Enjoyed hearing Quito's voice here. Thanks for sharing and for giving me the opportunity working with you so long ago.

One of the more beautiful, traditional Catholic hymns in honor of the Most Blessed Sacrament, attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas. A YouTube version is available showing the Shrine of Christ's Passion in St. John Indiana, photography by my brother Rosito. That YouTube site is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P33jM_uQL8
Track recorded November 30, 2012, feast of St. Andrew. Here I play guitar and sing the hymn in Latin.

Adoro Te Devote

"Go" -- another composition of mine, gets a great "Sinatra" feel to it in this track as my friend Michel 'Mike' Domingue interprets it. It also is done differently as it was originally in samba or bossa nova, but this time it's done in contemplative Valse or waltz timing. I am here playing piano, arranging and accompanying and Michel singing his magic. Track recorded as part of an album called "A Time for Spring" recorded at Studio Media in Evanston, IL.

Go (by Bong Peñera)

From the Bong Peñera archives, Live at CCP, (Cultural Center of the Philippines) 1977, "You Go To My Head" by Coots-Gillespie
Personnel:
Bong Peñera, keyboards and arrangements
Marité Aldecoa, vocals
Sonny Nabong, bass
Jun Salvame, trumpet
Cesar Yumping, drums & percussion
Papa "Jun" Enriquez, guitar

You Go To My Head

Track is from a Live Valentine's Show Called "FOR LOVERS ONLY",
1985, at the Bert Neviera's Music Lounge'.
Personnel:
Louie Reyes, vocals
Bong Peñera, piano and background vocals
Louie Marcaia, bass
Al Iglesias, drums
Menchu Apostol, guitar and musical direction

Magpakailanman With Louie Reyes

A 2017 version of my song "Poem Blue" that made the charts as an instrumental piece in my third, 1980, album, simply called, BONG PEÑERA. Another version in slow samba was released in my 2005 album, SAMBA THROUGH LIFE. This version is ballad and bluesy in mood. It is part of a project study in progress. Words & Music by Bong Peñera (c) 1980, 2005. Personnel: Bong Peñera: piano and vocals. Recorded May 4, 2017.

POEM BLUE

June 24, 1979 at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines
JAZZ WITH HUBERT
The voice clip announcing the concert performers says it all: the excitement of it all as he rolls out the outstanding musicians with Hubert Laws, and Bong Peñera's opening the show with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as a jazz piano solo, which he had done impromptu. The voice clip already introduced Hubert Laws musicians, but Peñera's were not. And so here goes, again: Bong was on piano, vocals and arrangements. Sonny Nabong was on bass, Edmond Fortuno on drums, Uly Avante on percussion, Edgar 'Koyang' Avenir on guitar, Gina Montes and Pat Castillo on vocals. On an audio track earlier uploaded to soundcloud, "Rainbow Seeker" there Bong had introduced Sonny Nabong on bass and Edmond Fortuno on drums.

Over The Rainbow Jazz Piano Solo - Jazz with Hubert, CCP, 1979

The version that would have made it. This track was originally in my maiden album of original compositions, "A SAMBA SONG", recorded in English, vocals by Quito Colayco of the Manila Cinderella fame. But, at the last minute, my friend/producer Chito Silva thought it would be great if we did it like Getz/Gilberto where there was a Portuguese version of Girl From Ipanema. In our case, A Samba Song, but instead of Portuguese, Tagalog. Thus at the last minute I wrote the Tagalog lyrics sang it in Tagalog and that along with the now very famous English version sung by Norma Ramirez (Ram to friends) is the one that soared through the charts. I am honored and blessed to know and be friends with the most beautiful and incomparable and exquisitely talented songs birds of all time. Thanks and love to you, Ram, thanks and love to you, Quito. Thanks, too, to Ding Poblete who played drums and Sonny Nabong for the great bass lines. I played piano and electric piano. Recorded at Cinema Audio, 1976. By the way, this album also contains the Brazilian Portuguese version translated and sung by Maria Dulce Soares "Dudu" da Silva.

A Samba Song (English)

A multi-faceted musician, pianist, arranger and composer, Bong Peñera has recorded five albums of original compositions and most of them are still in the best sellers list in the Philippines and worldwide. He is known for such great hits as A Samba Song, Samba for Luisa, Batucada Sa Calesa, Beat Contemplation and many more. He is also producing more and new original songs. He also plays organ for various churches and other religious communities and services.

A Samba Song (English)

Bong Peñera

Recent comments

Norma Ramirez 5

Related tracks