Jazz on the beach

For our last few days in Thailand before heading back north to China and beyond we opted for an unconventional visit to the oldest beach resort in Thailand, Hua Hin. Only four hours south of Bangkok we were drawn predominantly by the lure of the Hua Hin Jazz Festival, the country's second largest, and also hoping to catch a last few rays of sunshine on the beach.



I have seriously missed live music (and have heard enough Jack Johnson now to send me insane) and although I knew none of the line-up for the festival there turned out to be some amazing acts which I hope see again sometime. Although the weather wasn't great all of the time we managed to get a few hours on the beach and although the beach itself and the water was no match for the likes of Ko Tao or Ko Lanta this was more than made up for by the festival.





Highlights included the awesome Ibrahim Electric (future Earth Fair visitors I think! check out www.ibrahimelectric.dk) a Danish trio sporting genuine Hammond Organ (and not afraid to show it - see picture below!), BB King style 'Lucille' guitar and a genuis drummer; Cuban Lazaro Valdes - from the second generation of great music following on from the Buena Vista Social Club; Malene Mortensen & the Jonas Johansen Trio - she being a 2001 winner of the Danish Eurovision song contest finals strangely matched with (also Danish) Jonas 'four hands' Johansen and his young pianist and string bassist; and finally Bill Bruford's Earthworks - Bill being an English drummer famed for his work with Genesis and Yes (!) but despite such a past he and his band gave an amazing performance.



There were two main stages, one called the Hilton Stage and one the Sofitel Stage and the whole thing was heavily sponsored by Heineken, so there was plenty of that flowing too. It's strange to say it but despite the heavy western influence of the sponsorship, the hotels etc it was great to be somewhere doing things amongst Thai people, admittedly some of the richer ones. One drawback with the well travelled paths across the country is that you tend to mix only with western tourists and although this festival was a big corporate event (yet it was free), and therefore nothing like Glastonbury for instance, it was predominantly attended by Thais and it was good to be 'amongst locals' so to speak.





So after three nights of great music we jumped on a bus for the short journey back up to Bangkok to spend our final four nights in SE Asia - no more beaches for 2 months!!!