Brasserie

[Mahseer]

Wandered into the Brasserie around 11 tonight looking to catch the warm up band and Took at 12 but surprisingly the main man was already on stage and for the next 2 hours provided an absolutely superb set of rock and blues guitar. Same again tomorrow? not a chance but if you catch the man on a good night then surely there is no better live music in town and all for the price of a bottle of beer.

Superb

[chuchok]

Was there last night.Very very good guitar player..His name is Took.

[Rinrada]

I keep trying to get over there over the last couple of years but never made it....

Defin....Next Time.....Tuk has a great reputation....... agree...

[Gonzo the Face]

Took..... He be da Man !!!!!

Did you pick up a copy of his CD ????

Gonzo

[Mahseer]

Took..... He be da Man !!!!!

Did you pick up a copy of his CD ????

Gonzo

Gonzo, I have been hounding the man for a copy of his CD for the last 4 weeks but he has yet to deliver, maybe next time.

I have seen Took play something like 20 times in the last 3 years and admit that I have simply walked out maybe 3 or 4 times when he just wasn't into his music and who can blame him playing 340 or so nights a year but last night was a stunning set which was finished off with an amazing Red House.

Rinrada, get down there pal, the man on the right night is simply a genius.

[kurtgruen]

Wandered into the Brasserie around 11 tonight looking to catch the warm up band and Took at 12 but surprisingly the main man was already on stage and for the next 2 hours provided an absolutely superb set of rock and blues guitar. Same again tomorrow? not a chance but if you catch the man on a good night then surely there is no better live music in town and all for the price of a bottle of beer.

Superb

I totally agree. Tuk is an awesome player. My wife and I go there whenever we are in Chiang Mai (and have time). One time, I asked him for Ten Years After and he played "I'm going home". He is the best blues player in town, in my opinion.

Well worth seeing.

[november222]

Wandered into the Brasserie around 11 tonight looking to catch the warm up band and Took at 12 but surprisingly the main man was already on stage and for the next 2 hours provided an absolutely superb set of rock and blues guitar. Same again tomorrow? not a chance but if you catch the man on a good night then surely there is no better live music in town and all for the price of a bottle of beer.

Superb

not as good as boy blues band , his younger nephew boy is a chip off the old block,and for me has the edge ....come check them out at guitarman 5 nights a week

[tijnebijn]

He is just awesome .

Simply the best in city and perhaps the country when he feels like .

Haven't been there a long time , cause pretty smokey place where

I can't let my kid hang out .

But still , feel going there now , good idea !

[altman]

with these kind of reviews i can only ask

where is brasserie?

[Sao Jiang Mai]

Brasserie is next to The Gallery on Charoen Prathet Road between Nawarat and Nakorn Ping Bridges. I have been a fan of Took's since he rocked the Chiengmai Gymkhana Club Christmas Party in 1993. You should have seen the looks on all the old members' faces when he got into Voodoo Child. Pricesless. He is a Chiang Mai legend.

[Crow Boy]

with these kind of reviews i can only ask

where is brasserie?

The Brasserie is in the same group as the Good View, Riverside etc on the ChiangMai-Lamphun road between the Nawarat and Nakhon Ping River.

CB

[KevinHunt]

with these kind of reviews i can only ask

where is brasserie?

It's on the riverfront.

From the Nawarat bridge, go past The Riverside and Good View and the Brasserie is another 200 metres along the road.

Took is excellent, but I think a little bit self-indulgent sometimes. I prefer his nephew 'Boy' who plays at the Guitarman Bar (very end of Loi Kroh Rd - near the river - not the moat end). He's off to play in the Phuket Blues festival soon, but is normally playing most nights of the week. Tonic Rays play there most Thursays, too.

[infernalman7]

YES! This guy is the man. Haven't been there for quite a while now.

[Mahseer]

Boy Blues Band are indeed excellent or to be precise Boy himself is but one is starting out and still learning and doing an admirable job of it but Took is very much the finished product but I still enjoy listening to them both and it's easy to catch the pair of them on the same night as Guitarman shuts up around 11:30 and Took generally starts up same time just 3 minutes down the road.

I have one Took CD but it's a live recording during one of the Mardi Gras sessions and to be honest it's pretty horrible and sounds like the microphone was behine the bar so if anyone has a studio session I would very much like a copy and glad to pay in beer bottles.

PM me if you have.

[Blinky Bill]

A long time ago when Tuk completed his studies at the Chiang Mai University Faculty Of Music he was requested to (and did) cut his hair before being presented with his masters degree by His Majesty The King.

That was a memorable night at the Gymkhana Club SJM, good memories. We also had a great night at Horst F's (RIP) house out on the khlong with Tuk entertaining many many years ago.

