Shades of the South

Published on February 19, 2008

Infinity had performed a mini-show for the news media to promote their latest plans.

Three years ago, Thai jazz-fusion combo Infinity reunited after a three-year split to record "Four Colors", a collection of tunes from all four corners of the Kingdom. Now, the veteran musicians are back with "Andaman Days", an album that's steeped in the beauty of Thailand's southern coastline.

"We've looked at the figures and some 90 per cent of all foreigners dream of visiting our beaches," says the band's guitarist, Choompol Supunyo, adding that Chris Craker, the album's British executive producer, helped the band carry out their research into tourist figures.

Choompol and the other band members spent several months pouring over guidebooks and visiting websites as well as travelling through the provinces lapped by the Andaman, among them Krabi and Phuket.

The fusion jazz quartet's ninth album, recorded at GMM Grammy's Baitong Studio and mixed at the world famous Abbey Road Studio in London, features 10 instrumentals, each with a conceptual link to one of the country's best-known tourist attractions. Tracks include "Impressive Phi Phi Island", "Kao Lak Dawn Breeze" and "Prom Thep Sunset".

"Prom Thep Cape [at Phuket's southernmost tip] is a truly spectacular place from which to view the sunset. There's nowhere else quite like it," says Sarayout Supunyo, the band's founder and keyboard player.

"Listeners, especially foreigners, will be able to get a picture of the destination in their minds from the mood of the song, which blends Thainess with the international sound of jazz."

"With this album, we're aiming to promote the country and its tourist destinations, so we are mainly targeting foreigners," says the guitarist.

Yet a listen to three numbers off the album played live at a recent press conference revealed less of the Thai influence that "Four Colors" is known for.

Choompol agrees with the comment but is unfazed. "It's true. We found only a few musical instruments in the South that could be used in our songs. But we did invite [songs-for-life veterans] Hammer to play the solo on 'Andaman Days'," he says.

"Our songs don't merely reflect the beauty of the destinations but also the mood of the moment. Take 'Infinite Wave'. That's a philosophical number about life. Listen to it and you'll hear the waves in the background. And 'In the Shade of Full Moon' is about the full moon party at Koh Pha-ngan."

After being released here, the album will be distributed in 12 countries in Asia and Europe before three months later hitting the stores in Japan.

The CD comes with six postcards of the Andaman region courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and it's anticipated that the songs will be played at Suvarnabhumi Airport as well as several tourist attractions along the coast.

Will Infinity be promoting other regions in future albums?

"Yes, I think we probably will. And we'll also be promoting Thailand when we travel to foreign countries. For example, when we go to Japan, we'll be playing with Japanese artists and expressing our experiences through musical collaborations."

The band, which also features bassist Viroj Sathapanayatr and drummer Suttipong Pankong, is aiming to make a name for itself on the international music scene but knows it won't be easy.

"Our first problem is that we have no manager, which means we have to do everything for ourselves," says Choompol. We also need to find a distributor for the album, someone who understands what he is promoting and selling."

Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul

The Nation