SONNY AZURIN "EBAJ" (eh-badge)

Hi there, I am "Sonny Azurin" or "EBAJ" , a Session Bass Player from Manila, the Philippines, now based in Scarborough, Ontario, in Canada and I have been privileged to have gone onstage and played for practically all of the big names in the Philippine Entertainment and Recording industry and for some bright stars in the International Music community.

Lea Salonga, Regine Velasquez, Jaya, Verni Varga, John Lesaca, Monique Wilson, Leo Valdez, Jeanine Desiderio, Robert Sena, Isay Alvarez, Martin Nievera, Pops Fernandez, The APO, Jacqui Magno, Pat Castillo, Louie Reyes, Pilita Corrales, Jose Mari Chan, Joni Feliciano, Geneva Cruz, Rachel Alejandro, Janno Gibbs, Ogie Alcasid, and Vina Morales are just some of the brightest stars in the Philippines that I have backed up and still play for today.

Add to the list names like Christopher Cross, Angela Bofill, Kenny Rankin, Rex Smith, David Pomeranz, Michael Johnson, Stephen Bishop, El Debarge, Patti Austin, Michel Legrand, Phil Perry and Pauline Wilson, and I am one real lucky dude. I am also a veteran of Cruise ship shows in the U.S.A., Caribbean and Australia/SoutheastAsia/New Zealand arena.

Most notable are my stage play credits like:

" MISS SAIGON " and " LES MISERABLES " excerpts by Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil staged at The Cultural Center of the Philippines on March 17-19, 1995 with Schonberg and Boublil themselves supervising the original London cast of Miss Saigon.
" TELL ME ON A SUNDAY " starring Monique Wilson, staged at The Repertory Philippines William Shaw Theater on June 25-July 4, 1993.
" CHESS the Musical " starring Monique Wilson, and staged at The Meralco Theater on April-May 1996
" ALIKABOK " a Filipino Musical starring Rachel Alejandro and Raul Roxas staged at The Music Museum on August-October 1995.
" DREAMGIRLS "starring Bituin Escalante, Ana Fegi, Lana Jalosjos, Tex Ordonez, Calvin Millado and many others at the Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1, Makati. All Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from March 14 to April 6, 2003.

Most recent accomplishments have been shows and recordings for International artists:

"REMINISCING" at The Folk Arts Theater featuring David Pomeranz, Stephen Bishop and Michael Johnson, February 12, and 13, 1999.
"BORN FOR YOU"David Pomeranz's hit album recorded entirely in Manila by Filipino session musicians.
"REMINISCING 2" at The Araneta Coliseum featuring Grammy Awardee Christopher Cross, Angela Bofill, Kenny Rankin and Rex Smith, February 11, and 12, 2000.
"REMINISCING 3" at The Araneta Coliseum featuring Grammy Awardee Ms. Patti Austin and James DeBarge, February 9 and 10, 2001.
"LEA SALONGA--THE BROADWAY CONCERT" with a 50-piece Orchestra at The Plenary Hall of the PICC, Manila, January 31 and February 1, 2002.
"MICHEL LEGRAND, JE'TAIME" Michel Legrand with a 36-piece Orchestra at The Plenary Hall of the PICC, Manila, February 14 and 15, 2002.
"PHIL PERRY and PAULINE WILSON"Bobby Caldwell did a concert at the Araneta Coliseum last October 19, 2002 with guests Phil Perry and Seawind vocalist Pauline Wilson.
The 4th WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES held at the Luneta, Manila. I played with the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ryan Cayabyab, broadcasted all over the world and simulcast to the Pope at The Vatican.

