2007年VOA标准英语-Turtle Island Quartet Pays Tribute To Jazz Lege

By Doug Levine
Washington
03 April 2007

A string quartet that plays jazz? How about a Grammy Award-winning string quartet that plays jazz? VOA's Doug Levine fills us in on the Turtle Island Quartet, whose latest album pays tribute to jazz legend John Coltrane.

 
The Turtle Island Quartet is not only well-versed in jazz improvisation¹, but is equally skilled in Latin music, bluegrass, rock, funk, and European and Indian classical music.

But it's the Quartet's mighty² musical jazz forces that come together on their unique tribute to saxophonist and composer John Coltrane. It's no surprise to hear the group tackle the music of the influential³ jazzman.

As co-founder and violinist David Balakrishnan remarks, "All of us were transcribing⁴ Coltrane solos when we were teenagers." That was long before David teamed up with cellist⁵ Mark Summer to form the Turtle Island String Quartet more than twenty years ago.

With Evan Price on violin and Mads Tolling⁶ on viola, the group has shortened its name to theTurtle Island Quartet for their latest album, A Love Supreme⁷: The Legacy⁸ Of John Coltrane.

 
John Coltrane (File photo)
John Coltrane came into his own in the mid-1950s with a group referred to as "The First Great Quintet," led by trumpeter Miles Davis. Coltrane performed on and off with Miles until 1960, appearing on the classic track "So What" from the Davis' best-selling album Kind Of Blue.

It would be interesting to hear what Miles and "Trane" would have to say about the Turtle Island Quartet's update of "So What," recorded almost 50 years after the original.

Coltrane's "Classic Quartet" is considered his most-famous group, and A Love Supreme and My Favorite Things among his most-famous recordings⁹. The Turtle Island Quartet's interpretation¹⁰ of these and other tracks on A Love Supreme: The Legacy Of John Coltrane is a fitting tribute to Trane's enduring musical impact.

1 improvisation   

n.即席演奏(或演唱)；即兴创作

参考例句：

• a free-form jazz improvisation 自由创作的爵士乐即兴演出
• Most of their music was spontaneous improvisation. 他们的大部分音乐作品都是即兴创作的。

2 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

3 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

4 transcribing   

（用不同的录音手段）转录( transcribe的现在分词 )； 改编（乐曲）（以适应他种乐器或声部）； 抄写； 用音标标出（声音）

参考例句：

• They continue to remove molecules until the cell stops transcribing the gene. 他们继续除去分子，直到细胞不再转录基因为止。
• Q: Can I use Voice-to-Text software to help with the transcribing? 问：我能使用声音-到-本文的软件帮助转换吗？

5 cellist   

n.大提琴手

参考例句：

• The cellist's bowing was very sensitive . 那位大提琴手的弓法十分细腻。 来自辞典例句
• World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma founded The Silk Road Project in 1998. 世界闻名的大提琴家马友友于1998年创建了丝路工程。 来自互联网

6 tolling   

[财]来料加工

参考例句：

• A remote bell is tolling. 远处的钟声响了。
• Indeed, the bells were tolling, the people were trooping into the handsome church. 真的，钟声响了，人们成群结队走进富丽堂皇的教堂。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

9 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

10 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。