Jose Mari Chan inalok kay Lea Salonga ‘Christmas In Our Hearts’ duet, pero…

SIGURADONG hanggang December na ang mga guesting at special appearances ng tinaguriang "King of Christmas Carols" na si Jose Mari Chan.

Bukod sa mga dekorasyon tulad ng Christmas Tree, Christmas Lights, Belen at parol, itinuturing na ring simbolo ng Paskong Pinoy si Tito Joe.

Talaga namang pagpasok pa lang ng "BER months" (September 1) ay maririnig mo na ang mga Christmas songs na pinasikat ni JMC, lalo na ang classic hit niyang "Christmas In Our Hearts."

Pero sa kabila nito, ayaw pa rin niyang tinatawag na "King of Christmas Carols" o "Father of Philippine Christmas Music" dahil feeling niya hindi niya ito deserved.

Aniya, marami na raw mga kantang Pamasko na naisulat at sumikat sa Pilipinas bago pa man siya maipanganak.

"No, no. Long before I was born, there were already many Christmas carols. Cebu, Iloilo, Tagalog, I mean Manila, there were 'Ang Pasko ay Sumapit,'" ang pahayag ni JMC sa panayam ni Toni Gonzaga sa kanyang online talkshow sa YouTube na "Toni Talks".

"Di ba, you know if I'm the only one who has written all the Christmas carols in the Philippines, okay. But I'm not," aniya pa.

Nagbalik-tanaw din si Jose Mari Chan kung paano niya naisulat ang sikat na sikat pa rin hanggang ngayon na "Christmas in Our Hearts."

"In 1988 or '89, I was invited by a group to compose a song for their advocacy, 'Ang Tubig ay Buhay,' you know, conservation of water, etcetera.

"So, I wrote that, and the melody was so catchy that two years later, when the Universal Records group asked me to come up with a Christmas album, then I remembered that melody.

"I remember praying to the Holy Spirit, to inspire me, you know, I don't want to write about Santa Claus, I want to write about the real reason for the season, which is our Lord's Birth," pagbabahagi niya.

"I remember coming out of the church and getting into my car, there was a young lady who knocked at my door, and she introduced herself as Rina Caniza. And then she said, 'It is my dream, Mr. Chan, that one day, you and I could collaborate on a song.' That was probably in August or September.

"So, she gave me her card, and to make a long story short, when I was commissioned to do that Christmas Album, I remembered her, so I said, 'I'm gonna give her a call.'

"So, she came to the house, and I sang the melody of Ang Tubig ay Buhay, which she liked very much, and I think it was even Rina who thought of the title Christmas in our Hearts," lahad ni JMC.

Ayon pa sa OPM legend, ang gusto raw sana niyang maka-duet para sa naturang kanta ay si Lea Salonga pero hindi raw pumayag ang producer nito ginagawa noon ng Broadway Superstar ang "Miss Saigon."

Pero sa gabay daw ni Holy Spirit at sa kanyang pagdarasal, naisipan niyang ibigay ang "Christmas In Our Hearts" sa anak niyang babae na si Liza Chan na naging instant hit nga nang una nila itong i-release ilang taon na ngayon ang nakararaan.

Si JMC din ang sumulat sa mga classic OPM songs na "Mamang Sorbetero" ni Celeste Legaspi, at ang mga original tracks niyang "A love to Last a Lifetime," "Afterglow," at "Can We Just Stop and Talk Awhile."

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