Honorary Members :
Mrs. Amelita “Ming” M. Ramos – inducted 2014
AMP honorary member and founder since 1998
born December 29, 1927 is the wife of Philippine President Fidel Ramos and was the eleventh First Lady of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. She was a particularly visible advocate of sport, a field not traditionally associated with First Ladies. An active sportswoman herself, she was most associated with badminton, having served as president of the Philippine Badminton Association. Her achievements in the environmental field are considerable as well. She was a passionate campaigner for the rehabilitation and conservation of the Pasig River, a cause which received prominent attention during the Ramos years. She continues to be active in efforts devoted to the Pasig River. Mrs. Ramos is also recognised as a talented amateur pianist, performing on several occasions with the Executive Combo Band of Raul Manglapus and with AMP musicians in concerts.
David Pomeranz – inducted 1998
born February 9, 1951 is an American singer, composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theatre. He is also an ambassador for Operation Smile.
Born and raised on Long Island, Pomeranz expressed interest in music from an early age, singing in the synagogue choir, learning to play the piano, guitar and drums, and writing and recording songs by the age of fourteen. When he was nineteen, MCA/Decca signed him to a contract that yielded two albums, New Blues and Time To Fly (the latter featuring Chick Corea), and he began touring the country as the opening act for Rod Stewart, Billy Joel, Three Dog Night and The Doors, among others.
In the late 1980s, Pomeranz collaborated with Russian rock star Alexander Malinin on the pre-glasnost “Faraway Lands”, which they performed live in Moscow’s Gorky Park for an episode of the television sitcom Head Of The Class, the first time an American series filmed there. He also sang the song “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now”, which was the theme song for the television series Perfect Strangers.
Pomeranz continued to tour as a solo act, appearing in such venues as the Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center, Olympic Stadium in Munich, and the Kremlin. He and David Shire collaborated on the theme song for the United Nations World Summit For Children entitled “In Our Hands”, which the duo performed at the closing ceremonies for Ted Turner’s Goodwill Games in Seattle. In 1999, Pomeranz recorded the CD Born For You – His Best And More, a compilation of past and new love songs that became the best-selling album of all time in the Philippines. Additional recordings include The Eyes of Christmas and On This Day.
Composer
Pomeranz’s songs include “Tryin’ to Get the Feeling Again” and “The Old Songs”, both recorded by Barry Manilow, and a cover of “It’s In Every One Of Us”, from the Dave Clark musical Time which was also featured in the film Big and later at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. His work has been performed by artists as diverse as Bette Midler,Phoebe Snow, Freddie Mercury, Richie Sambora, Missy Elliott, The Carpenters, Harry Belafonte, Andrea Marcovicci, Donna Summer, Lillias White, The Hollies and Cliff Richard, and his various songwriting projects have amassed a total of twenty-two platinum and eighteen gold albums.
Edsel Gomez – inducted 2014
2007 Grammy award nominee Edsel Gomez is today one of the premier Latin Jazz pianists in the world. Born in Puerto Rico in 1962, he began piano studies at age five. He grew up in a musical environment that allowed him to master afro-Caribbean rhythms in depth, working since childhood with an incredible array of Latin music idols such as Marvin Santiago, Celia Cruz, Carlos “Patato” Valdes, Santitos Colon, Cheo Feliciano, Roberto Roena, Willie Colon, Ismael Rivera Jr., Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Olga Guillot, Lola Flores, Marco Antonio Muñiz, among many others.
He gained a Bachelor of Music Degree at Berklee College of Music with a Count Basie Award for outstanding musicianship in 1985 while expanding his performance credits working with such renown Jazz artists as Gary Burton, Claudio Roditi, Bill Pierce, Don Byron, Chick Corea and Jerry Gonzalez among many others.
Relocated to Brazil from 1986 to 1996 he studied extensively Brazilian Music and worked accompanying such renown artists as Cauby Peixoto, Wilson Simonal, Paulinho da Viola, Amelinha, Caetano Veloso, Joao Bosco, Lucinha Lins, Angela Maria and Trombonist Raul de Souza, recording de Souza’s “The other side of the moon” (BMG,Brazil). Within the Brazilian landscape he worked as a Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor/Musical Director of Broadway-like shows, educator, producer and managed his own recording studio/production company. Within a short time, most Brazilian musicians considered him “one of ours.” Gomez’s personal approach to fusing jazz, Latin and Brazilian music gives him a unique personality and musical voice.
John Lesaca – inducted 2014
Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan – inducted 2008
AMP honorary member since 2008
was born on September 20, 1963 to Atty. Camilo C. Libanan and Pacita C. Libanan. Best Instrumental Artist 2008-2010, Best Major Concert Collaboration 2008, Philippine Aliw Awards and Hall of Fame for Best Instrumental Artist 2011.
Wynton Marsalis – inducted 1998
AMP Honorary member since 1998
born October 18, 1961 is a trumpeter, composer, teacher, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, United States. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences. Marsalis has been awarded nine Grammys in both genres, and a jazz recording of his was the first of its kind to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.