BATUKADA . In Brazil, it means “the beat”. And true to its name’s origins, the group played with the latin beat made famous by Jobim, Gilberto and Mendes. Then Moreira,Deodato and Purim took the beat to greater heights and Batukada flew with them. The search for other highs continued. And the group soared on the heady mixture of Hancock, Corea, Crusaders, Bob James, Cobham, McLaughlin and Weather Report, further elevating their musical conciousness. And all through these passages, the beat goes on. NOW BATUKADA. A musical force reborn along with its new directions and spirit of inventiveness and experimentation. And in this spirit makes itself evident in the metamorphosis that standard Pilipino love ballads like “Dahil sa isang Bulaklak”, “Aliw”, “Sa iyo ang araw, sa akin ang gabi” (composed by Don Manolo P. Villar Sr.) undergo in the hands and heads of this group. NOW BATUKADA’s treatment eludes description. One cannot simply put it down as Pilipino or “Pinoy” Jazz as with the scant recordings available, the idiom has yet to be defined. Perhaps we can call it “new music”, one that transcends traditional forms as well as nationalistic borders. NOW BATUKADA with its members Boy”Yob” Katindig (keyboards and arrangement), Jun “Save Me” Salvame (flute, trumpet), “Papa” Jun Enriquez (Guitar), Sonny “Chaba” Nabong (bass), Cesar “Bachu” Yumping (drums, roto toms), Nick “Egub” Boogie (percussion). It’s vibrant, its exciting, it’s the here and Now Batukada.