JAZZ IN THE THEATRE

　One of my first experiences with jazz music was when I was a kid. My dad and I went to a concert and heard Ornette Coleman play with his bands. I remember before the concert my dad telling me that Coleman was famous for playing more than one instrument and that his music could be painfully loud.

　It seemed my dad's descriptions were correct. As the concert 1)wore on I saw the 50-something year old man play saxophone, trumpet 1, flute 2 and even violin. I didn't think he played any of those instruments very well since he always seemed out of tune 3. Not to mention the 2)blaring bands that were backing him up sounded more like rock bands than jazz bands. For every musician it seemed there were two huge speakers 3)blasting away at the crowd.

　By the middle of the concert I looked over at my dad who was covering both his ears with his hands and I could tell that the music was 4)grating on his nerves like knives 5)scraping against a blackboard. I have to admit the music did resemble a kind of 6)cacophony of cats being tortured to death.

　Before 7)intermission came my dad and I fled the theatre both 8)chuckling at the dissonant 4 chaos 5 we just heard. I remember my dad, who also first heard Ornette Coleman when he was my age, he turned to me and said, “Not much has changed. His music was terrible then and it's terrible now.”

　Despite that ear-rending experience I learned to really like jazz music not by going to concerts or listening to the radio but through watching movies.

　Like most people in Generation X, I've learned much of what I know about jazz from the silver screen. When I first saw As Good As It Gets with Jack 6 Nicholson and Helen Hunt, I really fell for the song I Love You For Sentimental 7 Reasons. You could say it was love at first sound. I later learned that Laura Fygi recorded this song in her 1992 album Bewitched. Fygi, who was born in the Netherlands to her Egyptian mother and Dutch father, sings with soul and her music is always soothing 8 as you can hear in this song.

I Love You For Sentimental Reasons

                  Performed by Laura Fygi

I love you for sentimental Reasons

I hope you do believe me

I’ll give you my heart

I love you and you alone were meant for me

Please give your loving heart to me

An d say we’ll never part...

    As Good As It Gets is a heart-warming story about a 9)curmudgeon named Melvin Udall, played by Nicholson, who is hopelessly in love with a New York City waitress Carol Connelly, played by Hunt. Like most women who are admired from afar, she brings out the best in him.

Melvin: OK, now I got a real great compliment 9 for you and it's true.

Carol: I'm so afraid you're about to say something awful.

Melvin: Don't be pessimistic. It's not your style. OK. Here I go. Clearly a mistake. I've got this what...10)ailment. My doctor, a shrink that I used to go to all the time, he says that in fifty or sixty percent of the cases a pill really helps. I hate pills. Very dangerous thing pills. Hate. I'm using the word hate here about pills. Hate. My compliment is that night when you came over and told me that you would never... Alright well you were there. You know what you said. Well my compliment to you is that the next morning is I started taking the pills.

Carol: I don't quite get know that's a compliment for me.

Melvin: You make me want to be a better man.

Carol: That's maybe the best compliment of my life.

Melvin: Well, maybe I 11)overshot a little because I was just aiming to keep you from walking out.

     When I first heard the term “blues 10” I pictured jazz musicians playing in blue jeans under 12)azure lighting 11. I soon discovered that the blues had more to do with feelings than color although the best blues players happened to be black. Once again thanks to movies like Leaving Las Vegas, I learned that the blues came in a variety of tunes 12 such as Come Rain or Come Shine. I also discovered that some of the best blues performers were artists like Joe Williams and Count Basie who were jazz icons 13 during the 1950s and 60s.

     Williams was legendary 14 for his 13)velvety-smooth singing voice while Basie was master of jazz piano during that era.

Come Rain or Come Shine

Performed by Joe Williams

I'm gonna love you like nobody's loved you

Come rain or come shine

High as a mountain and deep as a river

Come rain or come shine

I guess when you met me it was just one of those things

But don't ever bet me

Cause I'm gonna be true if you let me

You're gonna love me like nobody's loved me

Come rain or come shine

Happy together, unhappy together

And won't it be fine

Days may be cloudy or sunny

We're in or we're out of the money

But I'm with you always

I'm with you rain or shine...

