Salsa and spice on Samui

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Salsa and spice on Samui
Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul
The Nation


Dina Medina

Musicians from all over the world flock to the island for its debut Latin and Jazz week

SAMUI: -- The tropical island of Samui has earned fame and fortune with its annual Samui Jazz bash and now the Samui Municipality is spicing up the annual repertoire by introducing a music festival that highlights hot Latin sounds and cool jazz.

Taking place at the end of next month, Samui Latin and Jazz Week 2013 aims to bring local and international tourists to the island as the high season gets underway.

"The Koh Samui Municipality and the Tourism Authority of Thailand are collaborating on 'Samui Latin and Jazz Week 2013'. The island offers visitors and residents a smooth and smart way of living and we feel that the atmosphere here is better represented by Latin sounds than jazz," says Naddapen Toommanon, adviser to the Mayor of Koh Samui and a member of the festival committee.

"Samui has never really had an event calendar as such so this festival will become part of the TAT's annual calendar," she adds.

The Samui Latin and Jazz Week, which runs from September 29 to October 6, will take place at six different venues around the island and feature more than 40 international and Thai artists who will perform in various styles spanning the Latin and jazz music spectrum. On October 4-5, there'll be a main stage on Chaweng Beach at the beachfront Amari Palm Reef.

Latin American rhythms with electrifying percussion are coming courtesy of Dina Medina from Cape Verde, Nando Vanin from Columbia, Amik Guerra from Cuba and Nils Fischer with Cabo Cuba Jazz.

US jazz vocalist Deborah Brown brings the classics of Duke Ellington and George Gershwin. Saskia Laroo, a Dutch jazz musician dubbed "Lady Miles Davis", and her quartet Jazzkia will perform a perfect fusion of jazz, funk and dance. Peter Beets will present new songs from his newly released album "Portrait of Peterson".

Others artists include Nadia Basurto and Miguel Rodrigues from Spain, Judith Nijland and Rolf Delfos from the Netherlands, French pianist and singer Fabio Deldongo, as well as Thai saxophonist Koh Mr Saxman and Changton featuring Buntita.

The festival gets underway on September 29 with Deborah Brown and Dina Medina & Cabo Cuba Jazz at Maenam's Fair House Villas & Spa. On September 30, Trio Peter Beets and Judith Nijland & the Beets Brothers entertain at Rocky's Boutique Resort in Lamai. On October 1, Saskia Laroo performs at The Drink Gallery in Chaweng followed by on October 2, Miguel Rodrigues featuring Nadia Basurto at The Passage Samui in Laem Yai. October 3 is Salsa Night with Nando Vanin at Centara Grand Beach Resort in Chaweng. The artists all meet up in Chaweng on October 4 and 5 for main stage shows.

The Samui Latin and Jazz Week is being held under the auspices of the Dutch Embassy and boasts the Amersfoort Jazz Festival and the Leusden Jazz Festival, both in the Netherlands, as partner events, resulting in a large delegation of Dutch artists coming to perform in Samui.

"We want to make Koh Samui find more fame abroad and get the recognition of jazz lovers from all over the world," says Naddapen.

All proceeds of the event will be donated to the Green Island Foundation to support sustainable community-run projects on the island.

"The environment comes first for us. Although Green Island Foundation has been running for years, only now is it really being successful in raising awareness about the environment. Hotels play an important role by using EM [effective micro-organisms] technology. The EM is emerging as one of the environmental solutions towards reducing water pollutants and thus improving water quality in the river and drains. Others initiatives are getting together to clean the beaches, the seabed and the mangrove forest. Green Island's latest project involves growing coral and reviving coral," says Naddapen.

All jazzed up

_ Concerts from September 29 to October 3 cost Bt500 available at the venue or can be reserved by emailing [email protected]. Admission to the main stage events on October 4 and 5 is free.

_ Visit www.SamuiLatinAndJazzWeek.com


-- The Nation 2013-08-31

[ajarnmarc]

So is this something to get excited about? It appears to be a great way to boast various Hotels around the island. If you wish to enjoy the shows, you have to sit at the hotel, order from the hotels, and pay an extra 17% doing so, so it covers service charge and tax. Great idea!

[Kommiekat]

"All proceeds of the event will be donated to the Green Island Foundation to support sustainable community-run projects on the island."

Well, I always enjoy me some live music.

I want to see more about the "sustainable community-run projects".

Where can I get more info on these projects and would it be possible to see how the money was actually spent after the musicians leave town?

[gusG]

Here you go for more info on these projects, it's not hard to Google them.

You may have to contact them yourself, to see how the money was spent, although they have a Financial Information link on the site.

[Tropicalevo]

So is this something to get excited about? It appears to be a great way to boast various Hotels around the island. If you wish to enjoy the shows, you have to sit at the hotel, order from the hotels, and pay an extra 17% doing so, so it covers service charge and tax. Great idea!

You are corret it is a great idea.

500 baht a ticket? 10 quid, `12 euros, 17 bucks plus drinks at hotel prices plus 17%

A bargain compared to what I used to pay in the UK, HongKong, Singapore, Sydney etc etc and that was back in the 90's.

A jug of beer at the HK 7's was more expensive than 500 baht and that was in1993

Get real. Decent music, decent surroundings and you do not need a mortgage to cover it.

I am sure that some people will be happier (and richer) listening to their ipads supping a chang outside a 7/11 but that is not my idea of a night out.

[Kommiekat]

OK, found info here:

http://greenislandfoundation.com/activities/

[Birdman]

So is this something to get excited about? It appears to be a great way to boast various Hotels around the island. If you wish to enjoy the shows, you have to sit at the hotel, order from the hotels, and pay an extra 17% doing so, so it covers service charge and tax. Great idea!

last year it was free, and it was fantastic. The stage faced the beach/sea at the Amari, so you sat on a bench at the beach. Wonderful music and fabulous ambiance, but not so many onlooker, because advertisement wasn't great on the island. Most were tourists strolling along the beach coincidently.

[Tropicalevo]

Just back from the opening night of the festival. Terrific.

Great music, good food and a really enjoyable evening.

If you are on a budget - definitely go to the free nights on Chaweng Beach. 4th Oct and 5th Oct opposite Amari Palm Reef.

BTW - Deborah Brown was outstanding. Great act.

[cicinette]

I was at rockys yesterday and it was a lovely evening, feels good to be in a high class environment, good music, real musician (not djs!) good atmosphere, people dressed up and with good manners, great cocktails and all of that in samui, for a change! so yes a bit pricey but it definitely is worth it, and i d rather pay 1 cocktail at 300bahts there than 2 at 150 at ark bar ;-)

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