When a musician comes out with something unusual to the ear, more often the result is the birth of a new genre. The new album of jazz act Charmaine Clamor, touted as America’s foremost Filipina jazz and world music vocalist, has found itself at a lost in finding the genre it should fall into. Thus, it needed to have the singer herself coin a new one: Jazzi Pino.

Apart from being the title of a 14-track plus a bonus piece album, Jazzi Pino is defined by the thin but beautifully big-voiced talent as “the blending of the soul and swing of American jazz and Filipino melodies, languages and even indigenous instruments.”

During her album launch at the Podium last Friday (which had as special guest young crooner Vince Camua), Charmaine wowed the curious crowd with her jazzy renditions of traditional Pinoy hymns and classic Tagalog oldies such as “Dahil Sa ‘Yo” and “Dungawin Mo Hirang.”

“Ang ganda po ng musikang Pilipino ano po!” the proud 100% Pinay expressed during the short but truly engaging set.

She left the country for Los Angeles when she was 16. She started gigging around and soon came up with the idea of jazzing up kundimans which really impressed both the Americans and the Pinoy community there.

Her album “Jazzi Pino” is her first in the Philippines as she has already released a couple of ones abroad. Viva Records is backing her up and according to her manager Michael Konik, she just signed a four-year, four-record deal with the local label.

Charmaine’s American manager said of her, “She’s slender but when you hear her sing (for the first time with closed eyes), you will think she’s a big African-American because of the soulfulness in her voice. She’s one of the best singers in the world.”

That might be too high a regard. But watching her perform should make one say she’s truly an entertainer of global standard. She delivers her lines with much sincerity and make every number a highlight.

Some other interesting tracks in her CD are “Pamulinawen,” “Panahon Na/Hindi Kita Malimot,” the piece she performed live to open her set with a bang, “Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan,” and “My Funny Brown Pinay (her Tagalog take of “My Funny Valentine”) which she dedicated to her sisters.

Charmaine, born in Subic, Zambales, will do a mall show with The CompanY on Sept. 25 at Shangri-La Plaza and on the 26th at Gateway Mall.