Swing takes a bow

It’s been a while since Thai music fans enjoyed the magic of swing played by a big band of the domestic variety. The last one to make major waves in Thailand was the Suntharaporn big band back in 1950s and while it still exists today, it only performs at rare concerts and special functions.

That all changed last Sunday when a group of talented youngsters, known collectively as the Ruam Samai Big Band, performed at the Thailand Cultural Centre’s small hall during the second edition of an annual “Sing and Song” concert organised by the Culture Ministry’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture and KPN Music Academy

“I was really afraid that the big band in Thailand was becoming an extinct species. Too many people feel the big band sound is old fashioned but it’s just as appropriate to today’s music scene. Big bands can play just about every song and their members have a real talent for harmony. I’m very grateful to the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture for organising the Ruam Samai Big Band project,” says Nop Narongdej, chief executive of KPN Music Academy.

The Ruam Samai Big Band was set up last year as part of a project designed to develop music abilities in young people. It offers youngsters a chance to showcase their talents and play alongside similar bands in the Asean region. 

Ruam Samai is made up of musicians aged between the ages of 12 and 18 who play a variety of instruments including violin, viola, cello, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, drums, bass guitar, guitar and piano.

“In the first year of the project, we selected the band’s musicians from more than 600 applicants and auditioned 200 young talents during a special music camp before narrowing our selection down to 50 musicians and vocalists,” Nop explains.

Some 800 young hopefuls applied to join the band in its second year with auditions taking place between March 18 and 21 at a music camp in Nakhon Nayok. The final selection, which saw 45 musicians and vocalists being picked for the 2013 edition of the band, was held at Chulalongkorn University. 

Of the current big band, only 11 musicians remain from last year and they too were required to take part in the auditions. Wirat U-Tawaughn, director of KPN Music Academy, is the conductor.

“A contemporary big band combines the instruments used in an orchestra with drums, guitar, bass and piano. Audiences may find classical music boring but they love the big band sound. We play a repertoire of old songs and current hits with the music rearranged to suit the size of the band and the instruments,” explains the academy’s Poruethai Narongdej.

The numbers performed by Ruam Samai Big Band include His Majesty the King’s compositions, jazz standards, Thai and Western pop and old-style Thai songs.

Last year, all 50 members of the big band performed in the “Thailand-Singapore Big Band Concert” joining young musicians from the AMK & Xinmin Big Band, which is made up of students from the city state’s Ang Mo Kio and Xinmin secondary schools.

“I was so proud of them,” says an enthusiastic Nop. “They were so much better than the Singaporeans.

Last month, the band was in Hong Kong performing with the HKMA String Orchestra in the “Thailand-Hong Kong Unity in Harmony Concert” held at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.

Last weekend, they wowed the audience with a well thought out set of contemporary and classic songs including the King’s “Muer Soam Song” (“I Never Dream”), Glenn Miller’s “In The Moon”, “Moonlight Serenade”, Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing Sing”, Duck Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing”, Dreamgirls’ “One Night Only”, Beyonce’s “Love on Top” and Thai tracks “Bang-Sing, “Yard-Phet” and “Yu-Thor-Luey-Dai-Mai”.  

 

Cool sounds

 

_ Enjoy the big band’s performance by going to the “Ruam Samai Big Band” on Facebook.