namphueng phetuthai & her group: anisong kathin phapa, pts. 1 & 2

artist: คณะ น้ำผึ้ง เพชรอุทัย (namphueng phetuthai & her group)
album: อนิสงค์ กฐิน ผ้าป่า ตอน 1 & 2 (anisong kathin phapa, pts. 1 & 2)
tracklist:
01. โห่ 3 ลากลองยาว (ho 3 la klong yao)
02. สักเค พลโต (sak khe phon to)
03. โห่ 3 ลา (ho 3 la)
04. เคารพผู้มีพระคุณ (khaorop phu mi phra khun)
05. ประวัติการทอดกฐิน (prawattikan thot kathin)
06. ชวนทอดกฐิน (chuan thot kathin)
07. ดาวจรเข้ (dao chorakhe)
08. อตินยขานทอดกฐิน (atinyakhan thot kathin)
09. ประวัติการทอดผ้าป่า (prawattikan thot phapa)
10. บายศรีเจ้าเงาะรจนา (bai si chao ngo rotchana)

this week we have some great old festival music by namphueng phetuthai & her group! the band includes suwan kaeonam, laiat lukuthai & sangwian miluenan, and though i've seen their cassettes stocked by a number of sacred music purveyors around bangkok, i haven't been able to find out a thing about them! i can however, tell you a bit about the music they are playing.. this tape is a soundtrack to the popular thot kathin & thot phapa festivals, two merit-making ceremonies which revolve around a community presenting new robes to their local monks. the recording begins with some unmistakable klong yao yodeling & long drum march. after a few tracks, namphueng shows up and sings about the festival happenings, with some beautiful piphat ensemble backing, and it all comes to a close with a raucous phin-driven klong yao finale. fantastic!

sayan sanya: sayan sadaeng sot

artist: สายัณห์ สัญญา (sayan sanya)
album: สายัณห์ แสดงสด (sayan sadaeng sot)
tracklist:
01. เสียความรู้สึก (sia khwam ru suek)
02. ช่างเขาเหอะ (chang khao hoe)
03. ฉันขาดเธอไม่ได้ (chan khat thoe mai dai)
04. เกลียดคนโกหก (kliat khon kohok)
05. ฉันจะรักคนดำ (chan cha rak khon dam)
06. รักจอมปลอม (rak chom plom)
07. บอกว่ารัก (bok wa rak)
08. อยากดูใจดำ (yak du chai dam)
09. ช้ำจนธรรมดา (cham chon thammada)
10. สิ่งที่ฉันต้องการ (sing thi chan tong kan)

getting back to luk thung this week, we will hear once more from mr. sayan sanya, this time through a live album of questionable veracity! while i'm no expert on sound recording, i can't help but notice this performance sounds suspiciously clean, and the audience noises fade in & out rather abruptly.. but i'm willing to give sayan the benefit of the doubt here! sayan is a legend of luk thung; born & raised in suphan buri, he worked with his parents as a rice farmer before heading to bangkok to make his name on the luk thung stage. he started out as a dancer in phongsi woranut's group, and in 1973 founded his own band. through the 80's & early 90's, paired with phumphuang duangchan, sayan reigned as the biggest of luk thung stars. this concert seems to be of that era, filled as it is with the smooth ballads & disco numbers he was all about back then. enjoy!!

chawiwan damnoen: ton kamnoet molam, vol. 11

artist: ฉวีวรรณ ดำเนิน (chawiwan damnoen)
album: ต้นกำเนิดหมอลำ 11 (ton kamnoet molam, vol. 11)
tracklist:
01. น้ำใจผู้บ่าว (nam chai phu bao)
02. หัวอกหนุ่มชาวนา (hua ok num chao na)
03. แม่ฮ้าง (mae hang)
04. สังคนาสังขาร 1 (sang khana sangkhan 1)
05. สังคนาสังขาร 2 (sang khana sangkhan 2)
06. ลาวอพยพ (lao opphayop)
07. เขมรอพยพ (khmer opphayop)
08. ชีวิตผู้ใหญ่บ้าน (chiwit phu yai ban)
09. ศิลปินเมื่อตกยาก (silapin muea tok yak)
10. รำลึกความหลัง (ramluek khwam lang)
11. เข้าพรรษา (khao phansa)
12. พิมพากับราหุน (phimpha kap rahun)
13. หนุ่มรถสองแถว 1 (num rot song thaeo 1)
14. หนุ่มรถสองแถว 2 (num rot song thaeo 2)

we're back again this week with some beautiful sounds from isaan! mae chawiwan, a national artist of thailand, is one of the northeast's most fondly regarded singers. she was born in ubon ratchathani to a family of farmers, and studied lam with her father from a young age. through her strong, melodious voice and clever lyricism, she became the reigning singer & composer of the artform, called "queen of molam" by many. though she experimented with western funk & rock sounds at various points in her career, this tape captures her in minimal fashion, solo voice with khaen backing. at present, chawiwan teaches at khon kaen university and still performs. enjoy!