Hitting the |right note

THAI AND FOREIGN artists are lined up for Bangkok’s celebration of International Jazz Day on April 30, which is set for the trendy bar Badmotel on Soi Thonglor.
International Jazz Day was proclaimed by the United Nations in 2011 to celebrate “the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people”.
This year, Unesco is partnering with the Thelonius Monk Institute to mark International Jazz Day, which coincides with the Unesco’s 70th anniversary.
The 2015 celebration of International Jazz Day will also be a tribute to trumpeter Clark Terry, the American jazz giant who died in February at age 94.
The night will open with a set by Kengchakaj Kengkarnka, winner of the 2011 Thailand Jazz Competition and the 2013 Thailand International Jazz Conference and a fixture on Bangkok’s jazz scene.
The foreign act will be the Laura Brunner Quartet, which recently enjoyed a successful residency in Bangkok. The world is literally a stage for Brunner, a vocalist and composer who has brought her velvety sounds and bold musicality to locales as diverse as her home base of New York, as well as to residencies in Vietnam, India and Thailand.
Saxophonist Nattapon “Pey” Fuangaugsorn of disco-funk band, the Groove Riders will showcase his talent for jazz while tenor saxophonist Pisut “Ohn” Pratheepasena and his Space Trio + 1.5 will bring an invigorating intensity to a musical style that is often thought to be best suited to smoky nightclubs.
Pisut, a member of the popular reggae-ska outfit T-bone, is also mentoring a new generation of performers at Silpakorn University.
In a letter encouraging participation in Jazz Day events worldwide, Unesco Goodwill Ambassador and jazz legend Herbie Hancock, spoke of jazz as “more than just a musical art form; it is an affirmation of our ability to peacefully collaborate and cooperate in spite of profound differences – to speak with our unique individual voices while still respecting and celebrating the collective”.
Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova also spoke of the transformative potential of one of the world’s most beloved forms of music.
“Jazz means dialogue, reaching out to others, bringing everyone on board. It means respecting the human rights and dignity of every woman and man, no matter their background. It means understanding others, letting them speak and listening in the spirit of respect. All this is why we join together to celebrate jazz – this music of freedom is a force for peace, and its messages have never been more vital than they are today, in times of turbulence, in the year when we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Unesco.
 STRAIGHT AHEAD
- International Jazz Day runs from 7.30pm to midnight on April 30 at Badmotel, between Thonglor Sois 15 and 17. Admission is free. Find out more at www.JazzDay.com.