     I didn't know this song existed until I saw the movie Leaving Las Vegas. After watching it a few times I noticed the tune playing in the background in a scene with Ben, played by NicholasCage and Sera, played by Elisabeth Shue. In the movie, Ben is a hopeless drunk who meets Sera, a prostitute. The two fall in love and comfort one another's sorrows. Despite the fact it's neither raining nor shining in the scene, the song still sounds good.

Sera: So, Ben with and “N”, what brings you to Las Vegas? A business 14)convention?

Ben: No, I came here to drink myself to death. Cashed through all my money, paid my 15)Amex card. I'm going to sell the car tomorrow.

Sera: So how long is it going to take for you to drink yourself to death?

Ben: I think about four weeks. I don't know for sure but I think. I got enough for about $250 to $300 a day.

Sera: That should do it. What am I, a luxury?

Ben: Yes, you're a luxury and your meter just ran out.

Sera: That's a nice watch.

Ben: Do you like it?

Sera: Yes. You can talk a little bit more. I don't have to be anywhere. Come on, talk.

Ben: I need a lay. Yeah. I kept running out of 16)booze and the store would be closed because I'd forget to look at my watch.

Sera: Yeah. I used to live in LA.

Ben: Yeah?

Sera: Yeah. But I don't anymore. I think the tough times are finally behind me. I mean there'll always be bad things but my life is good. It's just as I want it to be. That's good. It's good being here with you.

　 With the movies as my tutor I also learned of other jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt. On the Sunny Side of the Street is one tune that features Gillespie on trumpet and Rollins and Stitt on saxophones. On the Sunny Side appeared on the soundtrack of the 1991 17)blockbuster JFK.

     The film JFK takes place in New Orleans, which is said to be the birthplace of jazz as well as the birthplace of famed trumpeter Louis Armstrong. What would jazz be without Armstrong? Well it would probably be like eating instant noodles without any water-hard to swallow and bland 15.

     Armstrong was a great New Orleans trumpeter and singer who lived from 1901 to 1971 and helped jazz reach all corners of the globe. Of course movies helped to spread his fame as he played and acted in several films. As for me, I first heard of Louis in the 1988 Vietnam War movie Good Morning Vietnam! When I first saw that movie I remember thinking that was the perfect song for that film, because despite the conflicts that create war all people want to enjoy the same simplicities 16 of life.

What A Wonderful World

Written by George Weiss and Bob Thiele

Performed by Louis ArmstrongI see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom in front of me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in disguise 17

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands saying, “How do you do?”

They're really saying, “I love you.”

I hear babies crying. I watch them grow.

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Yes I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Oh yes

　I still think about that Ornette Coleman concert with my dad and think of how much I've learned about jazz since then. If it hadn't been for the movies I might have forgotten about jazz altogether. By the way, I still don't like listening to Coleman's music but who knows? Maybe I'll hear some of his music in a film some day.

当电影爱上爵士乐

　 我对爵士音乐的一次早期接触是在童年时代。爸爸和我去音乐会听奥尼特·科尔曼乐队演奏。记得在音乐会开始前，爸爸就告诉我说科尔曼以演奏多种乐器闻名，他的音乐之高亢令人痛苦。

　 爸爸的描述似乎很正确。音乐会沉闷而冗长，我看到一个五十来岁的老人吹着萨克斯、喇叭、笛子，甚至还拉小提琴。我倒觉得他一件乐器也没玩好，因为他总是跑调。更别提乐队排山倒海般的演奏了。那与其说是爵士乐队，不如说更像摇滚乐队。每名乐手仿佛都对着两个巨大的扬声器般，声浪直压观众席。

