Cynthia Alexander
CYNTHIA not only holds the distinction of being borne out of purely artistic leanings. A daughter of multi-awarded painter-poet-short story writers Jose V. Ayala Jr. and Tita Lacambra-Ayala, Cynthia picked up the guitar at age 7.
While she painstakingly took all the chord lessons to heart and soul over coffee and late night games of chess with her now famous ethnorocker brother Joey Ayala, Cynthia went to school at nearby Ateneo De Davao to learn the rudiments of a formal education.
Known as the lady who had a bass guitar slung over her shoulder during the early days, Cynthia Alexander has definitely got a long music retrospective to back her up. Aside from her being a seasoned bassist of the band Hayp, Cynthia also holds the distinction of being awarded the Best Bassist at the World Band Explosion held at the Budokan Hall in Tokyo a few years back. She also formed the core of Joey Ayala's Bagong Lumad, playing the octavina, bass and different indigenous percussion like the agung with proficiency. She has done session work with various filipino music legends like Mike Hanopol and Jun Lopito.
1988 One of Them, Fire
1991 Hayp, Hayp
1992 Encantada, Joey Ayala at ang Bagong Lumad
1993 Pusong Bakal, Mike Hanopol
1994 Creator, Live at the Xebec Hall, Kobe, Japan, Joey Ayala at ang Bagong Lumad
1994 She Knows how to Rock, Lou Bonnevie
1995 Parol, Joey Ayala
1997 Langit at Lupa, Joey Ayala at ang Bagong Lumad
s o l o a l b u m s
1997 Insomnia and other Lullabyes, Cynthia Alexander
2000 Rippingyarns, Cynthia Alexander, distributed by n/a records
With 'Rippingyarns', Cynthia Alexander steps forward with her own independent album distributed by N/A records. As one expects, Cynthia Alexander's much awaited album Rippingyarns rises above the ordinary. Easier on the ear and unbearably light, Cynthia seems to have found a middle ground to reach out from within and yet retain depth .
The album reads like a confessional, an account of a soul's path finding in Purgatory. Cynthia is personified in this album, here she is human like Lazarus living and dying to relive to tell the tall tale, a rippingyarn.
Rippingyarns is a showcase of sound sculpturings to surprise and bemuse aesthetes. There is a pluck of bluegrass in the prelude to Fly - a raw vocal-guitar rendition; unorthodox cello voicings couple with indigenous tidtu and binalig rhythms in Intertwyne; 'Deodato'esque solo on Daisy Chain; the Weather Report's cheerful oriental musing; her signature detuned guitarwork on Walk down the Road, Frost & Glass and Motorbykle which have traces of ceilidh; and the infectious chorus of U & I (published in the November 1999 Roadmap Series).
There is always more to listen to, to the delight of the discerning as it is very 'Cynthia Alexander' to suggest that 'neath the awnings of string pluck and rhythm display lies hid the prose-poet barefoot on splinters. She exudes an ancient knowing akin to the classic Comfort in Your Strangeness endeared in Intertwyne, Rainday and Owner of the Sky and sets music to 'The Flowers of Youth', a poem written by her multi-awarded poetess mother Tita Lacambra-Ayala.
Back to back listening is heavily prescribed.
MP3
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