Ok, I have now got the latest (and hopefully unchanged!) line up and schedule, shown below.
Friday 13 June 2008
15.30-16.30 Silpakorn Kickin Ass Quintet
17.00-18.00 Zao Za-Dung Band
18.30-19.30 The Hua Hin Music All Stars Band
20.00-21.00 Mansri Band featuring Kop Songsit & Jean AF1
21.30-23.00 (22.30) The Kenny Garrett Quartet/Quintet (conflicting
information from website/press release)
23.30 (23.00) - 24.30 T-Bone
Saturday 14 June 2008
15.30-16.30 Air Quartet Band
17.00-18.00 Young Blood Band Tribute to Billie Holiday
18.30-19.30 The Jazz Dojo ft Luk Pad Cholanan/Puifai AF4
20.00-21.00 The Pomelo Town featuring Surachai
Jantimatorn "Nga Caravan"
21.30-23.00 (22.30) Denny and Friends featuring Rudklao
Amaraditra & Jirasak Panpoom
23.30 (23.00) - 24.30 Mike Stern's Band featuring Dave Weckl and
Chris Minh Doky
The organisers are CM Event and True Music, while the sponsors include True music, LG, Heineken, Nation Group, FM 89 Banana FM., 2Magazine, Wave88, Yamaha music and more. Some of the sponsors will have special stands and/or areas on site, particularly the True group, who will have related jazz content available for free download such as ringtones, VDO clips, on-line chat, etc. True Move customers can also win prizes by sending SMS. True Music Community on the beach area will be specially designed for True customers to enjoy food, snack and beverage. True Visions will be broadcasting the event live on their satellite/cable network.
There is a website,
http://www.huahinjazzfest.com/ to get a bit more detail. According to the map in it, there will only be one stage on the beach, by the Sofitel, and according to the press release
The venue of Hua Hin beach is three times increased with number of activities for jazz lovers. Facilities and security system is well prepared for visitors’ convenience. The event is expected to draw more than 70,000 visitors during 2-days event. Mr. Sermkhun Khunawong, CEO of CM Organizer Plc. on behalf of CM Event said that the Hua Hin Jazz Festival is strongly supported by Prachuabkirikhan’s governor, Mr. Prasong Pitoonkitja, for many consecutive years. This year the event has become even larger than previous years. To mark Hua Hin as a complete jazz town, there will be both ‘Jazz on the Beach’ and ‘Jazz in the Town’ concert venues, for visitors’ choice of entertaining.
The ‘Jazz on the Beach’ event is the original music event being held at Hua Hin in which managed by CM Event for many consecutive years. Hua Hin jazz on beach has become event of the year and been put in visitor’s travelling calendar. There were more than 65,000 visitors – Thais and foreigners - attend the event last year. This year, there will be full-function of facilities, security control, and traffic management operated for the highest visitors’ convenience.
I have to say I think their figures are a bit out and that there were closer to 100,000 last year over the 2 days, and likely to be at least that this year. The map also shows only 5 dedicated parking areas for the event, one of which is Market Village, one is the Sofitel and another is the Municipality offices by the main crossroads in the centre of town. The others are the school next to Market Village, and either the temple (Wat Hua Hin) or the school next to it, but it is not clear on the map.
The mention of 'Jazz In The Town' above is interesting, but it is only mentioned once in the Press release and there is nothing else to indicate what this means or if there is set venues for it; hopefully it will be like the very first one, where there were little stages all over the place as well as the main beach one, but I doubt it.
Finally the Kenny Garrett concert at Prime Nature Villa is included in the press release under the umbrella of the Jazz Festival, but still as a distinct separate event - for a fan of the man it would certainly be a more comfortable and intimate concert than the free beach show, but at quite a price.
I have to say that the headline acts are impressive, and have gone some way to alleviate my fears that the event was going to collapse after the poor line up last year; now all the organisers have to do is promote it better and earlier and make the access and parking arrangements better!
