2006年VOA标准英语-2006 A Good Year for Miles Davis Fans

By Doug Levine
Washington
07 June 2006

Although Miles Davis died nearly 15 years ago, he's having one of his best years ever. Is that possible? 

Miles Davis during a concert at the Jazz-Festival in Montreaux, Switzerland July 8, 1991  
  
Miles Davis had a lot of good years, but nothing like the one he's having in 2006. It began in March when Davis became the first jazz artist to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

It's no secret that Miles experimented with rock and roll. His fusion¹ of rock with jazz, funk and soul in the 1960s was groundbreaking. But it was his mastery of jazz, his innovations, and his stylish² presence on stage that will always be remembered. The Ken³ Burns documentary Jazz suggests, "Jazz stopped evolving when Miles Davis wasn't there to push it forward."

Upon his arrival in New York in 1944, Miles Davis immersed himself in jazz, playing bebop with the best of them in clubs on the "Street Of Jazz," 52nd Street. By the time he was 22, he had already shared the stage with Benny Carter, Charlie Parker and Billy Eckstein.

Miles reached new heights as a trumpeter, bandleader and composer in the 1950s. He pushed traditional jazz boundaries with arranger Gil Evans; formed his all-star quintet, featuring saxophonist John Coltrane; made a show-stopping appearance at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival; and released the landmark⁴ jazz albums Birth Of The Cool, Miles Ahead, Kind Of Blue and 'Round About Midnight.

From bebop to jazz-rock, Miles Davis remained the essence of cool both on and offstage. He made his last concert appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in July 1991. He was 65 when he died of heart failure just two months later.

Concord⁵ Records is celebrating with the release of a box set of the trumpeter's Complete Prestige Recordings⁶ of the 1950s, featuring his famed quintet. A rare disc of previously⁷ unreleased radio and television audio performances will accompany the collection.

A display case at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History holds items donated by the families of Jazz greats Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk

 

1 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

2 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

5 concord   

n.和谐；协调

参考例句：

• These states had lived in concord for centuries.这些国家几个世纪以来一直和睦相处。
• His speech did nothing for racial concord.他的讲话对种族和谐没有作用。

6 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

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。