GRACE NONO &

BOB AVES
GRACE NONO
 GENERAL INFORMATION
• Music-Performing Artist, Ethnomusicologist, Cultural Worker
• Born on May 6, 1965 in Butuan, Agusan del Norte to Ramona R.
Sacote, an English and Mathematics teacher, and Imgedio A. Nono,
a farmer leader
 EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
• East Bunawan Central School - 1976
• Among the top of the class
• A year in Agusan National High School
• Philippine School for the Arts - 1981
• Major in Theatre Arts
• University of the Philippines
• Bachelor's Degree in Humanities - 1986
• Master's Degree in Philippine Studies - 2004
• New York University
• Doctoral Studies in Ethnomusicology - 2014
• Additional Trainings
• Asia-Pacific Cultural Center for UNESCO in Kyoto - 2009
• Asian Cultural Council in New York - 2008
• UCLA Asia Pacific Performance in Los Angeles - 2006
• Asian Institute of Management's Managing the Arts Program in
Makati - 2003
• Global Research Initiative in Florence - 2013
• Harvard Divinity School’s Women’s Studies in Religion Program and
Center for the Study of World Religions in Cambridge in 2015-16
 MUSIC-PERFORMING ARTIST
• Specializes in the contemporary performance of Philippine prayer
chants and Visayan love laments
• In the 1990s, Grace became one of the pillars of what was then called
the “Philippine alternative music scene"
• With the help of her friends and in collaboration with Bob Aves, she
released several multi-awarded and high profile solo recordings that
fused popular and traditional music styles:
• Tao Music (Record Plant 1992, BMG Pilipinas 1993)
• Opo (BMG Pilipinas 1995)
• Isang Buhay (BMG Pilipinas 1998).
 MUSIC-PERFORMING ARTIST
• Despite of her major record labels withdrawing their support for music
that did not comply with commercial trends, she remained steadfast
in her musical vision. Without corporate support, she independently
co-produced other award-winning solo albums:
• Hulagpos: Women’s Music and Poetry
• Diwa (Tao Music 2008)
• Dalit (Tao Music 2009)
• Grace also co-established the independent record label Tao Music,
with his husband Bob Aves, that released recordings of Philippine
traditional music
 MUSIC-PERFORMING ARTIST
• Has been featured in concerts at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
in Manila, the House of World Cultures in Berlin, the Circulo de Bellas
Artes in Madrid, the Lincoln Center's La Casita Festival and the Asian
American Arts Alliance's Locating the Sacred Festival in New York, and
the Asia Society in New York and Hong Kong, to name a few.
LISTENING TRACKS
 ANI
First Impressions
• Ethnic singing set to a pop beat

Aural Analysis
• Text is about planting and harvesting
• Style of singing is similar to chanting; Has traditional call and response
singing especially in the intro
• Music has pop feel, but does not sacrifice folk roots by using ethnic
instruments and approach
• From the album Isang Buhay (1998)
 ADER
First Impressions
• Light & Rhythmic

Aural Analysis
• Focuses more on rhythmic chants with no text
• Gives priority to ethnic instruments and less on the pop feel

• From the album Isang Buhay (1998)

 DAHONG LAYA
First Impressions
• Sounds like a Spanish dance

Aural Analysis
• A visayan love song; “Dahong Laya” means “Dried Leaves”
• Uses more modern instruments
• The style of singing is more similar to common pop songs

• From the album Dalit (2009)

BOB AVES
 GENERAL INFORMATION
• Guitarist and a Jazz Musician
• Composer, Arranger, Record producer and Musical Director
• Leading proponent of Philippine Jazz
 EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
• University of the Philippines (1974-1976)
• Berklee College of Music
• Bachelor’s Degree in Music, major in Composition (1979)
 GUITARIST AND JAZZ MUSICIAN
• Has always been marked with excellent works in the fields of
composition, arranging and performance
• Has produced a number of award-winning albums in a wide range of
musical styles
• Was a member of the band “Destiny”, which bested 220 other bands
in a nation wide search in 1975, focusing in a style of jazz called
“fusion”, merging rock with jazz.
• His arrangement of the blues tune "Israel" by John Carisi, and original
compositions like "Give It One More Shot" and "Just a Taste" were
performed and recorded live by the college's premiere jazz
orchestras, like the Berklee Concert Band, headed by Herb Pomeroy
and Phil Wilson's Dues Band respectively.
 GUITARIST AND JAZZ MUSICIAN
• Presently, he is presenting his most recent works to the global
community by way of a solo album entitled "Inner Country“ under by
BMG records.
• Mixture of World music, Philippine ethnic music, and of course, jazz.
• His exposure to the ethnic music of the Philippines has done an
excellent job in employing these local ethnic instruments into his
album.
• Aside from displaying his mastery over the electric and nylon guitars,
he also played other stringed instruments like the Kudlong, Octavina,
and even the Ukulele.
• Co-founded the Tao Music label with his wife, Grace Nono
LISTENING TRACKS
 THE OUTSIDER
First Impressions
• Upbeat, driving tempo

Aural Analysis
• Gives the spot to ethnic instruments (kulintang)
• Style of singing is similar to chanting, but without lyrics
• The music has that feel where the instruments are dueling with each other
• Driving music

• From the album Translating the Gongs (2006)

 GONGS CAN SWING
First Impressions
• Upbeat music using ethnic Instruments set to a Techno Jazzy Feel

Aural Analysis
• A jazz piece gives focus to ethnic instruments (kulintang, gongs), playing
alongside with modern jazz instruments (piano, saxophones, percussions and
bass)
• Light & Upbeat

• From the album Out of Tradition (2013)

 OPENING
First Impressions
• Has that light sound and feeling

Aural Analysis
• A piece of music that showcases the guitar, yet still uses ethnic instrument
(kulintang, drums) as accompanying instruments
• Fresh and relaxing sound

• From the album Out of Tradition (2013)