Bobby Enriquez

Who is Bobby Enriquez?

Born: 1943 in the Philippines
Died: June 08, 1996
Active Years: 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's

A.k.a. - Wildman from Mindanao or The Madman

Bobby Enriquez had the nickname of "The Madman," and it is a title he had earned through his very hyper piano playing. A virtuoso who was largely self-taught from the age of four, Enriquez was a professional by the time he was 14. In the 1960s he played in Manila, Hong Kong and Honolulu, becoming Don Ho's musical director for a time. He arrived on the mainland in the early '70s, toured with Richie Cole during 1980-81 and made his debut on record in 1981. Enriquez cut eight albums for GNP/Crescendo during 1981-85 which made his reputation. Due to putting an excess of song quotes in his solos (some of them very silly), Enriquez was not known for his exquisite taste, but his technique and ability to think very fast were quite impressive. He also recorded for Portrait (1987) and a 1990 date for the Japanese Paddle Wheel label has been issued domestically on Evidence. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide


RECORDINGS

1980 Wild Man
1981 Wildman Meets the Madman
1982 Espana
1982 Prodigious Piano
1982 Live! in Tokyo, Vol. 2
1983 Live at Concerts by the Sea, Vol. 1
1984 Live at Concerts by the Sea, Vol. 2
1987 Wild Piano
1989 Live! in Tokyo
1990 Wildman Returns
Touch of Genius
Incredible Jazz Piano
Bobby Enriquez Plays Bossa Nova

Personal Notes from Amapola:

Bobby Enriquez was born in Bacolod and never owned a piano in his whole life. For the times that I knew him as a good friend, he told me he never practices his piano. It was Bobby who made me believe in reincarnation because no one can play piano as he did if he wasn't already brilliant in many lifetimes before! He was also an avid golfer often found on the golf course than anywhere else. Very few people knew that Bobby could sing. I was one of the fortunate handful who knew it and who sat and listened to him sing his own compositions. Now I regret not recording them for posterity. I truly thought Bobby would outlive me, but, "only the good die young", as they say.

Bobby and I worked together for a few years. Our first year together was at the Miyako Hotel, San Francisco's Japantown in 1976. It was followed by more appearances within and outside San Francisco Bay Area like at the Wagon Wheel in Lake Tahoe and also headlining a few shows at the Ceasar's Palace. Bobby and I also recorded an album together, a project that he always wanted to do and hadn't done until we met again in 1985. The last time I saw Bobby was when he was onstage with Dizzy Gillespie and Richie Cole at the Purple Onion and later at the Venetian Room of the Fairmont Hotel. I will attempt to write a complete viewpoint of how I saw Bobby as a friend and as a colleague. In the meantime, for this page, as the webmaster requested, I will make a short comment about Bobby. There is so much to say but I will make it short: I sorely miss him, and so do thousands of Bobby Enriquez fans. He often made me laugh with all his jokes, some slapstick, some very intelligent and some dirty, but all of them funny. The late Dizzy G. called him "Wildman from Mindanao"!

Source: http://www.getmusic.com/