One of Thailand’s greatest exponents of traditional Thai music genre lam glawn, molam singer Ken Dalao passed away earlier this month at the age of 84. Ken was one of the most influential and well-loved molam singers of his generation. He was made a National Artist in Performing Arts in 1989. He performed with his late wife Boonpheng Faiphewchai, and also Chaweewan Damnoen, both of whom were also National Artists. For many years he was the chairman of the All-Thailand Molam Association and during his career taught scores of young molam singers.
Ken Dalao, left, a legendary molam singer.
I first met Ken backstage at one of these concerts and then visited him several times as part of a Japan Foundation project on Isan music, which culminated in a tour of Japan, during the early 1990s.
Born in Ubon Ratchathani province in 1930 to a musical family — his uncle and brother were molam performers — he took to the stage at the age of 16. During several interviews Ken explained to me the details of his apprenticeship, which he said were the keys to being a successful molam. Unlike the mo khaen (players of the khaen instrument), who are largely self-taught, the molam has to study before being allowed to sing. Ken’s uncle made his apprentice study texts for a year. “You must be literate to study and learn text on religion, history and folk tales,” he said. “You must know dhamma and the arts generally. After that you can start learning to sing and how to be a molam performer.”
This solid background, plus a dynamic and witty style of performance, made him a firm favourite with Isan people. He was able to work into his lyrics a wide variety of topics from traditional themes drawn from history and religion to contemporary issues such as Aids and the environment. If that sounds bit dry, it should be mentioned that he was a very witty and ribald performer, particularly during the lam ching cho (repartee) singing he did with his wife Boonpeng and Chaweewan. His swift, side-splitting comebacks were one of his trademarks. Verbally jousting with both female molams, he could more than hold his own.
You can enjoy some Ken Dalao-style earthy humour on a short lam glawn video on YouTube that involves a cucumber. Not one for the faint-hearted.
Ken’s other trademark was lam glawn, the more poetic solo style of lam, for which he was always accompanied by mo khaen Home On-Dee. I have vivid memories of him performing lam glawn in small villages in Khon Kaen, at weddings and village parties. He transfixed everyone watching, from toddlers to grannies.
At one village, he invited me to photograph his wai kru ceremony that he performed privately before every performance to pay respect to his teacher. He explained the importance of the ritual and, one by one, went through the articles of worship he placed on a tray. These included five pairs of candles, a comb and hair, flowers wrapped with banana leaves, a 1 baht coin and a bottle of rice wine. He then paid respect to these articles by whispering a quiet prayer in front of the tray and bowed.
It was a great privilege to get to photograph this ceremony and it said much about his openness as an artist. Ken was convinced that the reason molam had survived this long was that it was a flexible genre that moved with the times and believed that lam glawn would always be around. He will be missed by lovers of Isan music everywhere.
He might have passed on, but his legacy and spirit were there for all to see at the opening of the new exhibition, “Joyful Khaen, Joyful Dance” at the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok last Saturday. The exhibition, which runs until March 2015 before going on tour in Isan, is a must for molam fans.
The exhibition is a multimedia show, set in three rooms that details the history of molam and its social significance. The photographs of Ken’s wai kru ceremony are on display along with original backdrops, old photos, a narrated slide show, records and cassettes, costumes, song lyrics and posters — you name it. The curators have done a fantastic job of sourcing molam paraphernalia.
If you want to hear some of the music I’ve mentioned in this column, get on down to World Beat night on Wed, Oct 22, at Studio Lam on Sukhumvit 51. The event is being held to celebrate 20 years of the World beat column. I’ll be manning the decks at 9.30pm. Entrance is free.
This columnist can be contacted at clewley.john@gmail.com.
