The King‘s Jazz Concert

Date: September the 28^th, 2006

Venue: Gamle Logen, Oslo Norway

www.logen.no

Time: 19:30

Tickets: Free Entry; tickets must be reserved!

For reservation contact The Royal Thai Embassy

Tel. 22 12 86 75 and 22 12 86 68

or send e-mail to thaioslo@online.no

Read the programme here

Artists: 1. Morten Gunnar Larsen with Ophelia Orchestra

2. Nora Brockstedt

3. Mrs.Dusdi Banomyong Buntasnakul (soprano)

4. Dr.Pathorn Srikaranonda (saxophonist)

5. Mrs.Teeranai Na Nongkai (mezzo soprano)

6. Mr.Songsit Lertsethtakarn (tenor)

More about the artists: read here

Contact person: Songsit Lertsethtakarn (Project coordinator)

mobile 90043114/ tel. 21 39 41 84

songsitlert@tele2.no

Our supporters

OBJECTIVE

This year 2006 is the important year for Thai people. Because this year we will celebrate the occasion of the 60^th Anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumiphol Adulyadej (Rama IX)’s Accession to the Throne, and he is now the world’s longest serving monarch.

Every single Thai person would gladly celebrate this occasion. There will be an official celebration in every Royal Thai Embassies all over the world.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is very well respected by his subjects as well as being a very talented musician, composer, arranger, and performer. He also excels in other art forms as is evident in his photography, painting and sculpture.

Therefore, we would like to celebrate His Majesty King Bhumiphol by performing his beautiful music and share our happiness with the people of Norway.

We hope this presentation wills strengthen our bond between Thailand and Norway.

IDEA BEHIND

Our new Ambassador, H.E.Chitriya Pinthong, would like to present more of the Thai Culture events to the Norwegian society.

And in the occasion of H.M. the King Bhumiphol’s 60th anniversary of the accession to the throne, it could be a good opportunity to organise a concert with His Majesty’s compositions.

It will be more interesting to have the well-known jazz musicians or band to perform his composition. And as well to have some well-known Thai Jazz musicians to perform together with the Norwegian musicians, it will represent a good relationship between Thailand and Norway.

Thailand was among the first to acknowledge Norway’s independence in 1905. And next it will be a hundred year since the first visit of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), 1907. And the second visit was by King Bhumiphol and Queen Sirikit in 1960.

HIS MAJESTY KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ of Thailand was born in Cambridge Massachusetts, The United States of America, on Monday the 5th of December 1927, being the third and youngest child of Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Mahidol of Songkhla.

Even the facts of his birth seem to be significant in several ways. He is, first of all, the direct grandson of His Late Majesty King Chulalongkorn or Rama V who was renowned for the great reforms which he made to all institutions of Thailand to bring them up to date and in line with the rest of the Western-orientated world.

Prince Mahidol himself was perhaps one of the most modern-minded of all the sons of King Chulalongkorn and his life was dedicated to the development of many modern ideas particularly in the field of Medical Science so that he is now known as the Father of the Modern Thai Medical Profession.

Last but not least, he was given the significant name of Bhumibol Adulyadej, meaning Strength of the Land Incomparable Power which becomes prophetic as his Reign advances through various critical periods and the Thai nation evolves more and more around the Throne as the sole sources of unity and strength.

Prince Mahidol came back to Thailand and passed away when His Majesty was not yet two years old. After a brief period of primary schooling in Bangkok, His Majesty left with the rest of his family for Switzerland where he continued his secondary education at the Ecole Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande, Chailly sur Lausanne and received the Bachelieres Lettres diploma from the Gymnase Classique Cantonal of Lausanne.

He then chose to enter Lausanne University to study Science, but the death of his elder brother King Ananda Mahidol in Bangkok on the 9th. of June 1946, changed the course of his life completely, for the Law of Succession bestowed on him the arduous but challenging function of the Thai Crown. His Majesty decided to go back to Switzerland for another period of study, but this time in the subiect of Political Science and Law in order to equip himself with the proper knowledge for government. In 1950, His Majesty returned to Thailand for the Coronation Ceremony which took place on the 5th. of May.