Concerts / Tours Abroad

1. March 1994--"On Air sa Hongkong"Ogie Alcasid sings to a jampacked Hongkong Stadium in Kowloon, Hongkong.
2. April, 1995--"Simple Lang"--Ariel Rivera at The Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hongkong Island, Hongkong.
3. April, 1996--"Agot Isidro, Donna Cruz and Jinky Llamanzares perform for Prince Jeffrey at the Brunei Polo Club inBandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam
4. August-September, 1997--"Regine Grand Canada Tour"--Regine Velasquez's Canada tour that covered the cities of Toronto, Calgary, and Winnipeg.
5. October-November, 1997--"Low Profile"--Jo Ramos and Randy Santiago take the cities of Toronto, Richmond, San Francisco, and Atlantic City by storm.
6. December, 1997--"Soul to Soul"--Janno Gibbs and Jaya go to NHK Hall, Tokyo and Osaka for the Japanese/Filipino community.
7. April-May, 1998--"The Queens of Pop"--Regine Velasquez and Pops Fernandez wow the cities of Honolulu, San Jose, and Los Angeles.
8. October 3,1998--"Regine Velasquez's 2-shows in one day at The Grand Ballroom of the Atlantic City Hilton.
9. April-May, 1999--"Still The One"--Pops Fernandez goes to Oakland, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Jacksonville.
10. May 27, 1999--"Still The One"--Pops Fernandez goes to Washington D.C.
11. June 12, 1999--"Still The One"--Pops Fernandez goes to Tel Aviv, Israel.
12. April-May, 2000--"Blow Out with No Limits"--Janno Gibbs and Vina Morales blow everybody away at Oakland, Washington D.C., Virginia Beach, Chicago and Los Angeles.
13. May 23, 2000--Martin Nievera, Bert Nievera and Ara Mina team up for an unforgettable evening at The Ballroom of The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
14. May 5-26, 2001--"SHINDIG, the USA Tour"--Pops Fernandez wows 'em at New York City, Los Angeles and Reno.
15. September 9 and 15, 2001--"Flying High"---The comeback concerts of Regine Velasquez to the USA at The Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles and at The Cow Palace in San Francisco. MD--Rey Cristobal.
16. October 6 and 13, 2001--"Beyond Words"--The continuing USA Tour of Pops Fernandez at The Virginia Beach Civic Center, Virginia Beach and at The San Jose Civic Center in San Jose, California. MD--Marc Lopez.
17. June 22, 29, July 5 and 7, 2002--"Regine at the Movies"--Regine comes to San Francisco at the Bill Graham Civic Center, Los Angeles at The Grand OLympic Auditorium, The Beacon Theater in New York City and The Rialto Square Theater in Joliet, Illinois off Chicago. MD--Raul Mitra.
18. September 22, 2002--Jaya and Janno Gibbs rock the Pinoy community of Seoul at the Chang Chung Gymnasium in Seoul, Korea. MD--Marc Lopez.
19. October 26-30, 2002--Lani Misalucha does a 1-night show at The Star Leo Cruise Liner. We all cruise to Sanya, People's Republic of China and at Halong Bay, Vietnam before docking back at Hongkong. MD--Marc Lopez.
20. February 16-20, 2003--Off we go to another cruise this time aboard the Star Virgo out of Singapore. Janno Gibbs is the featured artist for a concert off the coast of Langkawi, Malaysia on the 17th. Next day, the 18th, we hit the beach of Phuket, Thailand, and on the 19th, Rachel Alejandro and Geneva Cruz do their Showdown. MD is Marc Lopez.
21. March 24, 30 and 31, 2003--Lani Misalucha weaves her magic for the Pinoys and Americans at Reno, San Diego and Los Angeles. MD is Gerard Salonga.
22. June 14, 2003--Pops Fernandez hits Vancouver, Canada with guests Aiza Seguerra, John Lapus and Troy Montero at the General Motors Place. The biggest Filipino event ever in Vancouver, and history is made! MD is Marc Lopez.
23. July 26, 2003--After a 1-month re-scheduling due to the SARS scare, Pops Fernandez finally hits Toronto, Canada with guests Janno Gibbs, and John Lapus at the Molson Ampitheatre to a 5,000+ strong Filipino crowd. MD--Marc Lopez.
