【英语语言学习】让南德克萨斯音乐保持生命力

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Conjunto music can be as American as cherry pie - with Mexican and German flavoring:

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

FLACO AND MAX: (Singing in foreign language)

SIMON: Flaco Jimenez and Max Baca are just about the biggest names in conjunto, the distinctive¹ music that began in South Texas and has spread. Flaco Jiminez, of course, is one of the world's great accordion² players. He's been performing since the 1960s and has won five Grammy Awards. Max Baca is a member of Los Texmaniacs. And they've joined musical forces for their new album, "Flaco & Max: Legends & Legacies³." It's a Smithsonian Folkways album. And Flaco Jimenez and Max Baca join us now from the studios of Texas Public Radio in, of course, San Antonio. Gentlemen, thank you both very much for being with us.

FLACO JIMINEZ: Oh, thank you. It's our pleasure to be here.

SIMON: So, Max Baca, I was under the impression that you met him when you were 7 years old.

MAX BACA: Oh, yes, sir, yeah. My dad was an accordion player and he was a big fan of Flaco. And I remember standing⁴ up in front of the stage and watching the Flaco and the guys getting ready to play. And it was just, I'd get all these goose bumps⁵, you know. And I couldn't wait till they start the music. And, yeah, finally, they would play, man, and I was just mesmerized⁶, you know, just standing there listening. And by the way he had, I mean, he had that place packed. You know, we were like VIPs at the time.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMON: So, in a sense, even before this album, you've been collaborating⁷, one way or another for a long, your families have.

BACA: Sure, yeah. My father was an accordion player back in the late '50s and '60s. You know, I remember, it was actually my dad's bass⁸ player at that age, about 9 years old.

SIMON: At the age of 9 you were your father's bass player?

BACA: Yeah, I was actually his bass player at 9, yeah, you know. And so my mom hated it because she wanted me to go to school. And I went to school, you know, but I'd play on the weekends with my dad, you know. But come Monday morning, man, she couldn't get me up to go to school, you know.

SIMON: So, you had a big weekend, yeah.

BACA: From playing the weekend, yeah.

SIMON: Let me ask you both about another cut here, which is an unusual - I don't know if we'd call it a love song. You tell me. The song that in English would be "The Little Old Lady," "La Viejita."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, LA VIEJITA")

MAX: (Singing in foreign language)

SIMON: I learned how to do that in San Antonio years ago. This is the story of a gigolo.

BACA: Yeah.

JIMINEZ: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

BACA: Pretty much so.

SIMON: She looks at me lovingly but I'm sacrificing the best of my existence.

JIMINEZ: And all he has to do is just give her a little kiss on the cheek and...

BACA: She'll loosen⁹ up that checkbook.

JIMINEZ: Yeah. That's good.

SIMON: Let's talk about the musicianship for a moment, all right, as opposed to the powerful theme. Flaco Jiminez, you've had to answer this I don't know how many hundreds and thousands of times over the years. How do you play the accordion like that?

JIMINEZ: Well, it's just comes out natural, you know. I was self-taught. You know, I used to watch my dad play at home and feeling the instrument - not just playing it, but feeling it, you know.

SIMON: Feeling the instrument.

JIMINEZ: I thought, well, I want to grab¹⁰ the accordion because dad is still at work.

BACA: He came home early.

JIMINEZ: Yeah, he came early, you know. All of the sudden, he just opens the door. I said, oh man, I'm going to get it.

SIMON: Well, he must have been proud to hear you play that well.

JIMINEZ: Yeah. The first thing he did, he went straight to me and gave me a big, big hug and then started crying. See, he was so proud of me self-taught, you know, playing.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: Well, what, Max Baca, explain to me. Because, for example, I could spend 30 years watching you or Flaco play a musical instrument and I still wouldn't be able to play like you. So, I mean, just to say, oh, self-taught, I, you know, I watched my dad, that sort of diminishes¹¹ your own talent that you have to bring into this enterprise¹².

BACA: Sure, yeah. And I guess it's just the bottom line is it's very simple. It's you either have it or you don't, you know. You can learn the read the music out of a chart, you know, but when it's in your blood and you're born with it and, you know, and it's a gift, it just comes naturally to you. And...

JIMINEZ: I would say that every instrument that somebody plays and feels, they got that passion to that certain instrument. I mean, they put all their heart to it, you know, that - because it's a gift.

BACA: Yeah. With Flaco and myself, it's more about the feeling. You know, you're feeling your instrument and you're feeling the moment. And so, yeah, you know, we got in the studio and we had a couple of beers, you know, and just kind of grooved¹³ a little bit and rolled the tape and let's go, you know.

JIMINEZ: And then we had another beer.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMON: Well.

BACA: After it was all said and done, we had a few beers.

JIMINEZ: Yeah.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: Well, gentlemen, very good talk to both of you. Flaco Jiminez and Max Baca. Their new album, "Flaco & Max: Legends and Legacies." It's on Smithsonian Folkways and it's out now. Gentlemen, thanks so much for being with us.

BACA: Thank you, sir.

JIMINEZ: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG)

MAX: (Singing in foreign language)

SIMON: By the way, BJ Leiderman didn't write this but he did write our theme music. And this is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.

1 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

2 accordion   

n.手风琴；adj.可折叠的

参考例句：

• The accordion music in the film isn't very beautiful.这部影片中的手风琴音乐不是很好。
• The accordion music reminds me of my boyhood.这手风琴的乐声让我回忆起了我的少年时代。

3 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 bumps   

碰撞( bump的名词复数 )； 肿块； 轻微撞车事故； 隆起物

参考例句：

• I had goose bumps when we watched the fireworks. 我们看烟火的时候，我起鸡皮疙瘩。
• E was kind of zig-zagging across the pavement, and I bumps into 'im accidental-like. 他有点歪歪斜斜地在人行道上走，我一不小心撞到了他的怀里。 来自英汉文学

6 mesmerized   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网

7 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

8 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。

9 loosen   

vt.放松，松开，解除（便秘等），放宽；vi.变松，松弛

参考例句：

• I must take some exercise and loosen up my muscles.我必须活动活动使肌肉放松些。
• The medicine may loosen your cough.这种药能减轻你的咳嗽。

10 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

11 diminishes   

（使）减少，缩小( diminish的第三人称单数 )； 减弱…的权势

参考例句：

• Like printing paper money, issuing too much stock diminishes the basic value of each share. 就像印发纸币那样，发行太多的股票会降低每份股票的基本价值。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• For a target of any thinkness, the undeflected flux diminishes exponentially with thickness. 对具有任意厚度的靶，无偏折的通量随厚度扫指数规律而衰减。

12 enterprise   

n.企业单位，商业公司，事业，计划

参考例句：

• They are determined to carry forward the enterprise.他们决心把事业进行下去。
• The enterprise has excellent prospects.这家企业的远景极其美好。

13 grooved   

v.沟( groove的过去式和过去分词 )；槽；老一套；（某种）音乐节奏

参考例句：

• He was grooved in running errands for his neighbors. 他已习惯于为邻居跑腿。 来自辞典例句
• The carpenter grooved the board. 木匠在木板上开槽。 来自辞典例句