　 音乐会中场时我抬头看看爸爸，只见他两手堵着耳朵，音乐声分明犹如刀子刮擦黑板一般剜刺着他的神经。我得承认这音乐的确像极了一群猫被折磨至将死时发出的嘈杂声。

　 休场时间还没到，爸爸和我就逃出了剧院，我们俩为刚刚听的噪音感到乐不可支。爸爸第一次听奥尼特·科尔曼的时候也是像我那么大，记得他转过身来对我说：”没怎么变嘛。他的音乐此时和彼时一样糟糕。”

　 且不说那次震耳欲聋的经验，我真正喜欢上爵士乐并非靠参加音乐会或听广播，而是从看电影开始的。

　 正如众多的X一代人一样，我相当一部分的爵士乐知识来自银屏。第一次看杰克·尼科逊和海伦·亨特演的《猫屎先生》时，歌曲《我多情地爱着你》就令我倾心不已。你可以称之为一听钟情。后来我得知这首歌是劳拉·菲吉在她1992年的专辑《魅》里灌录的。菲吉出生于荷兰，母亲是埃及人，父亲是荷兰人。她的歌唱倾情，动人肺腑，这首歌中可见一斑。

我多情地爱着你

劳拉.菲吉（演唱）

我多情地爱着你

但愿你相信我

我把一颗心交给你

我家你，最爱唯你

请把你的爱心交给我

说你我永远不分离…

　 《猫屎先生》是个温馨的故事，讲述脾气乖戾的麦尔文·乌达（杰克·尼科逊扮演）痴情地爱上了纽约女侍者卡罗·康尼莉（亨特扮演）。像众多被暗恋的女子那样，她激发出他最精彩的一面。

麦尔文∶现在我有句千真万确的大好话要对你说，而且是真心话。

卡罗：我怕你会说出一些难听的话。

麦尔文：别那么悲观嘛。这不是你的作风。好了，我说了。明显是个错误。我得了这个什么……病。我的心理医生--以前我总是去他那儿--他说百分之五、六十的病例服药是非常有益的。我恨吃药。药是非常危险的东西。恨死了。关于吃药我说的是”恨”字。我的好话是，那天晚上你走来说你永不……好了，你在那儿。你知道你说了什么。我要对你说的好话就是，第二天早上我开始吃药了。

卡罗：我不怎么明白那对我是什么好话。

麦尔文：你让我希望上进。

卡罗：那可能是我一生中听过的最好的话。

麦尔文：这个，我可能做得过火了些，因为我的目的是不想让你走出去。

　　第一次听到”布鲁斯”这个词时，我想到的是爵士乐手穿着蓝色牛仔裤，站在蓝色灯光下演奏。很快我就发现布鲁斯更准确的含义是与情感有关，而不是颜色，而且最优秀的爵士乐手碰巧都是黑人。再次感谢电影《远离赌城》，从中我明白了布鲁斯曲调具有多样性，如《风雨无阻》。我还发现最好的布鲁斯演奏者都是艺术家，像乔·威廉斯和考特·巴西，他们也是二十世纪五、六十年代的爵士乐明星。

　 威廉斯以他天鹅绒般柔软的唱声造就传奇，巴西则是那个时代的爵士乐钢琴大师。这两人组合1956年合作出了令人难忘的《风雨无阻》。

风雨无阻

乔.威廉斯

我要爱你比别人爱得更多

风雨无阻

如山高，如河深

风雨无阻

我猜想你我的相遇只是其中一件事

但请你相信我

因为我会坦白真实，如果你希望

你要爱我比别人爱得更多

风雨无阻

开心在一起，难过在一起

不也很好

天气或有阴晴变化

我们或会富裕贫穷

但我要永远和你在一起

无论风雨都会和你在一起……

　 在看电影《远离赌城》前，我还不知道有这首歌。看过几遍后，我注意到这曲子作为背景音乐出现在本（尼古拉斯·凯奇扮演）和塞拉（伊丽莎白·苏扮演）的一个场景中。影片中，无药可救的醉汉遇上了妓女塞拉。两人彼此抚慰伤痛，陷入爱河。尽管情节与风雨阳光无关，歌曲还是很好听的。

