2007年VOA标准英语-Jackie Ryan's 'You And The Night And The Music'

By Doug Levine
Washington
08 August 2007

Are you in the mood for a great jazz ballad¹? VOA's Doug Levine tell us to look no further than vocalist Jackie Ryan, who delivers a fresh take on some classic love songs on her new CD, You And The Night And The Music.

Jackie Ryan

Jackie Ryan's love affair with love songs began when she first heard legendary² vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Jon Hendricks on a local jazz radio station. It didn't hurt that her parents were both singers who encouraged their daughter to perform. By age 15, she was singing and composing in dance bands before embarking³ on what Jackie refers to as her "life on the road."

"This was how I learned jazz, by living it. The road was my school," she explains.

Jackie Ryan is no stranger to the road, having performed in Europe, Asia, Canada and the U.S. Jackie is equally familiar with the recording⁴ studio, where she's right at home singing sultry ballads⁵ such as "Never Let Me Go," or Latin jazz on "Besame Mucho."

As producer of her latest album, You And The Night And The Music, Jackie Ryan had total creative control. She chose the songs she wanted to record, the arrangers she wanted to record with, and the musicians for her backup band. Veteran jazz saxophonist Red Holloway appears alongside her trio on five songs.

Jackie's upcoming tour includes three tribute concerts to the late jazz bandleader Benny Carter, featuring the Benny Carter Centennial Tribute Band.

1 ballad   

n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲

参考例句：

• This poem has the distinctive flavour of a ballad.这首诗有民歌风味。
• This is a romantic ballad that is pure corn.这是一首极为伤感的浪漫小曲。

2 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。

3 embarking   

乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
• The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争，须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。

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 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。