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Sandra Lim Viray
A short paraphrase of a line, from my favorite pastime pocketbook, is the best start. It says when something is good, it makes the heads of the kids turn. When men’s heads join in, it’s probably beautiful. But when it turns the heads of the ladies as well, then you have something gorgeous. And many heads turn whenever they hear and see Sandra Lim Viray. Hers is a voice and a stage presence that makes the audience come up closer to the stage and be mesmerized further. She has a unique way of singing, nay _expression, that makes the listeners detach from their feelings and identify more with her own, which can range from the mischievously playful to the melancholic. Her stage showmanship is simply cool and may, at times, look subdued, but she projects a strong sense of urgency and motion that makes the audience stand up on their feet and groove to her rhythm.
Sandra is a perfect example of a total music artist. Like many great jazz artists, Sandra had her start in the classics and in the tunes of the time. Being born in a musically rich generation and the youngest to a very musical family, her training was thus, consequently extensive. She took up formal music lessons at an early age (piano and marimba in particular) and became the youngest soloist of her church choir. When she's home, she got to absorb the eclectic sounds emanating from her elder siblings. Classics and Gospel songs, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Fifth Dimensions, Cat Stevens, Sergio Mendez all combined to prime Sandra for her jazz days ahead. In Sandra's colorful schooldays, she already demonstrated her great worth and creativity - her avant-garde approach to her projects endeared her to her compatriots but alas, earned the ire of her superiors as well. Her call to perform in front of stage lights came early too, especially the one that came from the Batucada and jazz fusion pioneer, Boy Katindig. She later became the mainstay of the long-running bar in town, Papillon, as the solo singer for Network Band. Her very noticeable presence in the scene led to bookings as a solo artist then as singer for the Philippine bossa nova daddy, Bong Penera, which then leads us back to where we started. What then, makes Sandra, the person, Sandra the singer that makes heads turn? Singing, for Sandra, is not a demonstration of vocal prowess although she can easily blow anyone on stage away if she so chooses. Sandra doesn't just sing - she touches people. She knows and loves people and she sings as one with them. Sandra understands people's inner feelings, their secret joys or anguish and she expresses these for them when they cannot. Her blessed voice, wonderfully textured and soothingly precise, says all that is "you" in lyrics that flow freely, coming not as words for the ears but as words for the soul. When Sandra sings, you know she’s sharing your smiles or she’s crying for you.
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