VOA常速英语2007-Jazzman Dave Brubeck Celebrates 'Indian Summer'

By Doug Levine
Washington
02 October 2007

The dictionary defines "Indian summer" as a happy or flourishing period occurring toward the end of something. It's also the title of a new album of solo piano pieces by jazzman Dave Brubeck. As VOA's Doug Levine tells us, Brubeck is having an Indian summer of his own.

At 86, Dave Brubeck has no intention of retiring. In the past year alone, he has performed in dozens of cities coast-to-coast, as well as seven nights of concerts in Malaysia with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. He introduced his commissioned piece, The Cannery Row Suite¹, at the 2006 Monterey Jazz Festival, and recently made his 14th appearance at the Festival with his quartet and veteran guitarist Jim Hall.

In March, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept a Living Legend Award from the Library of Congress.

So, when many his age are enjoying the quiet life, Dave Brubeck has elected to spend his twilight² years doing what he does best, playing jazz.

The change of seasons is a prominent theme on Brubeck's new album. A tune³ he wrote with his wife Iola, Summer Song, is about the passing of time. He says, "It's a reflection of an older person looking back at his younger days."

Dave Brubeck's younger days were anything but quiet. In 1954, he was featured on the cover of Time magazine. By the end of the decade, The Dave Brubeck Quartet was known worldwide for their jazz classic, Take Five, from the million-selling album Time Out.

Although musicians have come and gone over the years, The Dave Brubeck Quartet is still very much intact, either touring or recording⁴ all year long. Apart from his group, Brubeck is a prolific⁵ interpreter of the Great American Songbook. Among the many standards on his latest effort is the title track Indian Summer, which Brubeck first recorded more than 50 years ago.

1 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

2 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

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 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。

5 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。