sairung wimanthong: sao noi khoi khu

artist: สายรุ่ง วิมานทอง (sairung wimanthong)
album: สาวน้อยคอยคู่ (sao noi khoi khu)
tracklist:
01. สาวน้อยคอยคู่ (sao noi khoi khu)
02. รอรับแรงใจ (ro rap raeng chai)
03. จากใจสายรุ่ง (chak chai sairung)
04. เตือนใจวัยรุ่น (tuean chai wai run)
05. ตำราป๊นตุ๊กข์ (tamra pon tuk)
06. สมศรีฮักแต๊ (somsi hak tae)
07. บ่าวสมัย (bao samai)
08. น้ำบ่ไหลเจี่ยวปื่น (nam bo lai chiao puen)
09. หัวอกโช่เฟ่อ (hua ok chauffeur)
10. หนูรักอา (nu rak a)

this week, more great music from lanna! our previous post featured performers from the first and second generations of so recording stars, today we'll hear from the "modernized" generation (circa the late-80s?). i couldn't find any information online about our singer, ms. sairung wimanthong, but the lyrics helpfully hint that she was a disciple of phophin phet-lanna. sung in kham mueang and with some vocal inflections that indicate her so background, the other main musical influence seems to be from luk thung isan stars like phimpha phonsiri or sunari ratchasima (she even quotes ade putra's "si jantung hati" as sunari famously did). enjoy! 

bunsi sanmueang, buason mueangphrao & si-on wangsingkham

artist: บุญศรี สันเหมือง, บัวซอน เมืองพร้าว + ศรีออน วังสิงห์คำ (bunsi sanmueang, buason mueangphrao & si-on wangsingkham)
album: ซอน้ำตาเมียหลวง (so nam ta mia luang)
tracklist:
01. ซอน้ำตาเมียหลวง (so nam ta mia luang)
02. ซอแอ่วสาวปั่นฝ้าย (so aeo sao pan fai)
03. ซอหาคู่รัก (so ha khu rak)
04. ซอตำรายาตลก (so tamra ya talok)
sung by จันทร์ทิพย์ เรือนรักเรา (chanthip rueanrakrao)

this week's cassette is part of a generous bequest gifted to us by educator cliff sloane, a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

today, more fantastic old lanna folksong! our headliners are the so vocal trio of pho bunsi, mae buason and mae si-on and their recordings from the early 60s with chiang mai's nakhon phanit records, still fondly remembered in the region today. the backing is provided by a group of pi (free-reed bamboo pipes), joined in places by sueng (plucked, fretted lute) and salo (spike fiddle), presumably by nakhon phanit's house band. also included as the final track is a comic number by pho chanthip rueanrakrao, an early star of the scene since the 78-era. enjoy!

chanthip & khamban: so kep nok

artist: จันทร์ทิพย์ + คำบาน (chanthip & khamban)
album: ชอเก็บนก (so kep nok)
tracklist:
01. ชอเก็บนก ตอน 1 (so kep nok, pt. 1)
02. ชอเก็บนก ตอน 2 (so kep nok, pt. 2)

this week, fantastic old music from lanna! our performers are จันทร์ทิพย์ เรือนรักเรา (chanthip rueanrakrao) a.k.a. จันติ๊บ สามหลัง (chantip samlang) and คำบาน สบอาว (khamban sob-ao), two early recording stars of northern thai music. this cassette centers on a piece that was originally released by bangkok's t. ngek chuan (rabbit brand) in the early 1950s across a long series of 78 rpm records (thus the breaks that occur roughly every 3 minutes, to accommodate the original format). according to the labels, our 2 so performers are accompanied by an ensemble of 4 large pi (free-reed bamboo pipes). there are also instrumental pieces tacked on to the end of each side that feature a larger group, consisting of the aforementioned pi, plus sueng (plucked, fretted lute) and salo (spike fiddle). these i presume were recorded much later, possibly by the re-release label's house band khana nakhon phanit? the second side features some additional so performances from 78, backed by a similar salo-so-sueng ensemble but adding piano. enjoy!

kaeotalai-wilai: so nam thuam

 

artist: แก้วตาไหล-วิไล (kaeotalai-wilai)
album: ซอน้ำท่วม (so nam thuam)
tracklist:
01. ซอน้ำท่วม (so nam thuam)
02. ซอแอ่วสาวจอมทอง-ซออวยพร (so aeo sao chom thong ; so uaiphon)

this week's post marks the eighth in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane, founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

this week, some great music of the lanna region, with mr. kaeotalai and mrs. wilai! our master so singer kaeotalai (talai kanthachan) of lamphun province is a luminary of the genre, known throughout the north for his quick and skillful lyricism. he's joined on this cassette by a woman who goes by wilai, although i was unable to establish her full name. their musical accompaniment consists of a salo (fiddle), a sueng (plucked, fretted lute) and a trio of pi (free-reed bamboo pipes). a fantastic local recording.. enjoy!

