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专辑歌曲1.茶与威士忌 2.西瓦 3.夜之城 4.七拍子 5.直到 6.黑莓盛开 7.传教士蓝调 8.恶魔夺走我的女人 9.当你安抚我入眠 10.冲绳妈妈 11.直白蓝调 12.风入松 13.无国界 14.蓝.掉 专辑介绍成员两人,乐器三把,团长不唱歌。 这不是蓝调吉他,也不是传统琵琶,而是一种全新的音乐状态,充满未知的实验,绝对新鲜的跨界实验。背着琵琶闯世界的钟玉凤,遇上才华洋溢的蓝调吉他乐人David Chen,琵琶与蓝调,三把弦乐,两种相异的文化脉络,多声的音乐文化对话,各自带着强烈的叙事风格与想像,在风雨交骤的热带海岛上,撞击出最生机蓬勃,饶富兴味的混种草根乐。 钟玉凤与David Chen,两人在音乐路上耕耘数十载,各自拥有丰富的创作经历,他们共通的特质是:诚实、自由,且勇于冒险。琵琶来自古老的鲁特琴家族(Lute),是个性分明,叙事性强的独奏乐器。蓝调最早源自非洲,后发展成西方深厚的民谣传统基底,David玩的12弦老吉他,声响层次更为丰富,有一般吉他难以取代的独特味道。“跨界”是乐器特性延伸与探索的新起点,玉凤与David以蓝调开启对话,彼此浸染、渗透,玩出更多琵琶与吉他的想像空间,拓展更自由的音乐边界。 在这个全新的跨界组合里,他们各有新的体验与发现,玉凤说:“蓝调音乐最好玩的一点,就是他们很放松,享受音乐,跟着感觉走,这是以往着重技巧的传统音乐‘玩’不起来的。”两人排练当中,有点枯竭,没有灵感的时候,“David会停下来,开始弹起一段蓝调的即兴,慵懒地,亲密地,漫无目的随指尖闲晃游荡,让音乐带领漫游,然后,转几个弯之后,发现自己到了一个新的地方,有了全然新鲜的呼吸。” 对David而言,时文时武,刚柔并济的琵琶,乍看性格强烈而难以亲近,一旦完全浸透在她独特语汇与美学中,就会发现无限可能。她不用和弦思考,却可以架构出比摇滚更具爆发力的曲式,也可以俏皮活泼地玩起不规则的七拍子旋律,或是忽然奏起气势磅礡的阿拉伯乐曲。David说:“琵琶的音乐里有很多空间,在那里,你可以尽情地去即兴对话,编曲的过程像是奇妙的化学变化,最后,连吉他的音色都发生了微妙的质变。” 2014年秋,玉凤与David从一同创作、酝酿,正式展开浪游,巡演的脚步走过台湾、中国、香港、澳门的街市广场,落脚在大大小小Live House与Cafe,一路边走边唱,指尖上的声响跨越边界,全新的创作在巡游里有机生长。本专辑收录14首“蓝。掉”的在路上的精华现场选辑,以及玉鳯与David妙笔生花的中英文手稿,有掌声,有笑声,有活生生的人与音乐,一切的爱恨情仇,闪避不及的擦枪走火,都在现场的温度中自然发酵,走着走着,越来越蓝,掉入波澜壮阔的蓝色宇宙.... 演奏: 曲目/歌词、曲介绍: Yufeng and I are far from the first to try the pipa-guitar duo format, but we believe we have a unique chemistry when playing live. With this in mind, I 'wrote' this tune - in other words, cobbled together some standard slide guitar riffs and chord changes in Open D tuning -- to create an adventurous jam opportunity for resonator guitar and the pipa. Every time we play it, we never know how it's going to turn out, but that's part of the fun. And along the way, maybe we can convince listeners that 'tea and whiskey' actually go pretty well together. By the way, don't fall for the stereotypes: The blues-loving American slide guitar player prefers tea (Taiwanese oolong), while the Taiwanese classically trained pipa player loves her single malt whiskey. 2.西瓦 Siwa David :“Siwa” refers to the Siwa Oasis in western Egypt. Yufeng wrote this in 2011, when she lived in Cairo, Egypt, to participate in a musical and cultural exchange program. This composition is her way of connecting the pipa with its ancestral home, as the instrument's origin can be traced back to the Middle East. For my part, I tried to help 'take us to the desert' by playing slide on a resonator guitar. 3.夜之城 City of Night This song was written for the soundtrack to the film “From Border to Border,” a documentary about Chinese immigrants living in Kolkata, India. Yufeng composed the melody and I wrote the words. I was fascinated by the fact that a small number of Chinese emigrated to India to escape poverty at home in the late 18th and 19th centuries. There are few written accounts by Chinese in India, so to get a feel for those times, I read writings by another 'outsider' who lived in India in earlier times, “Jungle Book”-author Rudyard Kipling. A journalist by training and long-time resident of India, Kipling wrote a series of articles on his travels throughout the country, invoking a poem by British writer James Thomson, entitled 'City of Dreadful Night' to describe Kolkata. Later I realized that the reference was somewhat problematic as critics read Kipling as a colonialist who portrayed the city, then called “Calcutta,” and the local Bengalis, with a measure of disdain. But I decided to keep the song as it was, using Kipling and Thomson’s work as a springboard to imagine the mindspace of Chinese immigrants, who were experiencing a 'City of Night' that was uniquely their own. 作曲:钟玉凤 & 陈思铭 I was born by the river. If I leave this home. Will I die by the river. He sang about love, of sorrow, of war. 生在河畔 河就是我家 他们为爱 为悲、为战争而歌 这夜之城 当夜灯低垂 一但我离开家 还会再见吗? 我可会长眠于此,我的河、我的故乡? 他为爱 为悲、为战争而歌 4.七拍子 7-Beat Flash This is a very enjoyable, but challenging, song to play as accompanist on 12-string guitar. When Yufeng first taught me this composition of hers inspired by Mongolian folk music, I felt bewildered and overwhelmed. The shifting harmonies and moods meant playing a lot of chord changes outside of my blues and folk vocabulary. Then there was the odd time signature of seven beats. I tried to train myself to count in seven, but then found in the end that 'feeling the groove' was the key to making it work. We don't always hit it exactly playing live, but that's part of the thrill: trying to hold on for the ride. 5.直到 Until Then A melodic scale commonly used in flamenco music sparked Yufeng's imagination and became the root of this beautifully quiet piece, for which I provide accompaniment on 12-string guitar. Every time we play it, I'm surprised at the emotional depth she draws from the pipa. But given that the song has personal meaning for Yufeng -- she connects it with the loss of someone close to her -- I should stop being surprised. 6.黑莓盛开 Blackberry Blossom At bluegrass and old-time music jams all over the world, 'Blackberry Blossom' is a tune that everyone knows. Normally played by fiddlers, guitarists and mandolinists, I thought it would be fun to see how Yufeng would handle this one, with backing on a slide guitar. She worked diligently and came up with a unique interpretation. We humbly offer our non-traditional take on this traditional tune. 7.传教士蓝调 Preachin’Blues This is our take on the classic by the one and only Son House. The 'fire and brimstone' energy of this song is perfectly suited to the tonal range of the pipa. I had always associated the instrument with elegant, flowing melodies of Chinese music until I asked Yufeng why she preferred pipa over other traditional instruments. She said 'I can play it really, really loud, even though we’re not supposed to.' For our arrangement, I wanted to offer my respect to Son House, for both his otherworldly singing and tongue-and-cheek humor, as well as a hat tip to renditions by Robert Johnson and Corey Harris. 演唱:陈思铭 Yes, I’m gonna get me religion, Yes, I’m gonna get me religion, You know I wanna be a Baptist preacher. Oh, I‘m gonna preach these blues, You know I wish I had a heaven of my own. I‘d give all my women a good old happy home. Woke up this morning. In my room, I bowed down to pray. 嘿,我有信仰了。我要加入浸信教会。 哦,我要传教蓝调福音, 大家一起尽情吼叫。 我多希望有一个专属自己的天堂。 今早起床。 在房间我跪地祈祷。 8.恶魔夺走我的女人 Devil Got My Woman A beloved song by one of my favorite singers and guitar players ever, Skip James. 演唱:陈思铭 I’d rather be the devil. You know, I laid down last night. You know, I’m so sorry. That I ever fell in love with you. You know the woman that I love. I stole her from my best friend. You know, my baby she don’t drink whiskey. Now, it was nothin’ but the devil. You know, I laid down last night. And I tried to take my rest. 我宁可当一个恶魔。 你知道,我昨晚躺在床上。 我试着睡去。 你知道,我爱的女人。 我从最好的朋友那边把她偷过来。 这一次,是恶魔的缘故。 但我的心却开始流浪。 9.当你安抚我入眠 As You Lay Me Down to Sleep A song written for my band, the Muddy Basin Ramblers, from our album 'Formosa Medicine Show.” 