VOA标准英语2009年-Gypsy Jazz Invades America

Some musicians in the United States are bringing a unique style of French music to American audiences. Gypsy jazz, also known by its French name, jazz manouche, dates back to before the Second World War.

Steve Mort | Deland, Florida 18 December 2009

 
Photo: VOA
Guitarist Django Reinhardt

"People learn about this music style from each other over the Internet and they go 'wow, this is great'," guitarist Dmitri Kuptsov says.

While already popular in many European countries, diehard American fans can now hear the distinctive¹ sound of Gypsy Jazz at specialist clubs in cities across the U.S.

The sounds of 1930s Paris fill the room at this coffee house in Florida. The Cook Trio specializes in Gypsy Jazz.  Jason Cook is the group's lead guitarist.

"It's very happy," Cook says, "and it's not a very subdued² way of playing. It's very over the top. It's like pure guitar music, you know."

Gypsy jazz originated in France during the 1930s. Guitarist Django Reinhardt was instrumental in developing the style, having grown up in gypsy camps near Paris.

Today's gypsy jazz musicians imitate Reinhardt, who played alongside violinist Stéphane Grappelli in the group Quintette du Hot Club de France.

Reinhardt played guitar chords with just two or three fingers.  Other Gypsy jazz musicians do as well.

The Cook Trio's Kyle Jones says Reinhardt's music is notable for its distinctive, fast-paced rhythmic³ guitar strumming - known as "la pompe."

"The guitar, you know, pushes the whole thing. It's like a pulse, you know, they call it 'the pump'. It really is the pulse of the music and it drives it forward," Jones says.

Many bands around the world play the music at clubs and festivals. The Django Band entertains Russians at this club in Moscow. Guitarist Dmitri Kuptsov says the genre⁴ has a large following.

"People learn about this music style from each other over the Internet and they go 'wow, this is great'. This style is clear, easy to understand by the Russians more and more people learn about it every day," Kuptsov says.
 
This venue⁵ in Florida is one of several places where Gypsy jazz fans in the United States can enjoy the music.

The Cook Trio musicians say they want to help expand the popularity of Gypsy jazz, which is still unknown to a lot of Americans. But they point to annual festivals in New York, California and Washington state as a sign that the music of Django Reinhardt still has a healthy following 56 years after his death.
 

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 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

3 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

4 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

5 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。