Larry Carlton Goes All Blues on Sapphire Blue

 

Doug Levine

Electric guitarist Larry Carlton has had a distinguished¹ career in music. His resume includes a list of recordings³ with some of the best and brightest in pop, soul, jazz and country. Now, 55-year-old Carlton has gone all blues⁴ on his latest release, Sapphire⁵ Blue.
Having so many musical commitments and only so much time to fill them, it's no surprise that Larry Carlton had to put his dream of recording² an all-blues album on hold. Larry admits it was just a matter of time. He recently signed with Bluebird Records, and was given complete control as producer, arranger and bandleader in the making of Sapphire Blue.
Larry Carlton discovered jazz and blues on the radio. He heard recordings by guitarists Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery and B.B. King. Saxophonist John Coltrane was also an influence on his music. Soon, Carlton was playing guitar in clubs and studios in and around the Los Angeles area. His earliest session work was with The Fifth Dimension and Andy Williams.
The 1970s were especially fruitful. He participated in hundreds of recording sessions, completed a five-year stint⁶ with The Crusaders, and released his first solo album for a major label. Some of his best guitar solos landed on albums by Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell and Quincy Jones.
The next two decades were equally productive. He won rave⁷ reviews for an all-acoustic⁸ album, as well as a live set called "Last Nite." In 1987, he took home his second of three Grammy Awards for his instrumental remake of Michael McDonald's "Minute By Minute." A member of the all-star jazz quartet Fourplay since 1997, Carlton finally found time in 2003 to work on his first-ever blues album.
Carlton recruited some of Nashville's most respected musicians for Sapphire Blue. Called the Sapphire Blues Band, they include bass⁹ player Michael Rhodes, keyboardist Matt Rollings, drummer Billy Kilson, and a four-piece horn section. The group performed publicly for the first time at The Iridium jazz club in New York City last December.
注释：
sapphire [5sAfaiE] n. 兰宝石
Electric guitarist 电声吉他演奏家
distinguished [dis5tiN^wiFt] adj. 著名的
resume [ri5zju:m] n. 履历
commitment [kE5mitmEnt] n. 许诺，这里指合约
influence [5influEns] n. 影响，感化
fruitful [5fru:tful] adj. 成绩斐然的
stint [stint] n. 限额，这里指精选集
productive [prE5dQktiv] adj. 多产的
rave [reiv] adj. 大加赞赏的
acoustic [E5ku:stIk] adj. 原声的
quartet [kwC:5tet] n. 四重奏，四重唱
recruit [ri5kru:t] v. 征募，吸收

1 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

2 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

3 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

4 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

5 sapphire   

n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的

参考例句：

• Now let us consider crystals such as diamond or sapphire.现在让我们考虑象钻石和蓝宝石这样的晶体。
• He left a sapphire ring to her.他留给她一枚蓝宝石戒指。

6 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

7 rave   

vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬

参考例句：

• The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。
• Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。

8 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

9 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。