THEY'VE BEEN TO PALAU 7 TIMES
Mr. Katsutoshi Nakada, right, and his wife Michiko Nakamura has been to Palau 7 times already. In April 2012, they are back again and have this picture taken again and sent it through Facebook to Roberto, who thanked them for chocolates/pastries/donuts from Morozoff that they have given to him. ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!
(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
COMPOSER OF PALAUAN SONG "NGESUAS"
On June 30, 2011 as I’m about to play piano music at Waves Restaurant of Palau Royal Resort, a group of Palauan family are having dinner at a table in front of the piano. There’s also a BBQ for Japanese guests outside.
When I sit down to start playing, the Palauan father of the family asked me, “Is that a song book?” I said yes, and lend it to him and said, “Would you like to take a look?” I gave him the dark blue notebook in which the cover is a photo of me and Palau President Johnson Toribiong taken on August 09, 2009.
I started to play Palauan songs and he knows almost all the Palauan songs that I’ve played. Sometimes he sings softly when he knows the lyrics.
When I played “Ngesuas”, he pointed at a teen-age girl and said to me that the composer of that song is her father. I lend her my green book where there are Palauan songs at the last few pages and she chooses a song.
The father told me personally that it’s his wife’s birthday today and asked me to play “Happy Birthday” right now. I suggested to him that to make a more dramatic approach, he should ask for a birthday candle, get 4 pieces of cake from buffet and ask some of the staff to sing for her.
I help in arranging that situation and when the all-lady employees sing the‘Happy Birthday Song’, it has a big impact even to the other guests.
Executive Chef Horie is very busy with the Japanese BBQ and when he goes inside, sometimes he hears the father or me singing softly. He ordered Chris (supervisor) to tell me something: “Stop playing Palauan songs”.
When Chris told me that, I’m almost finish with the Palauan song I’m playing, and then the girl mentioned her requested song. After playing it, she gave me $5.00 tip. I still continue to play Palauan songs. Why should I stop when guests are enjoying it? It’s not only the Palauans that are enjoying it but also Taiwanese.
I think the father notice what Chris told me and while paying their bill, he wrote something on a piece of paper. Before leaving, he approached me and said,“You know a lot of Palauan songs. I know most of those. I own the SLC Club.” I gave him my business card also. Some of them ordered ala carte and some have buffet dinner.
After they left, Chris told me what the father had written on a piece of paper – THAT THE SERVICE IS BAD. THE FOOD ARRIVED LONG TIME BUT THE MUSIC IS VERY NICE!
On my 2nd day of working as musician at PRR (June 02, 2007), I’m playing the Japanese song “Sakeyo” with expression. I thought Chef Horie will“feel” it but I’m shocked with what he said—“Don’t play that kind of song here at PRR. It’s not suitable in this kind of place.”
I think what he means is that “Sakeyo” is an “Enka” song which means Japanese song where the theme is about the breaking up of lovers or their quarrels/disagreements.
A few months later, he asked for my Japanese songbook while having a drink at Breeze Bar. He made a list of more than half of my repertoire of Japanese songs and ordered me not to play those songs—AIJIN, AMENO BOJO, Chako no kaigan monogatari, COMO ESTA AKASAKA, DANSHING All NIGHT (Dancing All Night-correction), FUTARI DE OSAKEO, ITOSHI NO ERI (Itoshino Elly –correction), KANPAI, KAWA NO NAGARENO NI MIO MAKASE (he combined “Kawa No Nagareno Yo Ni” and “Tokino Nagareno Mio Makase”), KITA SAKABA, NAGISA NO BALCONY, ROPPONGI RARABAI, SAIGO NO IIWAKE, SAKE TO NAMIDA TO OTOKO TO ONNA, SAKEYO, SUKIYAKI, TUGUNAI (TSUGUNAI–correction), WAKATTE KUDASAI, WAKARENO ASA, WAKARETEMO SUKINAHITO.
When I complain why “Itoshino Elly” is included? It’s the most popular Japanese song. He said, “It’s an order!” I wonder who order it. I know it’s not GM Isao Takahashi’s order.
It’s like a cat and mouse game since then. When he’s around, I will not play those 20 songs. It’s good he’s not around when I played “Kawa No Nagareno Yo Ni” to a lone old Japanese guy in March 27, 2008. I made that guy cried because of my expressive playing and he gave me $100.00 tip twice!
Still in March 2008, Chef Horie asked me again of a list of all Enka songs I know. I asked him, “Then, I will not play it at Waves Restaurant?” He said, “No, our guests are asking for it for you to play on their function.”
Now he realize that it’s not what HE don’t like that I should not play but what the guests like to hear.
SINCE THEN, I can play whatever songs I’d like to play …. UNTIL… there is a change of General Manager. Mr. Takahashi was assigned in Shanghai, China and was replaced by Mr. Masahiro Fujita, the former Rooms Director of PRR for 2 years. HE ORDERED CHEF HORIE, WHO ORDERED FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGER EDWIN ACUYAN TO FORBID ME TO PLAY JAPANESE SONGS!!!
Two weeks ago, I arrived at 6:00 pm to play piano. Japanese couple came in at the same time with me. They sit farther away near window. I played Japanese songs for 30 minutes and the lady comes to me and gave me $10.00 tip and said,“Subarashi”, which I think means excellent or very good.
The next day, GM and Chef Horie is telling Edwin to make a letter on a piece of paper saying that I will not play Japanese songs again. And I have to sign it! Edwin says, “It’s childish. How about Japanese songs derived from American songs?” When I checked my repertoire of Japanese songs, 13 of them are American songs that were adapted into Japanese.
I DIDN’T PLAY ANY JAPANESE SONGS WITHIN THIS WEEK. When I finish in making American lyrics to the other Japanese songs that I know, then I can play all of those songs and if they hear me playing those songs, I can say that it’s American adaptation of that song.
I AM AT MY BEST WHEN I CAN PLAY ANY MUSIC I WANT TO PLAY!
Source: Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper Pages 10-11
Volume 21 Issue 26
May 03, 2012
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