Showing 1 - 10 of 12
Farewell to a maestro
Life, John Clewley, Published on 10/04/2024
» The world of molam has been in mourning since news emerged that Thailand's greatest phin player Thongsai Thap Thanon passed away on March 20 at his home in Warin Chamrap district, Ubon Ratchathani, at the age of 77. The phin is a two- or three-stringed Isan Lao lute that is part of the trinity of molam instruments, along with the iconic khaen (free reed bamboo mouth organ) and the sor (fiddle).
Remember the Raja
Life, John Clewley, Published on 26/10/2021
» Pornsak Songsaeng, the 'Raja of Molam' from Isan, died of a heart attack in Nong Bua Lam Phu province on Oct 17. He was 60 years old. Pornsak was one of the most famous Isan music stars, and his funeral was attended by many of his fans as well as many of the big names in the entertainment industry.
Queen of Molam honoured
Life, John Clewley, Published on 28/09/2021
» The late National Artist Bunpheng Faiphiuchai featured on Google Doodle last week, as the search engine celebrated what would have been her 89th birthday on Sept 22. She was one of the most influential molam performers of her generation, and a pioneer in the recording of molam on vinyl. According to Google Doodle's blurb, by 1955 she had recorded "more full-length albums than any other woman in the genre" and that is why she was the first molam to be given the title "Queen Of Molam".
Northeastern grooves by way of Amsterdam
Life, John Clewley, Published on 24/09/2019
» Apichat Pakwan, a fusion or hybrid music collective from Isan and the Netherlands, will release their first album, Esantronics, at the end of October. The band released an EP in 2017 but this will be their full-length debut and fans of Isan and electronic music will be delighted.
Magnificent molam rides again!
Life, John Clewley, Published on 26/12/2017
» This year's party at the Jim Thompson Farm in Pak Thong Chai, held each year at the same time -- the farm opened to the public for six weeks -- was a fun affair. The Farm Tour for 2017 is about the importance of water in the country's northeastern region, as reflected in the title, "Rushing Water -- The Life Force Of Isan".
Mesmerising molam
Life, John Clewley, Published on 09/05/2017
» Twenty-five years ago I joined a team from the Japan Foundation on a tour of Isan to meet and talk to molam artists, as part of a project on Lao music in the region. We met up with the then-president of the Molam Association, National Artist Kane Dalao, and his two female molam partners, Boonpeng Faiphewchai and Chaweewan Damnoen (both later awarded national artist status), and joined the trio as they performed concerts in villages for social ceremonies like weddings in and around Khon Kaen.
All aboard for some big fun
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/06/2016
» One of my favourite times of the year is when the dry season ends and the countryside is transformed into a sea of green. And nowhere is it more fun to be at this time of year than in Isan. I have happy memories of rainy seasons in Buri Ram, where as soon as the rains arrived the village teenagers would take me out at night with a miner's light fixed on my forehead to hunt for tiny frogs.
Stunning chorus of molam sounds
Life, John Clewley, Published on 31/03/2015
» One of the delights of hearing the morning dawn chorus of birds here in Bangkok and indeed many Asian cities is the sound of the Asian or common koel (Eudynamys scolopacea), which in Thai is called nok ka-wow. I can mimic the sound of the koel roughly with a whistle, but khaen player Sombat Simla echoes the bird's sound exactly in the middle of a molam tune, with effortless ease. He can also mimic horns, ambulances and police cars, disco beats and synth drums, and the sound of heavy traffic. But his tour de force, which I've written about before, is the sound of a train journey, complete with traffic crossings and the calls of barbecue chicken vendors.
Farewell to Ken Dalao
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/10/2014
» One of Thailand’s greatest exponents of traditional Thai music genre lam glawn, molam singer Ken Dalao passed away earlier this month at the age of 84. Ken was one of the most influential and well-loved molam singers of his generation. He was made a National Artist in Performing Arts in 1989. He performed with his late wife Boonpheng Faiphewchai, and also Chaweewan Damnoen, both of whom were also National Artists. For many years he was the chairman of the All-Thailand Molam Association and during his career taught scores of young molam singers.
Spectacular molam show socks it to the city-slickers
Life, John Clewley, Published on 07/10/2014
» A lively crowd gathered last Saturday night on a vacant plot of land near Wat Payayang, just down from the Urupong intersection in central Bangkok, to enjoy a colourful show by the Khon Kaen-based molam troupe Prathom Banthoengsin. It's not often we get this kind of show right in the centre of town — the last one I went to was the Banyen Rakkan/Nok Noi Uraiporn joint concert a couple of years ago at the National Stadium — so I couldn't pass up the opportunity.