2006年VOA标准英语-Pizzarelli Pays Tribute to Sinatra

By Doug Levine
Washington
24 November 2006

Jazz singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli has never forgotten his musical heroes.  One was Nat "King" Cole, whose trio inspired John to record two tribute albums in the 1990s.  Another was Frank Sinatra, who, as VOA's Doug Levine tells us, is the focus of John's latest tribute, Dear Mr. Sinatra.

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It was only a matter of time before John Pizzarelli got around to making a Frank Sinatra tribute album.  John admits that he was waiting for just the right opportunity to record one.  Finally, in 2004, his idea became reality when he teamed up with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra to begin work on an album of songs specifically written for/or associated with Sinatra, an album reminiscent of Sinatra's memorable¹ big band years.

The arrangements are first-class, and Sinatra himself wouldn't have wanted them any other way.

As the son of famed swing guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, John caught the jazz bug² early, singing and playing guitar by age six.  He was a member of his father's band before striking out on his own in the late-1980s.  At last count, he's recorded more than 20 solo albums.

A tribute to "Ol' Blue Eyes" was inevitable³.  Like Sinatra, John Pizzarelli was born and raised an Italian-American in New Jersey⁴.  In addition, John has become one of today's top interpreters of the Great American Songbook, performing songs Sinatra often performed from his vast repertoire⁵ of standards.

For his album Dear Mr. Sinatra, Pizzarelli recorded what he calls "a staple⁶ of Sinatra's repertoire," Cy Coleman's "Witchcraft⁷."

1 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

2 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

3 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

4 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

5 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。

6 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

7 witchcraft   

n.魔法，巫术

参考例句：

• The woman practising witchcraft claimed that she could conjure up the spirits of the dead.那个女巫说她能用魔法召唤亡灵。
• All these things that you call witchcraft are capable of a natural explanation.被你们统统叫做巫术的那些东西都可以得到合情合理的解释。