VOA常速英语2008年-Diane Schuur Pays Tribute to Jazz Roots on 'Som

By Doug Levine
Washington
14 February 2008

In the music world, it's often said, "What goes around comes around."  As VOA's Doug Levine tells us, that phrase rang true for Grammy-winning vocalist Diane Schuur, who pays tribute to her jazz roots on her latest album, Some Other Time.

Had it not been for the great jazz records she heard while growing up, Diane Schuur might have opted¹ for a career as a pop singer.  With The Beatles and Motown all the rage during Diane's impressionable teen years, it was natural for her to want to become the next Janis Joplin or Diana Ross.

But there was something about the music of her parents' generation that steered² her towards jazz.  No doubt, the lyrics³, the arrangement and the execution of an enduring jazz standard made all the difference in her decision to become a jazz singer and pianist.

Diane was born blind but it was never an obstacle.  She made her professional debut⁴ at age nine, and shortly after graduating from high school, recorded her first song, a country single titled "Dear Mommy And Daddy."

It wasn't long before she was back to singing and playing jazz.  An audition⁵ with trumpeter Doc Severinson led to her first appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival.  In the audience was legendary⁶ saxophonist Stan Getz, who was so impressed with the young singer, he invited her to perform with him on a national television broadcast from the White House.  Diane's jazz career was in full swing.

Diane Schuur is at her best singing classic jazz.  On Some Other Time, Diane revives more than a dozen tunes⁷ from the Great American Songbook, including Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies."

Songs by George and Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rogers, Sammy Cahn and Vernon Duke are also featured, as well as a version of "September In The Rain" recorded in 1964 by a 10-year-old Diane for guests at a hotel in her hometown of Tacoma, Washington.

In support of her new album, Diane Schuur will be performing in March in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Moscow. 

1 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

2 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

5 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

6 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

7 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》