artist: คณะ โอรสอาหรับ (khana orot arab)

album: ลำตัดชีวิต (lamtat chiwit)

tracklist:

01. ออกแขกแบบภารตะ (ok khaek baep bharata)

02. สองไม้ชีวิต (song mai chiwit)

03. ผู้วิเศษ (phu wiset)

04. ตลกน้ำขึ้นน้ำลง (talok nam khuen nam long)

05. ลำตัดชีวิตออกลิเก (lamtat chiwit ok like)

06. ลำตัดทำนองสากล (lamtat tham nong sakon)

07. อีแซว ชายหญิง (isaeo chai ying)

this week, some fantastic central thai muslim music! a number of musical styles associated with central thailand (liké, lamtat, etc.) have their origins in malay artforms, though they have long been integrated into the majority buddhist culture. there are, however, still a handful of muslim practitioners.. including today's star of voice & violin, mr. orot arab! i'm not sure where the group is from originally, but i believe they've been based in bangkok for some time. this cassette was produced by yanavy sound (note their classic mosque & crescent logo) which, as we're told us on the recording, is located behind the old phra khanong rama theatre off sukhumvit road. sad to say, last i heard mr. orot arab was comatose in minburi hospital¹.. if anyone knows how he's doing please fill us in.

preview:

artist: คณะ ทับพรวาทิต (khana tapphonwathit)

album: ปี่พาทย์มอญ (piphat mon)

tracklist: 

01. พม่าใหญ่ (phama yai)

02. พม่าเล็ก (phama lek)

03. พม่ากลาง (phama klang)

04. อรุณนิมิต (arun nimit)

this week, some great mon-style piphat music! rather than being associated specifically with any of the numerous mon communities in thailand or across the border in burma's mon state, piphat mon refers to a style of ensemble that has long since been incorporated into the larger thai classical repertoire, and is heard most often in funeral ceremonies. our players on this cassette are the tapphonwathit ensemble, led here by national artist kalong phuengthongkham, performing a selection of mostly burmese-accented compositions. beautiful music, enjoy!

preview:

artist: เทพพร เพชรอุบล (thepphon phetubon)

album: ก่องข้าวน้อยฆ่าแม่ (kong khao noi kha mae)

tracklist:

01. ก่องข้าวน้อยฆ่าแม่ 1 (kong khao noi kha mae 1)

02. ก่องข้าวน้อยฆ่าแม่ 2 (kong khao noi kha mae 2)

03. คนเร่หนัง (khon re nang)

04. อีสานบ้านเฮา (isan ban hao)

05. ศรีธนหลงป่า (si thon long pa)

06. เลิกเป็นลูกจ้าง (loek pen luk chang)

07. ทหารม้าลาเมีย (thahan ma la mia)

08. ของแซบอีสาน (khong saep isan)

09. ส่งใจไปกันฟ้า (song chai pai kan fa)

10. หนุ่มนาสาบาน (num nasa ban)

11. ของดีบ้านเฮา (khong di ban hao)

12. สงกรานต์บ้านนา (songkran ban na)

today i bring sad word that we recently lost the great thepphon phetubon, who passed away on october 22nd. thepphon, as his stage name suggests, was born & raised in thailand's ubon ratchathani province. he attended college in bangkok, but left after 2 years with dreams of becoming a luk thung star like his idol, phon phirom. he returned home to ubon and landed a radio job with nophadon duangphon, then was picked up by phiphat boribun to join saksi siakson's band. in addition to his role as singer, thepphon was selected to transcribe songbooks for the group, because of his beautiful handwriting. through this task, he was able to study the art of composition (which would come to serve him especially well after the loss of his voice in the 80's). when saksi's band broke up, thepphon worked and performed (playing sax & accordion) around the u.s. air force base in ubon, before breaking into the molam scene under the guidance of impresario thepphabut satirotchomphu¹. while his songwriting for star saksiam phetchomphu brought him renown, he was slow to land a hit as singer, until his song "khit hot ai nae doe (please think of me)" became a national farewell anthem as radio djs resigned en masse in protest of severe censorship resulting from the 1971 coup². here's one last farewell to the late great thepphon!

preview: