VOA标准英语2012--Eric Bibb Mixes Southern, Country Blues on 'Deeper In The Well'

Eric Bibb Mixes Southern, Country Blues¹ on 'Deeper In The Well'

The best advice Bibb ever got about playing guitar came from Bob Dylan, who once told him to “Keep it simple and forget all that fancy stuff.” He was 11 years old at the time, and he’s been keeping it simple ever since. On the album, Bibb honors Dylan with an update of “The Times They Are A Changin’,” a tune² Dylan described as “an attempt to create an anthem³ of change for the moment.”

Bibb traveled to the heart of Cajun country near Lafayette, Louisiana to record Deeper in the Well and to soak up the region’s bountiful supply of Cajun, folk and Creole-flavored blues.

Born and raised in New York City, Bibb inherited his passion for music from his father, folk singer and actor Leon Bibb. His uncle was pianist John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet, and family friends included folk stars Pete Seeger and Odetta.

Bibb's early influences included jazz and classical music, but after moving to Europe, he decided⁴ to focus on writing and playing the blues. 

“I think blues is a language which is perfectly⁵ suited to expressing whatever you’re experiencing in life, and it’s a real life-friendly language and it’s a truthful⁶ language,” he says.

One of Bibb's longtime musical heroes is bluesman Taj Mahal, who composed “Every Wind In The River” - also found on the new album. 

Bibb's band on Deeper In The Well features harmonica player Grant Dermody and fiddler Cedric Watson, as well as local standouts Danny DeVillier on drums, Dirk Powell on banjo, and Dirk’s wife Christine Balfa on the Cajun triangle.

1 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

2 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。

3 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

6 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。