WHAT made the recent Eumir Deodato concert at SM Mall of Asia?s SMX Convention Center worth remembering?

First, front act Janet Basco. It was refreshing to see her sing again after a long spell. In fact it seemed like she was never gone?a scenario which somehow fit into her opening number, the ballad ?As If We Never Said Goodbye? from the musical ?Sunset Boulevard.?

Switching gears to fast mode on Seawind?s ?The Devil Is a Liar? and ?He Loves You,? Basco let loose the sweet yet adventurous vocals that made her a hit at the Vineyard in Makati and Hyatt Hotel?s Calesa Bar in the ?70s.

A technical glitch (the audio to Rey Cristobal?s keyboards suddenly conked out) failed to unnerve Basco as she continued singing Stevie Wonder?s ?Lately? until the sound was put back on.

Proceeding to channel Ella Fitzgerald in a swinging medley of ?Somewhere There?s Music,? ?How High the Moon? and ?Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,? Basco held the jazz torch with aplomb, scatting and then finishing on a high note.

It would be nice to see more of Basco in future gigs.

Second, Deodato?s all-Pinoy backup band. Assembled only for the Brazilian artist?s Manila shows (a second gig followed at Dusit Thani Hotel?s grand ballroom), the eight musicians had spunk and soul bouncing off their instruments as they interpreted a variety of arrangements from the music sheets.

The horn section was a prominent, lively presence?Ronnie Marqueses (trombone), Romy Francisco (flugelhorn, trumpet), Michael Guevarra (alto sax, flute) and Gilbert Francisco (baritone sax, flute) setting the mood for the upbeat and laid-back tunes.

Guitarist Noel Santiago was no less impressive. He had the intensity and soaring spirit of Santana in the Latin-inflected numbers.

Bassist Colby de la Calzada and drummer Jun Regalado put everything in tight place?enhanced by perky beats from percussionist Uly Avante.

Through it all, Deodato maintained a cool and unobtrusive stance on the Yamaha synthesizer. Keeping his mouth shut almost to the very end, he let his music do the talking: A fusion of jazz and classical, nestled on a dance groove and punctuated by funky jams.

Just about every kind of sound was there?bossa nova in ?Whistle Bump,? rock swagger in ?Whirlwinds,? romantic jazz in ?Speak Low,? the 1920s and ?30s revisited in hip yet still reverential treatments in ?Moonlight Serenade? and ?Rhapsody in Blue.?

When Deodato finally spoke before the last number, everyone was raring to listen. The man clearly remembered the first time he was here, and admitted how he?d be ?lost? without his Filipino backup group.

The audience wouldn?t let him go with just one encore. When we heard Steely Dan?s ?Do It Again,? our trip back to the ?70s reached its climax.