VOA标准英语2009年-Jazz Musician, Actress, Former Detroit Art

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
03 November 2009

 

 
Classic love songs have never gone out of style. Barbra Streisand's new romantic CD, Love is the Answer, became a surprise best seller and Rod Stewart's latest album, called Soulbook, has a generous sprinkling of contemporary love songs. Jazz musician Corky Hale has released her own compilation¹ with a group of musical friends, including the singer-actress Sally Kellerman.

Hale is part of the old school of music. She is a classically trained musician who got started in show business in the 1950s as a harpist on television, with the glittery pianist Liberace.

Since then, she has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, from Streisand to Sinatra. She is also married to composer Mike Stoller, part of the famous song-writing duo Leiber and Stoller, who wrote such classic rock hits as Elvis Presley's Hound Dog.

But she loves American standards, from show tunes⁴ and loves songs, as she told people at the release party for her new CD, called I'm Glad There is You.

"I stood up at the mike and I said, 'Hi everybody. Here are some of the lyrics⁵ from current top 10 songs: 'I want it, you got it. You want some more, I got it.' And everybody started laughing, of course. And I said, in protest, I decided⁶ to do an album that is the exact opposite, something with the most romantic lyrics of all romantic songs," she said.

Hale, who better known for playing jazz piano and harp², sings standards on the album, including The More I See You. She brought together five other vocalists to help her.

 
Sally Kellerman
One is better known as an actress. Sally Kellerman earned an Oscar nomination⁷ for her role as "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the 1970 Robert Altman film MASH⁸.

Kellerman has tried to pursue both a singing and acting⁹ career, but she says it was hard and her acting career suffered. "I turned those movies down and off I went on the road, for three months at a shot. So I have held myself back just by my not realizing that when success comes, you have to go with it and build it," she said.

But she has had a busy career in film and television and doing commercial voice work. Now, she is focusing on her music.

She has put out her own album, called Sally. One of its dozen songs is a classic rock tune³, Love Potion #9, co-written by Corky's husband, Mike Stoller. "I am just rocking away, and then I get to sing the beautiful contemporary ballads¹⁰, which I love so much. So this is great, and then I get to guest on Corky's album, and sing I've Got a Crush on You," she said.

Hale's other collaborators on the CD are jazz singers Tricia Tahara and Brenna Whitaker, and newcomer Ariana Savalas, the daughter of the late Hollywood actor Telly Savalas. They also include long-time recording¹¹ artist Freda Payne, who rose to fame with the 1970 Detroit-sound hit Band of Gold, the title song from the 1966 romantic film, Alfie, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

These are the kind of songs, says Hale, to put on late at night, with someone you love.

1 compilation   

n.编译，编辑

参考例句：

• One of the first steps taken was the compilation of a report.首先采取的步骤之一是写一份报告。
• The compilation of such diagrams,is of lasting value for astronomy.绘制这样的图对天文学有永恒的价值。

2 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

3 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

4 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

8 mash   

n.麦芽浆，糊状物，土豆泥；v.把…捣成糊状，挑逗，调情

参考例句：

• He beat the potato into a mash before eating it.他把马铃薯捣烂后再吃。
• Whiskey,originating in Scotland,is distilled from a mash of grains.威士忌源于苏格兰，是从一种大麦芽提纯出来的。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 ballads   

民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴

参考例句：

• She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
• She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书，还教他唱两三首民谣，弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。

11 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。