MANILA, Philippines - There was hardly any singing, but Filipino saxophonist Tots Tolentino and a French contingent composed of pianist David Starck and guitarists/brothers Boulou and Elios Ferre played like there was no need for anything else.

A full-house crowd was on hand to enjoy what the four musicians offered?refreshing interpretations of Broadway standards, bebop classics, freestyle jams, and an intriguing, if quirky genre called gypsy jazz?in one heady gig recently at the Grand Sunset Pavilion of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel.

The tandem of Starck and Tolentino played first, the latter unusually outgoing and quick with stage spiels as he explained what they were up to. This was a show presented by Alliance Francaise (with sponsor Nokia) as part of its French Spring 2008 cultural calendar, although Starck is also reportedly collaborating on a record with Tolentino called ?Manila Paris Confidential,? and has been staying here for sometime now.

So much emotion

After a relaxing version of ?All the Things You Are,? the duo sped things up. Tolentino blew his tenor sax with a sprightly gait, its Charlie Parker riffs a perfect imaginary soundtrack for people brisk-walking past cars caught in traffic. Starck?s keyboard work had notes cascading like waterfalls, or an alternate scenario could be young lovers on a romp across rolling fields?light years away from global warming.

In ?Stella By Starlight,? Tolentino put so much emotion that he seemed to have cracked a note, like a terribly lovesick man pleading for compassion.

The bebop runs resumed, evoking street scenes with honking cars and the nervous vibrancy of cosmopolitan life. By that time, Starck and Tolentino looked like they had become the best of sparring partners.

The Ferre brothers, introduced as ?masters of gypsy jazz,? warmed up by squeezing in nursery rhyme verses into their opening number.

Playing with what looked like the uniquely designed Selmer brand of acoustic guitars popularized by Django Reinhardt?who?s acknowledged as the original proponent of gypsy jazz?Boulou and Elios Ferre stunned us by doing solos simultaneously. Or so it seemed.

But what?s gypsy jazz all about? To our ears, it soared with an adventurous spirit, with a more complicated infusion of tones to its traditional swing character, the music having gained prominence in France circa 1930s. The Ferre brothers are direct descendants of gypsy jazz royalty, since their father Matelo and uncles Baro and Sarane have been Reinhardt?s band mates in Quintette du Hot Club de France, whose other famous member is the violinist Stephane Grapelli.

It is said that many gypsy jazz musicians don?t read notes and learn the craft purely from memory. If that?s the case with Boulou and Elios, then the kind of mental sharpness we heard from them was nothing short of amazing. The kind of aural delights they laid out apparently had complex ad libs and turns of phrase, although they rang with playful, childlike abandon.

There was a restless energy in the songs, some performed with breakneck speed that it left us dumbfounded. There were also moments when the duo seemed lost in another world, which prompted a few society matrons to chatter away.

But other ladies were quite attentive, like the ones we overheard saying, ?Oh, that?s Baroque music??referring to some of the classically-inspired stuff that Boulou and Elios also played. There was a hint of Bach and waltz, and even if the performers spoke no English, we enjoyed riding on the same wavelength of musical understanding. When Boulou let out a few bars of scatting, it was enough to conclude that this cat was truly hip despite his age.

When Starck and Tolentino joined them for the concert?s finale, the Ferre brothers were still in a frolicsome mood. One part of the jam went on another fast clip, Boulou persuading Tolentino to go all out with solos, which the latter obliged. Starck was likewise only too glad to fly high with his own spirited improvs, at which point some members of the audience began to cheer.

As the foursome traded licks and, out of nowhere, pulled out a passage from ?There Will Never Be Another You,? we were swinging and feeling lightheaded?this despite not having a drop of the free wine that flowed all night long.

When the jam slowed down, it was so sweet and romantic that there might have been no way for the women in the crowd not to have fallen for these gypsy jazz kings? music. They have a Tagalog term for it: makalaglag-panty.