He went back to Switzerland for another period of study before the urgent call of his country and people brought him back to Thailand in 1951 to stay.

His Majesty met and became engaged on the 19th. of July 1949 to Mom Rajawongse Sirikit, daughter of His Highness Prince Chandaburi Suranath (Mom Chao Nakkhatra Mangala Kitiyakara) and Mom Luang Bua Kitiyakara (nee Mom Luang Bua Snidwongse). His Highness Prince Chandaburi Suranath was the third son of His Royal Highness Prince Chandaburi Narunath and Her Serene Highness Princess Absarasman Kitiyakara.

Their Majesties were married by Her Majesty Queen Sawang Vadhana, the paternal grandmother of His Majesty, at Sra Pathum Palace in Bangkok on the 28th. of April 1950 and Their Majesties have four children namely:

1. The Former Her Royal Highness Princess Ubol Ratana who was born on the 5th. of April 1951, in Lausanne, Switzerland and graduated form the Faculty of Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in The United States of America with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Bio-Chemistry in 1973. She is married to Mr. Peter Ladd Jensen and now resides in The United States of America with her husband and their three children.

2. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was born on the 28th. of July 1952, in Bangkok, Thailand, and was conferred with the title of Somdech Phra Boroma Orasadhiraj Chao Fah Maha Vajiralongkorn Sayam Makutrajakuman by His Majesty the King on the 28th. of December 1972, making him the Crown Prince or Heir to the Throne. His Royal Highness graduated from the Royal Military College Duntroon, Australia, on the 9th. of December 1975, and now serves in the Royal Thai Army, with the rank of Major General and commands the King's Own Body-Guards Regiment, the Frist Division, Royal Guards. His Royal Highness is married to Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali (nee Mom Luang Soamsawali Kitiyakara) and has one daughter.

3. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was born on the 2nd. of April 1955 in Bangkok, Thailand, and was conferred the title of Somdech Phra Debaratana Rajasuda Chao Fah Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Rathasimakunakornpiyajat Sayam Boroma Rajakumari by His Majesty the King on the 5th of December 1977.

Her Royal Highness graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Chulalongkorn University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History , First Class Honours, in 1976. In 1979, Her Royal Highness received a Master of Arts Degree in Oriental Epigraphy from the Graduate School of Silapakorn University and in the following year received a Master of Arts Degree in Oriental Languages from the Graduate School at Chulalongkorn University. Her Royal Highness received her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Educational Development from Srinakharinwirot University in 1986 and is currently studying for a doctorate degree in educational administration at Chulalongkorn University.

4. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn was born on the 4 th. of July 1957 in Bangkok, Thailand, and graduated from the Faculty of Science and Arts at Kasetsart University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organic Chemistry, First Class Honours, in 1979. Her Royal Highness completed her doctorate work in organic chemistry in 1985, and received her Doctor of Philosophy Degree from Mahidol University in July of the same year.

His Majesty the King's accomplishments in music are well known, not only to his Thai subject, but also to lovers of music worldwide. He is one of Thailand's best jazz musicians. He has composed 43 musical works which rank among the most well known in the history of Thai contemporary music. He has shared his musical interests with varied groups of musicians and member of the general public. His achievements in music have been internationally recognized, and has been presented with the highest accolades both in Thailand and abroad.

His Majesty's musical training started while he was a schoolboy in Switzerland. He attended lessons in classical music and musical notation for two years. His interest in jazz developed during this early period. He studied the works of famous jazz musicans comparing their divers styles of musical expression. He soon played along with recordings of Sidney Bechet's soprano saxophone,Johny Hodges' alto saxophone and Duke Ellington's piano music.

Music occupid much of His Majesty's spare time. He played music with amateur musicians wherever he went. Formalities were waived during these sessions. Music became a medium for close friendship, forging ties between the Monarch and his subjects.