24. November 7, 2003--Aiza Seguerra hits Toronto, Canada with guests Carol Banawa, and John Lapus at the Palace Centreplex. MD--Mike Villegas.
25. March 20-April 24, 2004--"The Songbird and the Songwriter"--Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid team up for an 8-city USA and Canada tour at the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Washington D.C., Chicago, Toronto and Guam. MD--Raul Mitra.
26. September 18-October 2, 2004--"Night of the Champions"--Sarah Geronimo, Rachel-Ann Go, Christian Bautista and Mark Bautista, head the cast of talented singers for a 4-city USA tour at the cities of New York, San Francisco, Aurora, Illinois and Los Angeles. MD--Marc Lopez.
27. April 1-April 23, 2005--"The Queens On Fire"--Regine Velasquez and Pops Fernandez team up for an 8-city USA tour at the cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Guam. MD--Raul Mitra.
28. September 18-October 2, 2004--"The Return of the Champions"--Sarah Geronimo, Rachel-Ann Go, Christian Bautista, and Mark Bautista, head the cast of talented singers for an 11-city USA tour at the cities of Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, Honolulu and Maui. This time they are joined by champions Sheryn Regis, Raymond Manalo, and Frenchie Dy. MD--Marc Lopez.
29. October 7 and 8, 2005--"Star In A Million, The Reunion"--Eric Santos headlines this time with Christian Bautista, Sheryn Regis, Frenchie Dy and new champ Jerome Salo. They are joined by Divo Bayer and Marissa Sanchez at the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego. MD--Rica Arambulo.
30. March 24-April 8, 2006--"Queens on Fire"--Regine Velasquez and Pops Fernandez finally come to Canada!!The Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto on March 24, The Centre in Vancouver on March 25, The Winspear Theatre in Edmonton on March 31, and then on to The Mohegan Sun Arena in New Hartford, Connecticut, and the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington. MD--Raul Mitra.
31. April 14-23, 2006--"The Night of The Champions Canada Tour"--Sarah Geronimo, Rachelle Ann-Go, Mark Bautista and Raymond Manalo pack 'em in at The Centre in Vancouver on the 14th, The Winspear Theatre in Edmonton on the 15th, The Burton-Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg on the 21st and The Bacchus Hall in Scarborough, Toronto on the 23rd.MD--Marc Lopez.
32. May 13-July 4, 2006--"Forever After", the musical play/concert of Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Ai-Ai Delas Alas and Rico J. Puno at the UCLA Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles on May 13, The Gateway Theater, Chicago on May 20, The Mark Etess Arena of the Taj Mahal Casino, Atlantic City on May 26, The Reno Events Center, Reno on May 28, The Pala Casino Resort, Pala, CA on June 2 and the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas on June 4.MD--Raul Mitra.
33. August 4-29, 2006--"The Other Side Of Sarah"--Sarah Geronimo and Mark Bautista with guests Jimmy Marquez and Kris Lawrence hit the Spreckles Theater in San Diego on Aug.4, the Hanford Fox Theater in Hanford, CA on the 5th, The Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles on the 11th, The Nob Hill Masonic Center in San Francisco on the 12th, The ACPA Atwood in Anchorage, Alaska on the 13th, The Harris Theater Of Millenium Park in Chicago on the 19th, The Waikiki Shell in Honolulu on the 26th and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, Maui, on the 29th. MD--Marc Lopez. Rica Arambulo MD's in Honolulu and Maui as Marc goes home to take care of his TV show.
34. April 9-23, 2007--"Yeng Constantino's USA Tour" Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego. MD--Marc Lopez.

