VOA标准英语2013--'Keystone Companions' Highlights Merl Saunders-Jerry Garcia Collaboration

 

'Keystone Companions' Highlights Merl Saunders-Jerry Garcia Collaboration¹

With Garcia on guitar and Saunders on keyboard, the two began picking together on a regular basis in 1970. It started as a weekly jam session at a small club in San Francisco. While he may not be as much of a “household name” as Garcia, Saunders was a successful session player and bandleader, having played with artists including Dinah Washington and Miles Davis.

Soon after they started their casual shows together, the Saunders-Garcia band was playing to packed houses in small local clubs every weekend when the Dead wasn’t touring.

The music on "Keystone Companians"' four discs is exactly what you’d expect from a Jerry Garcia side project: a mix of rock, blues² and jazz with some bluegrass and soul mixed in. And, as with any jam session, the songs sometimes wander and might even include all those styles of music within the same tune³. 

Many of the tracks have been released on various albums over the years, but this new collection includes new liner notes, a poster and a 28-page photo book, along with seven previously⁴ unreleased songs. Among them: a take on the pop classic “How Sweet It Is.”

“Keystone Companions” is a fan’s dream come true - it contains two complete sets equaling almost four hours of live music. The tracks were remastered to crystal clarity and among the selections include two Bob Dylan covers, Rodgers and Hart’s “My Funny Valentine,” and a couple of originals including “Keepers,” an instrumental written by Merl Saunders and the band's bass⁵ player, John Kahn.

1 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

2 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。

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 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。