IF YOU’RE thinking “here we go again, he’s going to talk about the almost a century existence and dominance of Panay Electric Co. or PECO as power provider of ‘I Am Iloilo City’ coming to an end”, I’m really sorry to disappoint you. We’re not.
But it might as well be the “end of an era” for PECO. No less than “I Am Iloilo City” Mayor Geronimo said in the March 3, 2020 issue of Panay News:
“I was made to understand that MORE Power is already in control of all power distribution facilities, including the substations,” therefore, added the mayor, the city government would be paying for its electricity consumption to MORE Power. “Ang aton balayran sa PECO asta Feb. 29,” said Treñas. From thence, “the city government would be transacting with MORE Power,” he added, stressing that legal issues between MORE Power and PECO were for the court to decide.”
We leave it at that and segue to what Echoes of an Era is really all about. Excerpts from that free online encyclopedia a.k.a. the internet”
“Echoes of an Era” is an album by American R&B/jazz singer Chaka Khan, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, released in 1982 on Elektra Records.
“Echoes of an Era” sees Khan interpreting jazz standards like Thelonious Monk’s “I Mean You” and Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train”, as well as “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most”, “All of Me”, and “I Love You Porgy”. The album was originally not released as a Chaka Khan studio album (who was signed to Warner Bros. Records at the time) but as band collaboration under the moniker “Echoes of an Era” and with all six performers credited on the album cover.
Yes, we are talking about art, specifically music, and the genre is jazz, you know the type of music that leaves the Frappuccino-infused trendy social climbing millennial staring into space utterly lost in translation.
The poor idiot has absolutely no idea what jazz is and all about, then you ask, “Is this another clever way to condescend?” Of course it is.
Before the confusion gets any worst as it is, more from that free online encyclopedia:
Yvette Marie Stevens, better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, is an American singer and songwriter. Her career has spanned nearly five decades, beginning in the 1970s as lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Khan received public attention for her vocals and image. By 1984 Khan has won 10 Grammy Awards and has sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide.
In the course of her solo career, Khan has achieved three gold singles, three gold albums and one platinum album. With Rufus, she achieved four gold singles, four gold albums, and two platinum albums. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 65th most successful dance artist of all time. She was ranked at No. 17 in VH1;s original list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. She has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
Just before Chaka Khan recorded our feature album Echoes of an Era, she came out with an R&B ballad Through the Fire which became a monster hit in the Philippines and still is on the playlists of most Adult Contemporary, Easy Rock and Easy Listening FM stations in the country.
Most people who were around in the 1980s and were there during the heydays of smooth jazz would always associate Chaka Khan with that R&B ballad and was probably the soundtrack of their love life.
From an www.allmusic.com review by Alex Henderson:
In 1982, soul goddess Chaka Khan did the unexpected when she recorded this excellent, straight-ahead jazz LP. Regrettably, the album was released under the name “Echoes of an Era” instead of under Khan’s own name – so it wasn’t nearly the big seller it probably would have been if Elektra had fully exploited Khan’s connection with the project. But while “Echoes of an Era” was the victim of questionable marketing, it was a creative triumph. Joined by Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and flugelhorn, Chick Corea on acoustic piano, Stanley Clarke on upright bass, and Lenny White on drums, Khan demonstrates that she is quite capable of handling hard bop and straight-ahead jazz. Corea, Clarke, and White had all been members of the fusion powerhouse of the ‘70s Return to Forever, but make no mistake – “Echoes of an Era” is very much an acoustic bop date. In fact, Khan’s jazz singing is so strong that one cannot help but wonder what would have happened if jazz had been her dominant direction instead of R&B.
For those into jazz this album is a must-have in your collection and also for those who want to bring out their inner “jazzman” from the closet. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
