Birthday bounce for Hua Hin Jazz

Last week's Hua Hin Jazz Festival was a celebratory cap for the 10th anniversary of an event that's become a tradition among Thai fans of jazz music while creating a good reception, even without the big-draw Western guests seen in past years.

The two-day event saw emerging new Thai jazz talent as well as old hands in other genres, such as soft-rocker Jirasak Panphum, who marked his return with an all-jazz album, and popular bands like POP trying out a few jazz-flavoured re-mixes onstage.

Japanese duo Orange Pekoe and American singer Kina Grannis were among the foreign performers making their debut in Thailand. The duo impressed with the singing talent of Tomoko Nagashima and acoustic guitar of Kazuma Fujimoto over the course of eight songs.

Grannis grabbed attention with her youth and good looks, but it was her top-quality vocal-guitar performance - as seen in sweet, melodic clips on YouTube - that endeared her to the crowd.

Grannis, who was indeed "discovered" on YouTube, said before the concert that she hopes to have guest artists on her future albums and she expects to return to Thailand.

The festival took place on the beach in front of the Sofitel Hua Hin Hotel, as it has in several previous years. In charge of the arrangements was Bangkok Fanatix, a six-year-old event organiser, which has already secured a contract with the Prachuab Khiri Khan authorities to host next year's jazz festival.

The highlight of the first night was POP, with popular vocalist Nop Pornchamni delivering a high-standard performance of 11 songs, including hits like "Phler" and "Lom Haijai".

The band, now a quartet, is planning its next project soon, to make up for a seven-year hiatus, with jazz hinted as an experimental flavour to be mixed in.

Jirasak impressed the crowd with his previously unknown talent for jazz. He unveiled eight new songs, all in fusion style and some he composed himself. His fast fingering and fluent improvisation on the guitar showed that he's no rookie in this genre.

The songs will be on his forthcoming, still-untitled album.

Jirapan & Blue Sapphires lived up to their high standards too, with guitarist and band leader Jirapan Ansvananda impressing with his skills, although most of nine songs were Western jazz classics unfamiliar to a crowd at a free concert.

Four university bands did well as opening acts on both days - the RSU Jazz Gang, Young & Foolish from Rangsit University, and Silpakorn University's 11th Fellowship and Reflection. There was a lot of talent evident among them, shining through in Western jazz classics and several of His Majesty the King's compositions.

The larger crowd on the second night - in the region of 10,000 people - gave a warm reception to local performers like Infinity, Ganesha and - this year's highlight - Ford & Friends.

Sobchai "Ford" Kraiyoonsen led this medley session featuring a host of famous singers, including Rawiwan Chinda, Viyada Komarakul na Nakorn, Thanathorn Palakawong na Ayutthaya and Gail Dila.

The 11-song session had the crowd on its feet dancing and singing along with well-known songs belonging to or borrowed by each performer. There was much jazz-style improvisation, and Infinity wowed the audience with good old hits and guest singers Muanphrae "Ging the Star" Phanabutr and Thitima "Ann" Prathumthip.

Videos honouring the King were shown during breaks to commemorate His Majesty's 84th birthday in December.

The organisers and provincial authorities also assembled onstage to sing the Royal Anthem and another piece in his honour during the opening ceremony. Lending their voices were Prachuab Khiri Khan Governor Weera Sriwatthanatrakool and Bangkok Fanatix managing director Itthi Nana.