Get relaxin' at the TIJC

The headline “Get relaxin’” is an intentional shout-out to Charlie “Bird” Parker, the godfather of bebop, as the sixth Thailand International Jazz Conference approaches.

My colleagues and I in Mahidol University’s Jazz Studies department started the conference in 2008 as we were reaching the end of the second semester. The concert rooms and halls were all occupied, making it difficult to find places for the students to perform for their jazz-ensemble final exam, so we arranged to use a vacant outdoor space equipped with light and sound systems. 

That led to the first Mahidol Jazz Festival, where all of the student ensembles from Mahidol, Silpakorn and Rangsit universities played. The following year we transformed it into the jazz education and performance event called the Thailand Jazz Conference, and it gained the word “international” in 2010.

The conference includes three main elements – music performances in the evenings, jazz education in daytime workshops and master classes, and a competition. Top artists from around the world attend, giving the event broad recognition in the jazz community. These have included Eddie Gomez, Kenny Werner, Peter Bernstein, Benny Green, Danilo Perez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Aaron Goldberg and Rich Perry, just to name a few.

Last year we took another giant step up with the TIJC Jazz Camp, which offers participants the chance to meet, perform with and learn from the masters. January had by now become a month that jazz devotees looked forward to every year, and this year is boosting the anticipation even higher. The 2014 conference promises to be the most inspirational edition so far.

Where last year we had such famous players as Gomez and Werner, this year’s event has as its theme “Inspiring Jazz for the Incoming Generation” and features the hottest new artists from New York today – the Aaron Parks Trio, Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato, and the Seamus Blake Trio.

We have been trying for years to bringing piano virtuoso Aaron Parks here. He is one of, if not the most-followed jazz musicians among the young generation. Most students these days study, play, transcribe and get influenced by his music.

Placing third in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in 2006, Parks became one of the most sought-after pianists on the New York scene, working with the likes of guitar master Kurt Rosenwinkel, Terence Blanchard and Mike Moreno. 

He’s bringing along Ben Street (who played at our 2011 event with the Danilo Perez Trio) and Miles Davis’ former drummer, Billy Hart – at 73 something of a legend and someone that no one will want to miss.

Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato is comprised of drummer Colin Stranahan, who was also here in 2011, with Rosenwinkel, pianist Glenn Zaleski and bassist Rick Rosato. These three got together in 2010 and recorded the album “Limitless” this past autumn. According to their website, “the trio will be celebrating its release at the 2014 Thailand International Jazz Conference”, quite an honour for us.

New York-based Canadian saxophonist Seamus Blake won the Thelonious Monk competition in 2002 and is now recognised as one of the best exponents of contemporary jazz. Bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Nate Smith round out his trio, which will also host a jazz camp from January 27 to 29.

From the local scene, Koh Mr Saxman will introduce Siam Sound, his latest project, which combines features of Thai and Western music. And Singto Numchok will be there – a bit of a surprise for jazz fans, but, in fact, he and his musicians and producer Kit Monotone are really into jazz. You’ll get to witness their innovations, including new arrangements and a band format revamped especially for the TIJC.

One of the most remarkable sights at this year’s event will be the gathering of 14 jazz big bands and orchestras from all over Thailand and the world, filling the daytime with fantastic music.

 

Darin Pantoomkomol is chairman of the Jazz Studies Department at Mahidol University’s College of Music.

 

 

Bop on over

_ The sixth Thailand International Jazz Conference runs from next Friday to Sunday at the College of Music at Mahidol University in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom.

_ Find out more at www.TIJC.net.