Return of the cool season

A spiritual treat that people have come to yearn for after a long year of hard work, the 5th Bangkok Jazz Festival, which kicks off next weekend, guarantees to indulge the audiences's soul with three evenings of world-class acts like Shakatak, Matt Bianco, Laura Fygi, Kitaro and Blood Sweat & Tears. 
  
This year, the jazzy affair that expects to draw more than 15,000 music-lovers each night will be held from December 8-10 on the lawn of Ror Nueng Phan Nueng Ror Or, a 32,000-square-metre military field on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road; the venue having changed from its usual home of Sanam Sua Pa royal park. 
  
"The audience just keeps growing each year," said Vanida Vanasirikul, chief executive of Terminal Extra, the organisers of the event. "Last year, we felt that the venue became a bit crowded. As a concert-goer I wasn't able to stretch my legs as much as I would have liked and the privacy and comfort of the audience was beginning to become an issue. So we needed to find another location that could serve bigger crowds." 
  
It wasn't easy to find a spacious park that could satisfy the organisers' "open-air jazz bar in the middle of the city" concept. Some venues, though beautiful, just wouldn't fit: some had no licence to serve alcohol, or closed at 10pm, while others were simply too far from town. 
  
"We weren't looking for just a large ground with grass. We wanted a beautiful open space that wasn't encased by a concrete stadium. Ror Nueng Phan Nueng Ror Or is perfect. It's twice as big as the previous site and location-wise it's just a stone's throw away from the expressway turn-off." 
  
While regular event-goers might miss the "regal" atmosphere of the Ananta Samakom Throne Hall at Sanam Sua Pa, Vanida argues that the event is about much more than that. 
  
"The charm of the Bangkok Jazz Festival is not only the location, but also the state-of-the-art production, the extravagant setting, the sumptuous artist line-up as well as the crowd, which is sophisticated, high-class and very considerate." 
  
The 5th annual event will present an interesting collection of international artists from Europe, the USA and Asia (see page 16 for festival programme and a complete line-up) with the jazzy genres ranging from smooth, funky and rock to Latin, vocal and new-age. 
  
"Jazz music is full of niches, we can never please all 10,000 concert-goers with just one jazz band. As a festival we try to offer a greater variety to cater to diverse groups of music fans, while introducing them to other types of music," Vanida said. 
  
This year there will be two moveable stages, as usual, plus an even better sound system. Due to the new venue's location, away from residential areas, the sound system is expected to be pushed to its limit without fear of upsetting the neighbours. 
  
The audience seating zone is another issue that the organisers have looked into. As with previous years, there will be separate zones for chairs, but this year there will be more space for those who want to sprawl out on mats, which should ensure better traffic management. Walkways will be set up to make it more convenient for people to easily move around without having to clamber over other people. 
  
Unfortunately for those who were planning on bringing picnic baskets, it's not encouraged this year. "We have always been very flexible on bringing food and drinks in the past, and we truly understand that picnicking has been one of the charms of the outdoor festival, but it's getting out of control. Last year we had people coming with fondue pots and portable gas stoves, as well as chilled champagne bowls. All the cooking may disturb others. If we don't ban it now, who knows, in the future people might turn up with barbecue grills." 
  
The organisers insist that although home-packed food is a no-no, concert-goers will be presented with a huge variety of culinary delights freshly prepared on-site by top restaurants which have been carefully chosen to join the event. Whether you are in the mood for Thai som tam, grilled German pork, Italian pizza, American sandwiches or Japanese sushi, you should be able to find what you are looking for. 
  
So this year, all you really need to bring are a cosy jacket, mat, pillow, blanket and perhaps mosquito repellent. Though the parking lot can handle 800 cars, concert-goers are urged not to drive, especially those who plan to drink. 
  
The 5th Bangkok Jazz Festival runs on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, December 8, 9 and 10. A one-day ticket costs 1,200 baht while a three-day pass is priced at 3,000 baht. Tickets are available at Thaiticketmajor (tel 02-262-3456). For more information, please call 02-203-1240.