There have been some memorable live performances at Paradise Bangkok nights over the past five years. Yasothon province’s Dao Bandon was one of the first, and he was followed by the debut of the ZudRangMa record label member, The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, who provided the backing for luk thung Isan stalwart Saksiam Petchchompu and molam star Pimjai Petchpalangjai. Another 1970s molam star, Aungkanang Kunchai, one of the great singers of the genre currently performing, gave her first Bangkok gig in 30 years at one of the shows.
Dancers at Bangkok Paradise Night.
These artists appeared on compilations produced by DJs Chris Menist and Maft Sai. At the beginning of the Paradise Bangkok shows, the two decided to see if some of the singers were still performing. Of course, some of the artists had already passed on. I’m sure if the crazy man of luk thung, Sroeng Santi, had not died in a car crash, we would have certainly seen him perform. The two DJs should be credited for bringing back some of these fabulous musicians and exposing them to a new audience.
So the PB faithful turned out in numbers for the fifth anniversary show at Mongkol Studio on March 28. As I said in my preview, the Paradise boys had pulled off something of a coup to get National Artist Kwanjit Sriprachan and her troupe to perform. And as it turned out, it was a great idea because she was in top form.
DJs Maft Sai and Chris Menist kicked off the evening, spinning vinyl from the far-flung to the local, blasting out Jamaican, African and Thai music from a thatched hut set up on a stage with a rural backdrop, setting the scene perfectly for the entrance of the star of the show — Kwanjit and her troupe of wise-cracking singers and dancers, all decked out in their traditional, sparkling finery.
Kwanjit Sriprachan.
The troupe set up on stage in two teams: women on the left, men on the right. This is the style of pleng i-saw, but with three drummers — two frame drums and a double-head drum — the style was more lam tad than pleng i-saw, the latter of which usually only features hand-clapping as the musical accompaniment to the verbal jousting and trickery the two teams of singers get up to.
The youngsters faced off first, jabbing at each other in turn, winding up their opposite gender with some witty cracks and flamboyant dancing, and driven by the pulse of the drums. Kwanjit joined in, filling the hall with her voice and charismatic stage presence; she really is a captivating singer. The band’s version of songs from her early album, Gap Khao Petchakar, were outstanding.
The band’s set had the audience in stitches. People often talk about there being “not a dry eye” in the house. Well, the tears at this gig were from laughing too hard.
I haven’t enjoyed this kind of show since I saw lam tad maestro Wang Tae some years ago. It was raucous, ribald and totally brilliant. After this set, the Paradise Bangkok band hit the boards to play a hard-edged collaboration with Kwanjit and her team. Kwanjit’s daughter, Ying, took on much of the rap-like vocals, with some of lyrics specially written for the concert.
These were hard acts to follow, but Yenjit Porntawi jumped enthusiastically on stage with the band to perform a set of 10 songs that belied her age (she’s 60, but you wouldn’t know it). She sang several of her big hits from the 70s, including her version of the classic Puyai Lee.
It was a great evening, a fitting way to celebrate five years of great shows and great music. Who knows what the next five years might bring?
The DJ duo have a new Thai popular music compilation out on May 26 on the UK-based Soundway label, Sound Of Siam 2: Molam & Luk Thung Isan From North-East Thailand, in both CD and vinyl formats. This comes after the success of the first Sound Of Siam compilation, which made it on to the European Broadcasting Union’s world music chart a few years ago.
The focus on this release is lam and luk thung Isan from the Northeast, with lam legend Aungkanang Kunchai leading the way with a number of killer tracks, including Kit Hid Chu and Toey Salap Pamaa. Yenjit Porntawi features on Lam Plearn Gok Kaa Kao; other notable singers include Chanpen Sirithip and Thepporn Petchubon, as well as key bands such as The Petch Phin Thong Band.
The quintessential luk thung Isan track on the release, according to the liner notes, is Jeb Jing Jeb Jai by the aforementioned Saksiam, accompanied by Pornsurapon Petchseethong. Look out for this compilation, which is full of goodies from the golden era of the 1970s.
Visit www.soundwayrecords.com.
This columnist can be contacted by emailing clewley.john@gmail.com.
