Brian McKnight headlines Chiang Rai jazz festival

American R&B singer-songwriter, arranger, producer and musician McKnight excels on piano, guitar, bass, percussion, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet. He’s won an American Music Award, Billboard and Soul Train awards and an NAACP Image Award.

Joey Alexander, the 13-year-old prodigy pianist and the first Indonesian to chart on the Billboard 200 (with his album “My Favourite Things” in 2015), will be there too.

The remarkably diverse roster also includes Singaporean pianist Jeremy Monteiro and his countryman Alemay Fernandez, Australian singer Susan de Jong, American gospel and R&B specialist Richard Jackson, and Japanese trumpeter Aya Takazawa.

Saxophonist Koh Mr Saxman (Pui Duangporn) heads a Thai contingent that also includes the Sound of Siam and Sarayout Supunyo and Tewan Subsanyakorn’s fusion jazz band Infinity.

The festival takes place in beautiful surroundings and will also offer skills workshops led by Susan De Jong and other professionals.

Passes cost Bt2,500 at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.