Johnny Alegre
?3?
MCA Music

For his third album, guitarist-composer Johnny Alegre goes to New York, forms a recording trio with a couple of eminent jazz names, bassist Ron McClure and drummer Billy Hart, and nails down a neat collection of mood-enhancing music.

While ?Barnabas? and ?Conundrum? are fusion-laced with a sense of adventure and engaging solos (check out the drums in the latter), ?Wildflower? and ?Offering? are mid-tempo numbers that would sound perfect with coffee or wine while contemplating past trials and triumphs. They?re the sort of cool, guitar-led instrumentals that call to mind Pat Metheny or, to go back to an earlier era, Wes Montgomery.

In fact, McClure and Hart have played with Montgomery in the ?60s; and Alegre himself has been influenced by Montgomery?s distinctive, thumb-plucking technique. We?re not sure if Alegre does not use guitar picks, but one thing is clear: This is one Pinoy jazzer who can rock the international landscape with his talent and persistence.

Aya Yuson
?Angel Song?
Candid Records

Aya Yuson may be another Montgomery-influenced jazz guitarist, but in this debut album, the son of writers Krip Yuson and Sylvia Mayuga finds his own ?voice,? one that resonates with emotion and grace.

Employing a quartet and alternating with saxophonist Tots Tolentino as lead player, Yuson unloads a melodious set of original repertoire that ruminates, swings, bops and generally sustains interest for their variety.

While the instrumentals (?Nubian Princess,? ?For the Queen? and the title track) are lovely and infectious, the tracks with singing vocals (?Used To Be My Moon,? ?I Still Believe? with Aileen Balon; ?Fooled & Fooled Again,? ?Diwa ng Babae? with Skarlet; and ?Phoenix Reborn? with Yosha Honasan) establish Yuson as a fine lyricist, too. ?Diwa ng Babae? is so touching, it attains a spiritual dimension.

But there?s humor as well, like in the double-entendre ?Big Bird? (featuring the riotous Arthur Manuntag), not to mention rhythmic romps in ?The Tan Man,? which makes this record a must-have for those looking for hidden gems.