塞拉：啊，名字带”N”的本，什么风把你吹到拉斯维加斯来了？开商务会议吗？

本：不是，我来这把自己给喝死。花光现金，还清信用卡。明天我要把车给卖了。

塞拉：你要喝多久才会喝死自己？

本：可能要四周。我是这么认为的，但不确定。一天花个两三百的，我还够钱。

塞拉：那应该够了。我呢？是个奢侈品喽？

本：是啊，你是奢侈品，你的时间到了。

塞拉：这表不错。

本：你喜欢？

塞拉∶喜欢。你再多说会话，我不需要去别处。继续说啊。

本：我需要躺躺。对。我忙着喝酒，商店都关了，因为我老忘了看表。

塞拉∶是的。以前我住在洛杉矶。

本：是吗？

塞拉∶是的。但现在不在了。我觉得苦日子终于过去了。我是说虽然有许多糟糕事，可我的生活还算好。我过的是自己想过的生活。那挺好的。和你一块儿真是太好了。

　 在电影的熏陶下，我还知道了另一些爵士乐的传奇人物，如笛西·吉列斯派、查理·帕克、索尼·罗林斯、索尼·史蒂特等。《日光大道》就是一首由吉列斯派吹号、罗林斯和史蒂特演奏萨克斯风的曲子。该曲曾为1991年的大片《肯尼迪》所用。

　 电影《肯尼迪》的故事发生地在新奥尔良，该地据说是爵士乐的诞生地，也是著名的小号演奏家路易斯·阿姆斯特朗的出生地。如果没有了阿姆斯特朗，爵士乐会是怎样？没准像干吃方便面一样--平淡无味而又难以下咽。

　 阿姆斯特朗1901年至1971年在世，是新奥尔良了不起的小号吹奏家及歌唱家，正是他大力地将爵士乐推广到全球的每个角落。当然了，电影也提高了他的知名度，他在几出影片当中都有演奏与表演过。至于我嘛，第一回听到路易斯的演唱是在一部1988年的越战电影《早安，越南》中。第一次看那部电影时，我想这歌可真是电影的绝配。因不管造成战争的冲突是什么，所有的人们都同样地向往着简单的生活。

美丽的世界

乔治·威思、鲍勃·西埃乐（词曲）

路易斯·阿姆斯特朗（演唱）

我看到树木青葱，玫瑰红艳

我看到你我眼前有花繁叶茂

我的心中暗想，这是多么美丽的世界

我看到天空湛蓝，云朵洁白

白日明亮可爱，夜晚漆黑肃穆

我的心中暗想，这是多么美丽的世界

虹彩隐约的美

也写在行人的脸孔上

我看到朋友们握手问候：”你还好吗？”

他们真挚地说出：”我爱你。”

我听到婴儿在哭，我看到他们成长。

他们会学到比我知道得更多的知识

我的心中暗想，这是多么美丽的世界

是的，我在暗想，这是多么美丽的世界

噢，是的

　 我还在想着和爸爸一起看的奥尼特·科尔曼的音乐会，想着自那之后我了解了多少爵士乐知识。如果不是因为电影的缘故，我也许早已忘了爵士乐。而且，我现在仍然不喜欢听奥尼特·科尔曼的音乐，可谁知道呢？说不定什么时候我还会从电影上听到他的音乐呢。

1) wear on 时间沉闷或缓慢地挨过

2) blare 

4) grate   v. 摩擦          

5) scrape   v. 刮，擦 

6) cacophony   n. 杂音，不协调的声音

7) intermission   n. 间断              8) chuckle   v. 轻笑，吃吃地笑

9) curmudgeon   a. 乖戾的，脾气坏的

10) ailment   n. 疾病    

11) overshoot   v. 超过，把……做得过分

12) azure  a. 蔚蓝的

13) velvety   a. 像天鹅绒般的

14) convention   n. 大会，习俗    15) Amex   n. 美国证券交易所

16) booze   n. 酒宴，酒会   

17) blockbuster   n. 一鸣惊人者令爵士乐大放异彩的Louis Armstrong