[Crow Boy]

Boy Blues Band are indeed excellent or to be precise Boy himself is but one is starting out and still learning and doing an admirable job of it but Took is very much the finished product but I still enjoy listening to them both and it's easy to catch the pair of them on the same night as Guitarman shuts up around 11:30 and Took generally starts up same time just 3 minutes down the road.

In my opinion Boy is a very accomplished and comfortable guitarist who has been playing for a long time. He is talented and trying to learn new material between his own studies. Tuk is a very accomplished and comfortable guitarist who gave up learning anything years ago. He sticks to the pretty much the same set list as he has played for years. He also has a real attitude and believes his own press - I think the worst thing that every happened to him was when Joe Cummings wrote that Tuk was the best blues guitarist in CM.

I much prefer BB over Tuk any night of the week. Also the Brasserie has really gone down hill as a venue over the last few years. They just don't seem to care any more.

CB

[Johpa]

Took is excellent, but I think a little bit self-indulgent sometimes.

Wasn't one of Took's mentors the master of self-indulgence, what did he call himself....Deng the Magnificent or something like that......quite the character as I remember, and the only rock guitar show in town years ago.

[KevinHunt]

Took is excellent, but I think a little bit self-indulgent sometimes.

Wasn't one of Took's mentors the master of self-indulgence, what did he call himself....Deng the Magnificent or something like that......quite the character as I remember, and the only rock guitar show in town years ago.

Daeng Fantastic - which was quite an exageration.

[Mahseer]

Boy Blues Band are indeed excellent or to be precise Boy himself is but one is starting out and still learning and doing an admirable job of it but Took is very much the finished product but I still enjoy listening to them both and it's easy to catch the pair of them on the same night as Guitarman shuts up around 11:30 and Took generally starts up same time just 3 minutes down the road.

In my opinion Boy is a very accomplished and comfortable guitarist who has been playing for a long time. He is talented and trying to learn new material between his own studies. Tuk is a very accomplished and comfortable guitarist who gave up learning anything years ago. He sticks to the pretty much the same set list as he has played for years. He also has a real attitude and believes his own press - I think the worst thing that every happened to him was when Joe Cummings wrote that Tuk was the best blues guitarist in CM.

I much prefer BB over Tuk any night of the week. Also the Brasserie has really gone down hill as a venue over the last few years. They just don't seem to care any more.

CB

Any time Tuk/Took's name gets mentioned here CB jumps in and attacks but that's OK as was stated it's all a matter of opinion and mine is that I enjoy listening to both guitarists but with a preference for Took but it's excellent that we have more than one live band to check out and I still need to catch the Tonic Rays.

Regarding the Brasserie comment I have only been there over the past 4 years and don't see too much change but CB is likely referring to a lot longer period.

[Crow Boy]

Any time Tuk/Took's name gets mentioned here CB jumps in and attacks but that's OK as was stated it's all a matter of opinion and mine is that I enjoy listening to both guitarists but with a preference for Took but it's excellent that we have more than one live band to check out and I still need to catch the Tonic Rays.

I think that is an inaccurate statement. I greatly admire Tuk for his playing and he has been a stalwart of the live music scene for a long time. My comments have consistently been that he reached a level of play a long time ago and ceased to develop as a player. He uses the same material and pretty much the same set list which is boring as a musician and for the audience. He should have a repertoire of 200 plus songs but sticks to the same dozen or so without variation.

Regarding the Brasserie comment I have only been there over the past 4 years and don't see too much change but CB is likely referring to a lot longer period.

The brasserie was a prime location for food and music but the place is looking run down and neglected. I don't eat there anymore because I don't think the food is good value for money. It used to be one of my favourite haunts and I regularly saw Tuk there 2-4 times a week.

CB

[Austhaied]

The last 3 times i have been there (very recently) we have never been charged the same price for our drinks..Add to that the looks on the faces of the band who seem bored shiteless and it does not make for a "great night out" anymore.

Don't get me wrong (as most of you almost always do), Took is still "the Jimmy Hendix of Asia" and is a fantastic guitarist.

His cousin "Boy" from Boy Blues band is still quite young and is still having a great time playing the blues..Thats what it's all about..Having fun..

Well worth catching up with them when they play at The Guitarman 5 nights a week..Starting around 10.30 pm..till around midnight..

[Mahseer]

Aside from Took/Tuk, Boy Blues Band and the Tonic Rays are there any other bands in town worth checking out? I know of the Wednesday night Jazz at the UN Irish but not much else.

[meadish_sweetball]

I caught Boy Blues band two weeks ago, when illustrious Guitarman proprietor Nicky stood in as bass player and did a great job of it too.

