A life well lived

MUSICIAN, COMPOSER and songwriter Jirapan Ansvananda comes to the stage of Exhibition Hall 1, Muang Thong Thani later this month for a concert that celebrates 50 years of making music.

“The 50 Years of Living for Music by Jirapan Ansvananda” is a chronology of Jirapan’s passion for music, starting from the first time he picked up a guitar to his breathtaking commercial success.

 “My life is all about music. This is the first time I have been given the chance to communicate my story to a live audience,” says the 65 year-old. 

“I have penned hundreds of songs, some of which have probably never been heard, especially those I have written for special projects and events. They are interesting songs but are often heard just once. They include ‘Bangkok 2000’ composed for the New Year countdown at Sanam Luang and ‘Wing Won Pai Bon Fah’, which I wrote for the opening ceremony of BTS Skytrain. I think of those works as my masterpieces, as I wrote them without thinking ‘will this be a hit?’ or ‘how can we market it?’, as you do when you are putting an album together. Most are about society and not love,” he says.

“Jirapan is a very talented artist who has been working in the music industry for more than 50 years. He’s also composed a song for our foundation. We wanted to honour his great music while underlining the foundation’s commitment to highlighting the value of honesty among young people,” says Chamaiporn Papaspong, director of the Lom Hai Jai Foundation and organiser of the Motor Expo.

The concert will be divided into two parts, the first dedicated to Jirapan’s background and his influences from Western music, the second to his own musical works.

Jirapan’s interest in playing guitar started with the Beatles – he was 12 at the time – though he says British outfit the Shadows influenced him the most. 

“The concert will open with a medley from [the album] ‘Ekarong’, on which I worked with Sinnapa Sarasas back in the 1990s, before taking the audience back 50 years in time. It wasn’t easy for me to find a type of music that defined who I was. I wanted to imitate the foreign musicians of that era like Cliff Richard because my girlfriend loved him. After that, I will play covers by The Shadows, on whom I modelled my first band The Youngsters. The first part is really all about rock and roll music,” Jirapan says.

At that time, Jirapan was studying at Assumption College in Bang Rak. He later attended Thammasat University’s law faculty.

 “It was a culture shock. My parents are Roman Catholic and as a student at Assumption College, I really only mixed with other Catholics. I made other friends from all over the country when I went to Thammasat and that broadened my vision of the world. My friends and I formed an acoustic group called Nid Ji Or and we played songs by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and America.

After graduating Jirapan went to work as a musician with Butterfly Sound and Film Service and enjoyed massive success with his songs advertising Nescafe and Coffeemate.

Pom Autobahn [Chotchoo Puengudom] recorded a vocal demo for ‘Khwam Rak’, the Coffeemate song, though it was Anchalee ‘Pu’ Chongkhadeekij who made it popular. I later became a producer and Autobahn was the first band I produced. We recorded some songs and Kita Entertainment finally agreed to release them. The first part of the show will feature a set by The Glass Will Play featuring Eddie [Attapon Makranond] and Pom.

“The second part opens with ‘Art for Life’ in 2001, a song penned for a TV commercial that was inspired by my first baby. Nong Noina, my 14-year-old daughter, will later perform violin with me before playing a solo. She’s studying at Harrow International and recently received a scholarship to continue her studies at the Academy of Music in Ichikawa, Chiba in Japan.

“After that, I will perform some of my songs including ‘Playground’, with which Dnu Huntrakul’s Mai Tai Band had a big hit. Then, I will introduce other bands and artists with whom I have worked. They include Pu Anchalee, who’ll sing ‘Ban Rao’ and ‘Kwam Rak’, and jam with Surasee Itthikul on ‘Rao Rak Krungthep’. The concert will finish with ‘Duay Lom Hai Jai Thi Rai Mon Thin’, a song that I wrote for the Lom Hai Jai Foundation.

“Chamaiporn wanted me to write a song that speaks out against corruption. So I decided to write one that kids could sing so that the message sticks in their minds. It looks at how kids often lie to their parents and how they can make amends so that one day their ‘breath’ is indeed flawless. The foundation has used this song to disseminate its anti-corruption message at several high schools.”

Other guests include Patchara Dila and Kwanchai Paphatphong, chairman of the Motor Expo Organising Committee and former member of The Youngsters. The Silpakorn Symphony Orchestra provides the backing.

 

JIRAPAN’S JINGLES

 

- Jirapan Ansvananda’s “50 Years of Living for Music” concert will be held at Exhibition Hall 1, Muang Thong Thani on October 24.

- Tickets range from Bt1,700 to Bt3,500 at Thai Ticket Major counters and online at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

- Proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Lom Hai Jai Foundation to support its activities.