LEISA TYLER HITS A FEW OF THE HIGH NOTES ON BANGKOK’S BUZZING JAZZ SCENE ALICE DAY IS SWATHED in layers of shimmering China red. A bundle of feathers is clasped tightly in one gloved hand while, in the other, fingers with nails the size of an eagle’s and painted like sunset clutch at a cigarette. She sits at the bar, smoking, drinking rich black coffee and humming along to her band’s warm-up tunes. It is well after 10pm on a Sunday night, but people fill every seat in the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit’s Living Room bar just to hear Alice sing. And she sure can sing. Slowly sauntering over to the stage, neatly rolled black dreadlocks hanging gaily around her waist, the veteran American jazz vocalist fills the room with the silky smooth tunes of her native New Orleans. “Is this how you want to live your life?” she asks the audience, puttering and pouting in seductive tones that keeps attention fixed towards the stage. Welcome to Bangkok’s jazz scene.

CHANGING TIMES While jazz has made a buzzing comeback recently to the city’s nightlife, it is certainly not new to the Kingdom. What is new is to whom it appeals. Most of Bangkok’s jazz bars are historically attached to the big hotels catering to tourists – a trend harking back to the early ’90s when the government relaxed its regulations on allowing international performers to enter the country, attracting a string of US divas. However, the music’s popularity is now starting to trickle down to the younger local crowds, both in terms of playing and listening to jazz. “There have been some remarkable changes in the city’s jazz scene over the last few years,” says American musician Chris Sweeny, who was formerly the drummer from ’80s Australian rock spectacle Wa Wa Nee. He has been playing and teaching jazz in Bangkok for the last eight years. Tonight, Sweeny is playing in the band at Alice Day’s gig. “Generally, jazz is played by foreigners, especially in the big hotels, but there are now also a growing number of thais,” says Sweeny. “As they get worldlier, the young crew are really starting to explore the world of jazz.” Above, Sabrina Montgomery and Mark Fitzgibbon performing at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok. Right, Lisa Ono at the Bangkok Jazz Festival 2006. Below, trumpeter Chris Botti at the Jazz Royale Festival.

SUPPORTING THE TREND

The Hua Hin Jazz Festival – an annual music event usually held over the first weekend of June on the sunny shores of Hua Hin (280km south of Bangkok) – is aimed at fueling this growing trend. Featuring consistently high-class international and local talent over a three-day fiesta of sun, sand and jazz, its popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, with numbers increasing from 35,000 spectators in 2005 to over 65,000 in 2006. “Before, the audience was a bit older, but now that jazz music is becoming so much more popular with young people, they are the ones who are coming to the festival,” says Sorakom Tridej, the event’s supervisor. The rising number of jazz fans in recent years is obvious elsewhere too. Established in December 2003, the annual three-day Bangkok Jazz Festival attracts an average audience of 20,000 foreigners and thai fans per day, with numbers rising year aft er year. Last December also saw the Jazz Royale Festival 2006 bring its smooth grooves into town – a four-city international music festival sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to celebrate His Majesty The King’s 80th Birthday. The 100-million baht event kicked off with two 4,000-seat concerts in Bangkok before moving to 3,000-seat concerts in Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket. The unprecedented tour was described as “the biggest jazz festival in the country’s history”, and featured a host of international names, including saxophonist Kenny G, trumpeter Chris Botti and jazz violinist Regina Carter and her Quintet. But what is driving this trend? “Among my peers, technology has really enabled people to open their minds to new styles of music,” says Darin Pantoomkomol, an instructor at the College of Music at Mahidhol University, Bangkok and a regular performer at The Oriental Bangkok’s Bamboo Bar. “There is a lot of new music on the internet, different inspirations and styles that people have access to – access that they probably wouldn’t have had 20 years ago.”