 

khana so sai thara chiang mai: dontri so

artist: คณะ ซอสายธารา เชียงใหม่ (khana so sai thara chiang mai)
album: บรรเลงพื้นเมืองของชาวลานนา ชุด ดนตรีซอ (dontri so, banleng phuen mueang khong chao lanna)
tracklist:
01. ทำนองปั่นฝ้าย (thamnong pan fai)
02. ทำนองล่องน่าน (thamnong long nan)
03. ทำนองเพลงอื่อ (thamnong phleng ue)
04. ทำนองพระลอ (thamnong phra lo)
05. แหย่งลานนา (yaeng lanna)
06. ทำนองตั้งเชียงใหม่ (thamnong tang chiang mai)
07. ทำนองเชียงแสนเงี้ยว (thamnong chiang saen ngiao)
08. ทำนองพม่า (thamnong phama)
09. จ้อย (choi)

this cassette was a generous gift from our pal sam of the (now sadly defunct) archive of southeast asian music.

today, our second from the sai thara ensemble of chiang mai! as with the previous entry, they're playing a music called so, but while the last album featured just the namesake fiddle along with sueng (plucked, fretted lute) and a team of pi (free-reed bamboo pipes), here they're joined by some drums and cymbals, plus what sounds to be a khlui flute and perhaps even a strummed acoustic guitar? recently, this group showed up in korean magpie tapes' mix for discostan on nts radio and there they're the "khana sai thara combo", boasting a mostly electronic line-up and backing male and female vocalists, so clearly they've employed a wide range of configurations throughout their recording career. enjoy!

khana sai thara chiang mai: pi so

artist(s): คณะ สายธาราเชียงใหม่ (khana sai thara chiang mai)
album: ปี่ซอ ดนตรีพื้นเมืองเชียงใหม่ (pi so, dontri phuen mueang chiang mai)
tracklist:
01. ตั้งเจียงใหม่ ; จะปุ ; ละม้าย (tang chiang mai ; cha pu ; la mai)
02. เงี้ยว (ngiao)
03. พม่า (phama)
04. อื่อ (uea)

this week's cassette is part of a generous bequest gifted to us by educator cliff sloane, a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

this week, fantastic music from northern thailand! the sai thara ensemble of chiang mai play a music called so, which though originally named for the lead fiddle, has become metonymic for the vocal style which it most frequently accompanies. there are no vocals on this particular album, though, because as the cover states, this "minus-one"-style recording is entitled for your practice in the so vocal art! along with the namesake fiddle, our ensemble also features sueng (plucked, fretted lute) and a team of pi (free-reed bamboo pipes). enjoy!

a. thonghuat faithet: diao.. so chut... lam san lam sing maha man

artist: อ. ทองฮวด ฝ่ายเทศ (a. thonghuat faithet)
album: เดี่ยว.. ซอ ชุด... ลำสั้นลำซิ่งมหามันส์ (diao.. so chut... lam san lam sing maha man)
tracklist:
01. ลำสั้นลำซิ่งมหามันส์ (lam san lam sing maha man)
02. บักสองสาว (bak song sao)
03. ผีแถน (phi thaen)
04. สาวขอนแก่น (sao khon kaen)
05. ลมพัดพร้าวสาวภูพาน (lom phat phrao sao phu phan)
06. รำแคน (ram khaen)
07. ซอเขมร (so khmer)
08. แห่ปราสาทผึ้ง (hae prasat phueng)
09. งิ้วต่องต้อน (ngio tong ton)
10. ไทยเดิมผสม (thai doem phasom)
11. ซอ..ลาอาลัย (so.. la alai)

this week, the famous northeast fiddle sound of thonghuat faithet! hailing from mahasarakham province, thonghuat left school at the age of 14 to train under somphon naksiso, or "mo so", a master of the northeastern so fiddle in the employ of the pathumrat mahori orchestra of roi-et. thonghuat developed a uniquely expressive style, imparting a voice-like quality to his playing that was said to make the intrument "laugh" or "cry". he became a sought-after studio musician (particularly for the label uea ari) appearing on tracks with luk thung singers and molam alike and recording many of the most iconic fiddle lines in thai popular music¹.

for more information on achan thonghuat, check out the compilation diew sor isan from zudrangma and em records, with liner notes by chris menist!

preview: