VOA标准英语2013--Mitch Woods Takes His 'Blues Beyond Borders'

 

Mitch Woods Takes His 'Blues¹ Beyond Borders'

Woods spends more than half the year on tour, with many of those dates in countries around the globe. Some are solo concerts and others feature his band The Rocket 88’s, who toured Turkey for five weeks in late 2010.

“It was just such an incredible experience," Woods said. "We went to 20 cities, played 26 shows, and a culture that I really didn’t know anything about and how accepting they were of the music. So, I just kind of realized this music goes beyond borders; political, geographical², religious. This is much better.”

Woods studied classical music and jazz before catching³ the blues bug⁴ in his native New York. He says he was drawn⁵ to a 1930s and 1940s style of blues known as boogie-woogie.

“I was in college and I started playing and sitting at in little jams in Buffalo⁶ where I was going to school," he said. "And people would say you sound like some of the boogie-woogie guys. And I said, ‘Oh yeah, what are their names?' and I found out these names: Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, and I went out and bought all the records I could find. That kind of got me going. Then I was just like, 'Oh yeah, this is stuff I really like.'”

“A lot of my music comes out of New Orleans, and I think so much of this great music came out of there because it was such a melting pot," Woods said. "You had African, African-Americans, Spanish, English, Caribbean, and it all mixed into this gumbo. And blues came out of that. A lot of it went to the Delta⁷, there’s a big history of it, and then going to Chicago and other major cities from there.”

Woods’ triumphant⁸ tour of Turkey was recently released on a CD titled “Blues Beyond Borders,” featuring his four-man backup band The Rocket 88’s. It includes a DVD of their concert in Istanbul, as well as behind-the scenes footage of their trip across the country.

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 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

3 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

4 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

7 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

8 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。