His Majesty's favourite instruments are the saxophone, clarinet and trumpet. He also plays the guitar and the piano. He is able and willing to join in with any musical group of orchestra. In jazz, he enjoys playing both annotated musical arrangements and impromptu session: he is very good at also improvisation. In 1960, in New York, he played the saxophone and clarinet with world renown musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Lionel Hampton and Stan Getz. All agreed that His Majesty was a highly gifted exponent of jazz.

His favourite music is 'Dixieland' jazz with its fast, rousing rhythms and freedom for musical expression. An early jazz band which he had founded consisted of close relatives, senior members of the royal family. The 'Lai Khram' jazz band held many fun filled sessions which occasionally lasted until the light of dawn.

At the number of band members grew, he founded the 'Aw Saw' Band, and , in 1952, he set up a broadcasting station named 'Radio Aw Saw' within the palace grounds. For the next 20 years, before the popularity of television, 'Aw Saw' played big band music regularly each Friday. The programme known as 'Aw Saw Wan Suk' were broadcast live to the general audience. Requests for musical numbers were accepted by telephone, and often, it was His Majesty who answered the telephone calls.

Another regular presentation of the 'Aw Saw' Band were concerts at university auditoriums. For more than 10 years, these private and informal sessions were enjoyed with pride by the students and faculty members. Subsequently, the concert had to cease due to the increase in other royal activities. Nevertheless, His Majesty maintained close ties with his subjects by inviting musical bands and orchestras of various official and private instituitions to perform on 'Radio Aw Saw'. This has generated an increase in musical interest, and has encouraged much improvement on musical skill. One regular contributor to this programme during the past 20 years is the band of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy. His Majesty often visited the band to give advice to band members. Some of these musicians have been successful in their military careers. Several have been promoted to the rank of General of the Royal Thai Army.

His Majesty's role as music teacher may be seen in the musical band which he founded in 1986. The 'Sahai Pattana' Brass Band has Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn as its first member and consist of a number of officials in his personal service for rural development. There are agriculturists, volunteer doctors, court officials, aides, security officers, etc. Most had no previous musical training. His Majesty spends a short priod each evening teaching music. The band has performed on special occasions, but more important is the fact that unity and friendship amongst the rural development workers have been create through music.

His Majesty the King composed his first song "Candle Light Blues" in 1946. During the next 20 years, he composed 40 more. The total number of compositions to date is 43. The majority of these are songs for which he composed the music. His own lyrics and those by other song writers followed. Five of them have His Majesty's original lyrics in English. The music of 2 songs were composed based upon the inspiration from lyrics which had been previously written. There is also a ballet suite known as the 'Kinari Suite'.

His Majesty's early compositions were mostly of the 'blues' style using the chromatic musical scale. He developed complex chords and rhythms which made possible varied arrangments for orchestral presentation. This , in turn, has made several of his songs great favourites even to the present. He later exploded the use of the pentatonic scale for simplification. He composed theme songs for Chulalongkorn, Thammasart and Kasetsart Universities, all of which have become great favourites of each university. He also took care to match musical sounds to the rising and falling tones of the Thai language not wishing to discolour the aesthetics of a tonic language.

His Majesty the King's musical accomplishments bacame known worldwide when, on a state visit to Austria in 1964, the 'Nieder Osterreich Tonkunstler' performed a concert of serveral of his compositions in the Vienna Concert Hall. This concert was broadcast on Austrian Radio to the delight of European audiences. Two days later, the 5th. of October, 1964, 'Die Akademic fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Wien' elected him an Honorary Member. His Majesty is the 21st. Honorary Member of this famous institute and the first Asian composer to be thus honoured.

LINK

Listen to the King’s music http://www.60thcelebrations.com/english/music.php

The King’s Jazz Concert

Is supported by

As our main supporters

And we have got support also from

Rice Bowl

Chiang Mai Restaurant

And

Bangkok Thai Restaurant