The Grand Reunion Concert

In 2000, Philippine group the New Minstrels, whose heyday was in the 1970s, reunited for a concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila. The event was recorded and released on cassette as The Grand Reunion Concert. The New Minstrels contain nine members — eight vocalists (four male and four female) and a keyboardist. At the concert, the New Minstrels were accompanied by four guest musicians, and group member Babes Conde played keyboards. The New Minstrels' repertoire consists mostly of American hits from the 1960s and 1970s; only two songs on the recording are Filipino. While this release contains 37 songs, the group only sings snippets of most of them. Many songs are strung together in medley form, including the closing eight songs, all of which were composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. These include "Promises Promises," "I Say a Little Prayer," and six others. Side one of the cassette is dominated by pop hits, including the 5th Dimension's "Up, Up and Away" and the Temptations' "My Girl." Side one also has the chestnut "My Funny Valentine," on which a female group member, in addition to singing the melody, scats over the chord changes. Side two contains mostly standards, including songs made famous by Nat "King" Cole. Most songs on the album are performed in note-for-note renditions, though Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is given a thrilling a cappella treatment. The singing throughout the album is harmonious and exciting, though it's a bit sad that one of the Philippines' most famous show bands became popular by singing American songs and not Filipino ones.