. Flippin' Out introduces an imaginative singer daring to create a category all her own.

Originally from the provincial town of Subic-Zambales, Charmaine Clamor began her singing career at age 3, entertaining passengers (whether they liked it or not!) in the back of buses traveling to Manila. As she grew, she began providing piano accompaniment while her mother sang kundiman (Filipino torch songs) and English language classics. From these early memories comes her love of the Great American Songbook.

Charmaine is also the first Filipina to headline the world-famous Catalina Bar & Grill jazz club, in Hollywood, which presented Charmaine at their sold-out 2005 & 2006 Filipino- American Jazz Festival. In 2006, she headlined the First Manila International Jazz Festival in her birth country, the Philippines.

One of the founding members of JazzPhil-USA, a non-profit organization that promotes Filipino-American jazz artists in the United States, Charmaine has been credited with introducing the Filipino culture to mainstream audiences, delighting music lovers with her “very honest stage presence” and vocal artistry that listeners describe as “a spiritual experience” and “utterly mesmerizing” (LA WEEKLY).

One of the founding members of JazzPhil-USA, a non-profit organization which promotes Filipino-American jazz artists in the United States, Charmaine is an American citizen and proud Pinay who is honored to perform at concerts that celebrate the Filipino culture. She was recently selected by The Filipino Women's Network (http://www.ffwn.org/) as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipino Women in the United States.

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