Weekly Wrap - Commencing Thursday the 27th August 2015

The Leng Pleng Gig Guide has an international flavour this week, with several world-class artists visiting Phnom Penh for a few days. It is great when this happens. We get to see a Singaporean jazz-cat play be-bop and swing, an Indian drumming master give a special Kerala performance and a Saigon-based dub-reggae DJ lighting up the city with good vibes. There are loads more great gigs happening this week – check out the listings below.

Positive Vibrations

pic: KCM Nayabinghi Facebook

Percussionist KCM Nayabinghi will continue his weekly reggae night at Sharky Bar this Thursday with special guest DJ Selecta Morgan. Morgan is a member of reggae collective Saigon Dub Station – 'an organisation promoting Reggae music and related genre in Ho Chi Minh City' (Saigon Dub Station Facebook). Check out the video below to see DJ Selecta Morgan producing some awesome electronic sounds in his home studio. Morgan and Saigon Dub Station will also be performing alongside Phnom Penh-based reggae collective Wat a Gwaan at the Mini-Banana birthday party on Friday night. 

KCM Nayabinghi will also be playing with Miss Sarawan Band at FCC – The Mansion on Saturday night.

 

Pit-stop at The Cat

Globe-trotting Conrad Keely is Phnom Penh's most famous rock'n'roll expat, having made a strong connection with Cambodia since his first visit in 2011. In-between world tours with his band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Conrad can often be found performing with local groups and musicians at various gigs and open mics in Phnom Penh and Kampot. This Friday, just a few days before jetting off to Berlin to continue work on his first solo album, Conrad will be giving a rare full solo acoustic set at the bijou Alley Cat Cafe. Expect something very different to the huge alternative-rock sound of ...Trail of Dead - perhaps something more along the lines of the performance documented in the YouTube video below. Leng Pleng advises early attendance to guarantee a seat!

Pushing The Boundaries

Dr 'Kalaimamani' Sivamani is a master of music. He will be headlining a special 'Onam' Hindu festival celebration taking place at the Diamond Island Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh this Saturday. Kalaimamani will be performing alongside Cochin Naushad, Lewis Pragasam and Phil Javelle. Javelle has described Dr Sivanmani as a 'true philosopher... There is no word to describe both Sivamani's creativeness and virtuosity. From a piece of plastic or wood to the latest electronic drums, he transcends the music world.' - sounds like a truly special event! Tickets are available at Indian restaurants around the city. Check out Kalaimamani's TED video from 2009, below.

Lester Ang –  pic: Lester Ang Website

Local Phnom Penh jazzers Gabi Faja (piano) and Toma Willen (drums) will be ramping up the tempo on Saturday night, when they welcome Singaporean saxophonist Lester Ang to Doors for an evening of be-bop and swing standards. Be-bop is the extremely fast and musically demanding style of jazz popularised by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie back in the 1940's. Guest bassist John Connaughton will be adding his ferocious and precocious style into the mix, having taken a brief break from his music studies in Lyon, France to visit and play in Cambodia. The Doors show looks to be a great opportunity to see four great musicians pushing musical boundaries. John Connaughton will also be 'ripping it up' as guest bass player with rockabilly trio Joe Wrigley & The Jumping Jacks at Alley Bar this Friday. 
 

Whatever you're up to over the next few days, stay safe out there and... see you around the traps!

CLICK HERE FOR LATEST GIGS

Joe Wrigley