美国国家公共电台 NPR A Tour Of The Best New Latin Jazz

 

(SOUNDBITE OF CHICK COREA AND THE SPANISH HEART BAND'S "THE YELLOW NIMBUS - PT. 2")

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Let's take a few moments now to lose ourselves in some fabulous¹ music like that by making our monthly check-in with Felix Contreras of the Alt.Latino podcast.

Felix, welcome.

FELIX CONTRERAS, BYLINE²: Good morning.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Usually, you bring in new tracks from the world of Latin alternative. But this month, you're listening to something a little different.

CONTRERAS: Listening to Latin jazz - a lot of it lately. And what it has in common with the usual stuff I bring in is amazing creativity and vision, but in this case, lots of instrumental prowess.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So who are we starting with?

CONTRERAS: We're starting with Chick Corea. Now, Chick is a giant walking the Earth. Future generations of jazz fans will speak of him as we do of John Coltrane or Charlie Parker. He's that big of a deal. He's very creative. He's very visionary. He's a pianist, and he's a composer. Now, Chick Corea's not from Spain, although he famously recorded and wrote a tune³ called "Spain" on one of his very first albums. And the only time he referenced that for an entire album was his 1976 release called "My Spanish Heart." And his new album is called "Antidote⁴." And he revisits his fascination⁵ with flamenco. This track is Part II of a suite⁶ called "The Yellow Nimbus." It's a taste of what the whole album feels like. It features the guitarist Ni?o Josele.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHICK COREA AND THE SPANISH HEART BAND'S "THE YELLOW NIMBUS - PT. 2")

GARCIA-NAVARRO: OK. What's next?

CONTRERAS: In honor of the time you spent in Brazil covering Latin America for NPR - some Brazilian jazz. This is pianist and composer Marcos Silva. And he has an album called "Brasil: From Head To Toe." And it's his first album in 30 years. He's a very talented arranger and pianist. And he's worked with other artists like Flora⁷ Purim and Airto, two other Brazilian jazz legends. He's worked with Cuban saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera. He's really the biggest catalyst⁸ of the Brazilian music scene in the Bay Area. And for 20 years, he's been teaching at a conservatory⁹ in Berkeley, Calif., so he's been busy. And he had a lot to say on this record. It came out a while back, but I think it's worth mentioning because it's a significant release by a musician who's a major dude in this music. This track is called "In 7&2," and it's a reference to the time signature of the tune. Check it out.

(SOUNDBITE OF MARCOS SILVA'S "IN 7&2")

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Takes me right back to Brazil.

CONTRERAS: Doesn't it?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah, it really does.

CONTRERAS: He's very talented. I'm really glad he had the chance to put this record out. Next, we're going to go to Chile - Camila Meza. She's a guitarist, vocalist and composer. Her new album is called "Ambar." It's credited to Camila Meza and The Nectar Orchestra. I really like this artist and this album. It's the best expression of the scope of her talents. I've been following her for a while - poetic¹⁰ lyrics¹¹. She has a string quartet and a piano, bass¹², drums accompaniment but not with the usual jazz context.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So what of hers did you bring?

CONTRERAS: OK, this is a cover of a song called "This Is Not America." It's a song written by Pat Metheny and David Bowie for the film "Falcon¹³ And The Snowman." And Camila Meza turns that into a very musical rumination¹⁴ on current events.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS NOT AMERICA")

CAMILA MEZA: (Singing) Promise not to stare too long for this is not the miracle. There was a time, a storm that blew so pure for this could be the biggest sky. I could have the faintest idea...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So far, we've been on quite an international musical trail - Brazil, Chile, Spain. Is there a common thread?

CONTRERAS: What ties all this music together for me is that it stretches the label of Latin jazz beyond its original source of Afro-Cuban music. The idea of mixing jazz and Latin music, some say, was developed here in the United States - in New York in the 1940s and '50s, when Cuban musicians like Chano Pozo and Machito started jamming and composing with jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie. And I got to say within the last 15 or 20 years, musicians from the Caribbean and all throughout South America and Spain - they've begun mixing their own folk traditions. And they've opened this huge, great musical doorway¹⁵ into cultural expression using jazz and improvised¹⁶ music as its base.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So where to next?

CONTRERAS: Cuba by way of Ecuador and Brazil.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That sounds like quite a mix.

CONTRERAS: This is vocalist Cristina Morrison. She grew up both in Ecuador and Miami. Her album is called "Impredecible: Voces De Mujer" - "Unpredictable: The Voices Of Women." It's a series of duets with other vocalist from the U.S. and Latin America. She's a fascinating artist. She has an extensive acting¹⁷ career in film and television in Ecuador. This track features another favorite of mine - Magos Herrera from Mexico - on a song made popular in Cuba. Let's see if you recognize it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DOS GARDENIAS")

CRISTINA MORRISON: (Singing in Spanish).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "Dos Gardenias," wow.

CONTRERAS: See; and that's - and see; that's what's the magic of this music because they take something that's familiar, and they rearrange it...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: From Buena Vista¹⁸ Social Club.

CONTRERAS: Right - and do something very creative with it. And I really like this particular track. The whole album is fantastic.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I can't imagine where we're going next.

CONTRERAS: Venezuela, with a stop in Spain.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ME LLAMAN NELLA")

NELLA: (Singing in Spanish).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Ah, this I really love.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ME LLAMAN NELLA")

NELLA: (Singing in Spanish).

CONTRERAS: I always bring one that really gets to you. This is the debut¹⁹ album by a vocalist named Nella, who's from a small island off the coast of Venezuela called Isla de Margarita. And she grew up singing along with Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey as a kid. She studied performance at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Her album is called "Voy," and it's produced by Spanish guitarist, producer Javier Limón, so there's a lot of Spanish influence but a lot of it is her own sound. The track we're listening to is called "Me Llaman Nella." It's a great album.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's Felix Contreras, our musical tour guide. He joins us once a month. And the rest of the time, he is producing and hosting the Alt.Latino podcast from NPR Music. Check it out.

Felix, thank you so much.

CONTRERAS: Thanks as always.

1 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

4 antidote   

n.解毒药，解毒剂

参考例句：

• There is no known antidote for this poison.这种毒药没有解药。
• Chinese physicians used it as an antidote for snake poison.中医师用它来解蛇毒。

5 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

6 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

7 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

8 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

9 conservatory   

n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的

参考例句：

• At the conservatory,he learned how to score a musical composition.在音乐学校里，他学会了怎样谱曲。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants.这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

10 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

11 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

12 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

13 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

14 rumination   

n.反刍，沉思

参考例句：

• EA is the theory of rumination about human EA conception. 生态美学是对人类生态审美观念反思的理论。 来自互联网
• The rumination and distress catalyze the growth process, Dr. 这种反复思考和哀伤反而促进了成长的过程。 来自互联网

15 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

16 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

17 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

18 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

19 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。