An extremely eclectic and innovative Thai bluesman whose name I do not know, took turns with Boy for the guitar leads; Boy providing sophisticated, understated, weeping leads and this other bluesman attacking the axe from a 12-dimensional angle, ranging all the way from furious atonality over Parliament-ish funk chops into smooth, tip-toeing jazzy licks.

The best jam I have seen in Chiang Mai, and right up there with the gigs one is sometimes lucky enough to catch in Bangkok's Saxophone bar on a good night.

Took is without a doubt a highly accomplished blues guitar player of the traditional type, but I agree it seems he sticks with the same set of cover songs and does not want to expand his playing.

[NewXpat]

I caught Boy Blues band two weeks ago, when illustrious Guitarman proprietor Nicky stood in as bass player and did a great job of it too.

An extremely eclectic and innovative Thai bluesman whose name I do not know, took turns with Boy for the guitar leads; Boy providing sophisticated, understated, weeping leads and this other bluesman attacking the axe from a 12-dimensional angle, ranging all the way from furious atonality over Parliament-ish funk chops into smooth, tip-toeing jazzy licks.

The best jam I have seen in Chiang Mai, and right up there with the gigs one is sometimes lucky enough to catch in Bangkok's Saxophone bar on a good night.

Took is without a doubt a highly accomplished blues guitar player of the traditional type, but I agree it seems he sticks with the same set of cover songs and does not want to expand his playing.

I recently experianced Boy Blues band at guitar man and thought they were great but was not too impressed with the venue, had a lot of trouble getting a drink and when it came time to pay the bill some freaky looking Thai girl with bright red hair totally screwed it up and was really rude to us all, dont think we will be back

[sabaijai]

Have to weigh in on Boy's side of the contest. Boy is a real gentleman, and such a music lover that you'll find him hanging out at Guitarman listening to other bands even when he's not playing himself. One rarely sees Took hanging out listening to other musicians anymore.

I feel he's a more accomplished blues player (than Took is), and plays more interesting stuff, better phrasing etc. But Took is quite the showman and quite enjoyable from that angle. Took also chooses a more classic rock repertoire, and hearing him tear into a Hendrix perennial is a treat for many.

I think if ol' JC was still writing about the music scene he'd probably give Boy a nod, and pick Guitarman over Brasserie as a rock and blues venue. The owner's band is also well worth hearing.

But Took is still a local legend and a must-see, must-hear.

[amexpat]

I went to Guitar Man a month ago. All was fine except that it was so LOUD I felt as much pain as pleasure. Maybe if I took my beer and stood half a block away it would be OK. I hear they serve a good burger.

[Ulysses G.]

I think if ol' JC was still writing about the music scene

Jesus Christ or Joe Cummings?

[Mahseer]

dam_n looks like I'm the only one in Tooks' corner but that's fine.

Boy used to play at the Gallery next door to Brasserie in a 8 or 10 piece band about 18 months ago and it was easy to see who the class act was then so not surprised he is now fronting his own band and best of luck to him. But for me the best in town is those special nights when Took is absolutely into his music and it was one such night that started this thread but as I said then it simply isn't there every night so for consistency yes Boy Blues Band 'wins' but I'll continue to frequent the Brasserie in the anticipation of catching another night when Took is truly in the mood.

Bottom line? Excellent to have 2 bands in town playing the blues.

[sabaijai]

dam_n looks like I'm the only one in Tooks' corner but that's fine.

Boy used to play at the Gallery next door to Brasserie in a 8 or 10 piece band about 18 months ago and it was easy to see who the class act was then so not surprised he is now fronting his own band and best of luck to him. But for me the best in town is those special nights when Took is absolutely into his music and it was one such night that started this thread but as I said then it simply isn't there every night so for consistency yes Boy Blues Band 'wins' but I'll continue to frequent the Brasserie in the anticipation of catching another night when Took is truly in the mood.

Bottom line? Excellent to have 2 bands in town playing the blues.

Absolutely, it's win-win

In a way it's apples and oranges, as Boy's blues band plays nothing but blues and Took only plays one or two blues numbers a night, with most of his material being classic rock or reggae. Boy's band is en route to Phuket this wknd to play the Phuket Blues Festival (unless the elections have derailed that event too).

[Crow Boy]

I think if ol' JC was still writing about the music scene

Jesus Christ or Joe Cummings?

Jesus plays harp and Joe plays guitar. Joe Cummings is a very good guitar player in his own right and can sometimes be found around town playing a mixed set of covers and originals. He was one of the original players in town and has supported music of a wide range for many years in Lonely Planet books and other media. It was Joe who first nominated Took for the mantle of Blues Man in CM and gave Took the exposure to a wider audience.

CB