Other Work Experiences Abroad

1. December 1978-June 1979----Bassist for the Public Opinion Band at the Rainbow Disco and Pub Royale in Nagoya, Japan.
2. November 1979-May 1980-----Bassist for the Public Opinion Band at Bel-Ami Nightclub in Kyoto, Japan.
3. August 1981-February 1982--Bassist for the Public Opinion Band at the Je'Taime CLub in Kurume, Japan.
4. March 1982-December 1982---Bassist for the Public Opinion Band at the Commodore Hotel and the Kukje Hotel in Pusan, and at the Ocean Hotel in Ulsan, South Korea.
5. February 1983-August 1983--Bassist for the Public Opinion Band at the Regent Hotel of Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
6. August 1983-January 1984---Bassist for the public Opinion Band at the Grand Palace Nightclub in Singapore.
7. November 1986-April 1987---Session Bassist for shows aboard the cruise ship MS CORAL PRINCESS plying the South-East Asian/Australian/ routes. (Hongkong, Singapore, Penang, Phuket, Bangkok, Belawan, Medan, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Fremantle, and Perth)
8. November 1987-April 1988---Bandleader/Bassist of the Major Six Band for shows aboard the cruise ship MS CORAL PRINCESS plying the South-East Asian/Australian/New Zealand routes. (Hongkong, Singapore, Penang, Phuket, Bangkok, Yokohama, Hsingkang, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Fremantle, Perth, Broome, Wellington, Christchurch, Picton, Bay of Islands, Queen Charlotte and Milford Sounds, Auckland and Port Moresby.)
9. December 1989-April 1990---Session Bassist for shows aboard the cruise ship MS CROWN DEL MAR plying the USA/Caribbean routes. (West Palm Beach, Key West, Cozumel, Cancun, Jamaica, The Dominican Republic and The Bahamas.)
10. December 1990-April 1991---Session Bassist for shows aboard the cruise ship MS CROWN MONARCH plying the USA/Caribbean routes. (West Palm Beach, Key West, Cozumel, Cancun, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands, The Dominican Republic and The Bahamas.)
11. May 14-September 20, 2004---Bassist for the MV Sun Princess Orchestra sailing out of Vancouver to Alaska's cities of
12. October 9-13, 2004---Bassist for the MV Regal Princess Orchestra sailing out of Baltimore, Maryland, Charleston, South Carolina and Port Everglades, Florida
13. July 1-22, 2006--Back in Alaska!I will be playing bass for the Dawn Princess Orchestra for just 22-days and we're going to Victoria, BC., Ketchikan, Juneau, Tracy's Arm, and Skagway, all in Alaska. Bandmaster is Fred Donolato and I am playing with a bunch of young phenoms . What a treat!

 

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ALBUM CREDITS

Edilberto Balisi Azurin, Jr. A.K.A. "Sonny Azurin" or "EBAJ"

Born on September 14, 1955 in Manila, Philippines to Edilberto D. Azurin and Socorro B. Azurin

Weight: 160 lbs. Height: 5'11".

Married to Neselita T. Azurin, and blessed with two (2) boys: Nino Emmanuel T. Azurin and Raymond Eligius T. Azurin

E-mail address:----------[email protected]

 

Educational Background:

Post-Graduate:

Great Lakes Commisionaires Security Training Course--(2007)

St. John's Ambulance First Aid and CPR--(2007)

Certified City of Toronto Municipal Law Enforcement Officer--(2006-2014)

Serve and Secure Security Officer Training Program--Cadillac Fairview, Toronto, Canada--(2005)

Cadillac Fairview Security and Lifesafety Officer--Don Mills Center, Toronto--(2005)

Security Officer, Grade 2-Special Services Group (SSG) / Grade 4-General Assignment Group (GAG)---Intercon Security, Toronto, Canada--(2003)

Basic Self-Defense and Handcuffing Training---Intercon Security, Toronto, Canada--(2003)

PPCT (Pressure Points Control Techniques---Intercon Security, Toronto, Canada--(2003)

First Aid and CPR Certified by Active Canadian Emergency Training--(2003)

Basic Security Officer Training Course--Premiere Security Academy, Toronto, Canada--(2003)

Basic Language Computer Programming, CRPI-- (1982)

Solfeggio and Basic Functional Harmony 1 and 2 at The University of The Philippines School of Music ----(1980)

University:
Bachelor of Science in Architecture at the Manuel Luis Quezon University (1977)

High School:
Quirino High School----(1970)

Elementary:
Legarda Elementary School-----(1966)

 

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