Liner Notes: "No more blues. I’m goin’ back home. No more blues I promise no more, then, to roam. " My mom, Maria Katindig-Dykes, first sang these words thirty years ago in Honolulu, HI at the age of 23. At the time the lyrics couldn’t have been further from the truth. She wasn’t going back home, but instead, had just embarked on her first of many adventures far away from it. Born in Manila, Philippines, to a renowned family of Pinoy jazz musicians--her father is the legendary pianist, Romy Katindig--a life making music on the road seemed scripted by destiny. And that’s what happened. Maria started singing from the age of 16 onwards, and was just making her mark in the Philippines with classic Pinoy pop acts like the Circus Band, New Dimensions and Counterpoint when, as a musical veteran at the age of 22, she met her partner in music and in life, the composer, arranger and jazz pianist from Honolulu, HI (via southern California), Jimmie Dykes. Together they left Manila for Honolulu and formed Pacifica, a jazz-pop ensemble. Pacifica traveled the world with a rotating line up, the two of them always at its core, from elegant super clubs in Singapore, to the sceney Playboy jazz club in Manila, where they co-headlined with Maria’s brother, jazz fusion artist, Boy Katindig. Eventually, the circumstances of life brought them to Riverside, CA--to Jimmie’s hometown--and the two began the business of settling down. Done roaming, Maria learned what it means to be a working musician, and sometimes, just to work at the expense of being a musician. "Home is where the heart is...the funny part is, my heart's been right there all along." “No More Blues” appeared on Pacifica’s first demo together in 1978, with an arrangement by Jimmie very similar to the one featured on this album. The difference between then and now is the thirty years--coinciding with most of my lifetime thus far--that transformed what once were just lyrics into a true story about my mother’s journey. It is a journey you can hear etched in her voice. In 2005, my mom faced a cancer diagnosis and harnessed everything she could to battle and beat the disease. It was this most recent journey--one experienced without wandering--that confirmed music is her true home. Now, more than ever, she is certain that there will be no more blues. Karen Tongson | September 2008 | Los Angeles, CA (C) 2008 Skipper Productions + Solo Plus Music Musicians: Bob Carr (Woodwinds) Mike Flick (Bass) Jack LeCompte (Drums) Doug MacDonald (Guitar) Jimmie Dykes (Piano, Arrangements) Nolan Shaheed (Fluegel Horn on "Up Jumped Spring") Personnel: Executive Producer: Jimmie Dykes Co-Produced by: Jimmie Dykes & Karen Tongson Engineered by Nolan Shaheed Album Artwork & Photography: Raquel Gutierrez