Biography
Among Asian reed instruments, few match the khene for sheer sonic exoticism. A leading exponent of the instrument was Laotian musician Thao Phet, whose homeland hosts an array of distinctive traditional instruments that contribute to intricate, richly expressive music tracing its lineage to Himalayan traditions and the classical forms of India. In contrast to neighbors such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, Laos has long remained isolated from broader international cultural exchange, resulting in frequent neglect by the outside world. The landmark A Musical Anthology of the Orient series, produced under UNESCO auspices by figures including Alain Daniélou, dedicated an entire volume to Laotian music—an inclusion whose rationale becomes immediately apparent upon listening. Phet figures among the featured artists who demonstrate striking instrumental command, skills that secured him a recurring role on Radio Vientiane. His khene solos spotlight the instrument’s construction as a mouth organ whose pipes attach to a compact wooden chamber that collects the player’s breath. Centuries earlier, Chinese musicians adopted the same design from Laotian sources and designated it the cheng. Phet further illustrates the khene’s range through duets with vocalists Thong Linh and Lam Se, in which the instrument delivers both melodic leads and dense harmonic support. The Laotian recordings later resurfaced in the 1990s as a Rounder CD. In the mid-1970s Phet also served as visiting lecturer in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington.