"Birdland" was located at the corner of Timog and Morato, and we'd see it when we'd pass by that area. Sometimes, we'd pass there by car, sometimes, by foot. Later on, the name was changed to "Birds of the same feather," but remained a Jazz club.
They would always have big posters of their featured singers, and that's where my familiarity with local Jazz singers began.
The club would host Jazz greats like Annie Brazil, Richard Merk, Vernie Varga and Marlene Dela Pena.
Most of the Pinoys know the first 3 Jazz singers, but the 4th wasn't a household name. In the Philippines, at least.
Marlene Dela Pena is a Filipina Jazz singer who was a big name in Japan. In fact, she was more popular in Japan than she was here. But that didn't stop her from holding concerts here, which were always well attended.
One of her songs that I'd hear a lot on the radio was this Jazzy ditty from 1983:
"Zanzibar Night" is a great showcase of her singing prowess. She's got the voice. She's got the Jazz way of singing down pat.
No wonder she was popular in Japan. And eventually, in the Philippines, too.
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