Showing 41 - 50 of 73
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.
Summer's here and the time is right
Life, John Clewley, Published on 07/06/2016
» The European world-music-festival season is in full swing as bands head to stages across the continent, while at the same time, the festival circuits in North America and Japan are also busy as people take advantage of the long days of summer to get out and enjoy some music.
Music of the struggle
Life, John Clewley, Published on 05/04/2016
» Thomas "Mukanya" Mapfumo, the Zimbabwean bandleader, singer and songwriter, turned 70 last year. Mapfumo, one of the country's most beloved musicians, was the creator of chimurenga music, or "music of the struggle" which was at the heart of the anti-colonial movement in Zimbabwe, which led to independence on April 18, 1980.
Paradise meets with molam beats
Life, John Clewley, Published on 08/12/2015
» It's been a busy year for Bangkok-based molam instrumental band Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. The band released a debut album, 21st Century Molam, in November 2014 to great acclaim. The album garnered a number of awards, including Album of the Week on BBC Radio 6 and a Best Album Award on Gilles Peterson's radio show on the BBC. In Bangkok, the band was recently awarded Best Instrumental Album at the Khom Chat Leuk Awards.
For the love of Y/Our Music
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/07/2015
» I went to the cinema at the weekend. This is not something I do very often these days but then the movie I went to see was being screened at Lido in Siam Square, a place I knew well during my days teaching at Chulalongkorn University. Sadly, Lido is slowly being engulfed by vendors and the new Siam Square of Hello Kitty buildings and boutique shopping facilities.
Hucky Eichelmann's Asean adventure
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/04/2015
» Long-time Bangkok resident and master classical guitarist Hucky Eichelmann's latest adventure, Asean Guitar — Fusion Of South East Asian Music (AMI, Thailand), is a musical journey across the 10 Asean countries. The album's release is timed to coincide with the launch of the Asian Economic Community, which is set to commence later this year.
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.
Debut album doesn't disappoint
Life, John Clewley, Published on 02/12/2014
» The long-awaited debut album from local favourites The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, 21st Century Molam, was launched last Thursday to the delight of the band's fans.
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.