演唱:陈思铭 Have you ever seen a night so dark? As you lay, lay me down to sleep. How I long to hear them singing in the breeze. There is no more time for stories untold. I’m 18 years, but this life feels so long. As you lay, lay me down to sleep. 你见过夜暗如此吗? 当你安抚我。安抚我入眠。 当你安抚我,安抚我入眠 当你安抚我,安抚我入眠 在告诉我一次,你从哪里来 当你安抚我入眠,安抚我入眠 10.冲绳妈妈 Okinawa Mama Another song written for my band, the Muddy Basin Ramblers, from our album 'Formosa Medicine Show.' On that album, Yufeng played the Okinawan samisen, a three-stringed banjo-like instrument, providing the song’s Okinawan folk flavor. On the live rendition, she adds a new dimension to the song with her pipa accompaniment. 演唱:陈思铭 Typhoon winds come a blowin’ in. I wish my Okinawa Mama was here with me. It’s been five long years,since I last saw her. But I know that she loved me. My granddaddy was a steel-driving man. I’ve been a loyal soldier, So I’m packin my bags, I’m sick and tired of death, Don’t you try and stop me, My granddaddy always said to his captain. I ain’t gonna let no machine beat me down. 台风猛灌 我们拉小艇上岸 上回看她至今,五年已过 我的祖父是铁路开路英雄 哦,可我的国家不爱我 我厌倦死亡 哦,我厌倦哭泣 因为我的宝贝在等我 我祖父一在告诉她的工头 11.直白蓝调 I Do Not Play No Rock’n Roll Yufeng wrote this song as a “pipa player's take” on rock music, which she simply called “Rock ‘n’ Roll”. When I first heard it, playing slide guitar seemed like the best way to accompany her. And every time we play this song, I think of a quote by Mississippi Fred McDowell, who was 're-discovered' during the folk revival in the US in the 1960s. 'I do not play no rock ‘n' roll...I play the straight and natural blues.' Yufeng was gracious enough to let me add this tidbit to the original title of this piece, which is part rock n' roll, part blues, and completely natural for this particular pipa player. 12.风入松 In the Pines An American folk traditional sung by bluegrass musicians such as Bill Monroe and made famous by Lead Belly. I was thinking of these two musical heroes of mine while singing on this particular night. 演唱:陈思铭 My girl, my girl, don’t lie to me. In the pines, in the pines. My husband was a railroad man. His head was found at the driver’s wheel. My girl, my girl, where will you go? In the pines, in the pines My girl, my girl, where will you go. You caused me to weep. 13.无国界 Borderless A playful piece written by our friend, musician, composer and sound engineer Wolfgang Obrecht for the soundtrack to 'From Border to Border.' I substitute 12-string guitar for the accordion accompaniment originally recorded by Wolfgang, while Yufeng offers a rare display of her vocal talent. Before starting the song, Yufeng announced to the audience she had to take a moment and gather the courage to sing. So I teased her, telling her in Chinese, “Are you ready? No need to be nervous.” 14.蓝掉 Fade to Blue This became our 'theme song' by accident. Before one of our first performances together, we realized we needed a few more numbers to round out our repertoire, so I came up with this piece with our two instruments in mind. It's my personal ode to the Pacific side of Taiwan and is inspired by Hawaiian slack key music. The song remained title-less until just a few days before a performance, when we had to decide on a set list. Yufeng casually asked me if I was just going to call it 'Untitled' when I happened to notice a piece of paper with the words 'Fade to Blue.' We had already decided on this as the name for our project, but at that moment I realized it would be a good name for the song. |
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