December 29, 2015 – By Edwin P. Sallan, InterAksyon.com

a7888b05-Jack JonesLegendary American balladeer Jack Jones has been performing in the Philippines since the 1960s, he said he already lost count on how many times he’s visited the country.

“I’ve been coming here since 1966, if not, even sooner than that. I played the Araneta Coliseum three times so far and the Folk Arts Theater a couple of times,” he recalled in an interview with InterAksyon on the eve of his year-ender concert, “Jack Jones Sings Songs from the Heart” scheduled on December 29 at the Kia Theatre and again on December 30 at Novotel Manila in Araneta Center.

“I do remember my very first time at Araneta when people asked me to do ‘The Lorelei’ which I recorded for an album but until then I have not performed live. My drummer came to me and said, ‘You probably want to do that song.’ And I said no and he said, ‘You’ve got to do that song’ and I asked why and he said, ‘Because that’s why we’re here.’ No one told me that song was a big hit here,” he recalled.

In addition to “The Lorelei,” the 77-year old pop and jazz crooner is also known for his renditions of standards like “Lollipops and Roses,” and the Burt Bacharach and Hal David-penned “Wives and Lovers” for which he earned Grammy nominations for Best Pop Male Performance in 1962 and 1964.

His version of “The Impossible Dream” from the musical, “Man of La Mancha” is also popular with fans.

In the mid-70s, Jones scored a string of huge hits in the Philippines that included his recordings of “What I Did for Love” from “A Chorus Line” and Charles Aznavour’s “She” which would later become a big hit for Elvis Costello when the latter recorded it for the soundtrack of “Notting Hill.”

“I remembered the other time I was here, they made a commercial on the radio for my show and they listed all the songs and they took bits of my recording and put them all together and then when it came to ‘She,’ they couldn’t find my record, so they put Elvis Costello’s record in my commercial,” he amusingly shared.

Jones said is very pleased that thanks to Costello and “Notting Hill,” the song became a hit all over again worldwide. “It’s worthy of it,” he quipped.

Although best known for ballads, what is considered as Jones’ most popular song by fans worldwide is the upbeat tune, “The Love Boat,” the theme from the hit American TV series that ran for 13 years. Asked if he ever gets tired of singing it, Jones said no.

“We just got through doing a 50th anniversary cruise with the entire cast and myself and we went to Mexico from L.A. for two weeks. And we had a great time and it was even covered by the press, I sang the song on the sailway and gave a lecture on the cruise and showed some video, which is fun,” he revealed.

Although he admits that he’s not so thrilled about travelling which he has been doing for the last five decades of his entertainment career, Jones said he has accepted it as part and parcel of his being a singer.

No, I don’t. We just got through doing a 50th anniversary cruise with the entire cast and myself and we went to Mexico from L.A. for two weeks. And we had a great time and it was even covered by the press, I sang the song on the sailway and gave a lecture on the cruise and showed some video, which is fun.

“I have to travel if I want to sing. And I love to sing. Singing is very cathartic and as long as I can, I see people smiling and know that my songs have an effect on their lives, I’ll keep doing it,” he concluded.

Also featuring Jose Mari Chan, Gerphil Flores and the Kilyawan Consortium of Voices, “Jack Jones Sings Songs from the Heart” is produced by ManCo Productions, Inc. and Royal Chimes Concerts & Events Inc. in cooperation with Echo Jham Productions. Tickets are available at Ticketnet box offices and at www.ticketnet.com.ph.