OPEN TO ALL

Piyawat Vithayaadilok has been managing Saxophone bar for the last decade. This is where young and budding local jazz bands get the chance to cut their teeth. “Generally in Thai society, jazz is considered an upper-class music that’s only available in the big hotels. At Saxophone, we don’t want to follow this cliché,” Piyawat explains. “We see a whole range of people and we try to make jazz accessible for everybody to enjoy – especially the young generation of students.” Forty-something Tanadejth Khawmanee teaches jazz at the city’s Srinakharinwirot University. He has peformed at Saxophone with many different groups over the last 10 years, and now plays guitar there with The Arnon’s Jazz Band. “Learning jazz is a bit like learning English. Even if you cannot speak it grammatically, it does not matter,” he says. “Jazz is simply communication between people, but through an instrument. You can only respect a composer for 50 per cent of the song; the rest has to belong to the musician.” Tanadejth says jazz is now becoming trendy in Thailand. However, it seems there is still some way to go. “Many of the big hotels have jazz bands, but Saxophone is still the best place to be and play in Bangkok. I have tried to play at other venues, but always felt like I was living in a frame – that everything was controlled by what the venue managers wanted to hear. But here,” he pauses, looking around at the rustic little pub strewn with jazz, blues, and reggae memorabilia, “I can be as wild as I want. Because at Saxophone, it’s all about the music.”

JAZZY DATES

For a daily list of what’s playing when and where, visit www.bangkokgigguide.com • The 6th Hua Hin Jazz Festival on 8-9 June 2007 will see two beachside stages host a range of local and international acts. www.huahinjazzfestival2007.com • The 5th Bangkok Jazz Festival will take place in December 2007 at Sanam Sua Pra. Tickets are available through www.thaiticketmaster.com from mid-November. www.bangkokjazzfestival.com JAZZ JOINTS IN BANGKOK Three Sixty at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok Propped high above the city’s bright lights, the Millennium Hilton’s Three Sixty bar offers just what its name suggests: a 360-degree view of the city from its control tower-like room at the top. This is Bangkok’s sexiest place to ignite jazzy blues, with soft lighting, superb nibbles and fantastic service. The beat: Soft, sultry and romantic The crowd: Stylish hipsters, romancing duos and tourists gaping at the view across the Chao Phraya river to the city. The drink: Deep, dark reds and champagne cocktails Opening hours: Daily from 5pm to 1am 123 Charoennakorn Road, Klongsan, tel +66 (0)2 442-2062, www.bangkok.com/millenniumhilton Saxophone Pub and Restaurant After 20 years, the ranch-style pub, filled with jazz memorabilia, rocks as hard today as it did when it first opened. Chow down on authentic Thai specialities like spicy chicken salad with vermicelli while six house bands and a variety of special acts strum away. A great night out is guaranteed. The beat: Funky, loud, toe-tapping tunes The crowd: A laid-back mix of all ages and nationalities The drink: thai whiskey Opening hours: Daily from 6pm to 3am 3/8 Phyathai Road, Victory Monument, tel +66 (0)2 246-5472, www.saxophonepub.com Brown Sugar Pub and Restaurant A rambling little pub opposite Lumpini Park, Brown Sugar still runs off the back of a 1997 claim that this was one of the best bars in the world, and consequently, doesn’t see the need to alter a thing. The service is blunt, the drinks overpriced, and the food is rather average. But the jazz bands are pretty tight, and on weekends, you’ll be pushed to find a seat. The beat: Easy listening and cover tracks The crowd: Arty Thais and young expats The drink: Beer on tap Opening hours: Daily from 11am to 2pm; and 5pm to 1am 231/20 Sarasin Road, tel +66 (0)2 250-1826, www.brownsugarbangkok.com The Bamboo Bar at The Oriental Bangkok A low-ceiling bar swathed in sexy tiger and leopard-print seats with swinging fans above, there isn’t anything bamboo-like about The Bamboo Bar. Instead, think colonial-style safari, buzzing with the big tunes of one of the city’s most vibrant jazz outfits, The Bamboo Band. Bookings are recommended. The beat: Jovial but polished, old-fashioned style The crowd: Expats and hotel guests The drink: Gin and tonic and aged malt Scotch with cigars Opening hours: Daily until 1am; 2am on Friday and Saturday 48 Oriental Avenue, tel +66 (0)2 659-9000, www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok The Living Room at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit The Living Room is as grand as it is sophisticated. More lounge than bar, with a big hotel feel and a serene, cultured crowd. The beat: Seductive, laid-back, New Orleans style The crowd: Sophisticated urbanites The drink: Cognac or bourbon Opening hours: Daily from 9am to midnight, with a Jazzy Sunday Brunch Buffet from 11:30am to 3pm 250 Sukhumvit Road, tel + 66 (0)2 649-8354, www.sheratongrandesukhumvit.com