2008 Tour Dates - check back here for updates
| 14th - 31st of August | The Darwin Festival | Darwin, Australia | More Info |
The Flute Player
A one hour documentary film about the life and work of Arn Chorn-Pond.
If the Khmer Rouge had not taken over Cambodia in 1975, Arn Chorn-Pond probably would have carried on his family's legacy and become an opera star. Instead, at the age of nine Arn was thrust direct- ly into the darkness of Cambodia's Killing Fields. For four years Arn struggled to stay alive amidst torture, murder, and front line combat. As his family and culture were destroyed, Arns musical talent kept him from perishing in a genocide that took the lives of 2 million Cambodians. This film shows how Arn finds the remaining master musicians of his country and helps them work together to teach new students Cambodian folk music.
Now after living in the U.S. for 20 years, Arn faces the dark shadows of his war-torn past as he fights to save Cambodia's once outlawed traditional music from extinction. An extraordinary story of survival, The Flute Player is a testament to one man's triumph over tragedy.
After the showing of the film there is an uplifting performance by the "Ray Charles of Cambodia" Kung Nay and his protégé Ouch Savy. Kung Nay is featured in 'The Flute Player' so making this film and performance very real and powerful. Kong Naywho, with his trademark dark glasses, is Cambodia's most recognisable traditional musician. He is always in demand for Cambodian cultural events and is regularly appearing on cambodian televison.
Kong Nay's nickname, the "Ray Charles of Cambodia", is more than just a simple observation of his blindness, shaded eyes and engaging smile. Kong Nay is a master of the Chapei, a traditional form of improvised song-making that is often compared to American Delta Blues. Kong Nay routinely gets his audience dancing in the aisles.
Named after the Chapei Dong Veng, a long-necked, two-string guitar that accompanies the singing style, Chapei is not bound by the restrictions of other traditional forms and lends itself to a fusing with modern styles.
Ouch Savy is Kong Nay's female protégé. Savy is one of the new generation of Chapei musicians who are at the beginning of an emerging musical awareness that could come to rival imported karaoke and pop. Savy has already made over 20 television appearances and performed improvisational pieces with the Los Angeles-based Khmer American fusion outfit, Dengue Fever. Her talent is widely recognised.
Kong Nay plays the Delta Blues 2006
"As a singer i am very drawn to voices, and it was Kong Nay's voice that pulled me right in at the beginning" - Peter Gabriel
Promotional Downloads
- Kong Nay Press Release July (31kb PDF)
- Kong Nay Press Release June (28kb PDF)
- Kong Nay Biography (32kb Word Doc)
- Kong Nay A5 Flyer B/W (952kb PDF)
- Kong Nay A5 Flyer (2.4mb PDF)
- Kong Nay A4 Poster B/W (900kb PDF)
Other press articles
- Kong Nay story (40kb Word Doc)
- One master helps another (52kb PDF)
Photographs
- Kong Nay 1 (3.3mb Jpeg)
- Kong Nay 2 (3.3mb Jpeg)
- Kong Nay 3 (3.3mb Jpeg)
- Ouch Savy (1.6mb Jpeg)
Video screen grabs
- Kong Nay BW (204kb Jpeg)
- Arn 1 (272kb Jpeg)
- Arn 2 (284kb Jpeg)
Elsewhere on the web
- NPR news item about Kong Nay
- Premiered: July 22, 2003 at 10PM EST On PBS in the USA.
- cambodianlivingarts.org
From July 27th to July 29th the musicians are performing at WOMAD, Charlton Park, Wiltshire.
See the film and performance at the Barbican cinemas, London on August 4th
Savy plays the Delta Blues 2006
For more information please contact Dickie Chappell
- Phone : +44(0) 1225 743188
- Email : dickie@cambodianlivingarts.co.uk