双语：7位文学泰斗的儿童绘本故事二(5)

2014年08月01日14:36 新浪教育收藏本文

　　7.兰斯顿·休斯 LANGSTON HUGHES

　　他是一名多产诗人、社会活动家、小说家、剧作家以及专栏作家，被认为是爵士诗歌的创始人之一，爵士诗歌是一种配爵士乐朗诵的诗歌，20世纪20年代出现并最终奠定了现代嘻哈乐的基础。1954年，42岁的休斯决定把自己对爵士乐的热爱投入到类似儿童读物的一本书的创作中，目的是向年轻的小读者传授他如此热爱的爵士文化。于是，《爵士第一书》(The First Book of Jazz) 诞生了，这本书是史上第一本评论美国音乐的儿童读物，也是迄今为止最棒的一本。休斯谈及了爵士乐各个重点方面，从爵士乐各个时期的划分到最著名的爵士乐人，再到它的地理分布和分支，并特别强调了非裔美国音乐人在爵士成熟过程中的重要地位。休斯甚至还涉及了爵士的技术层面——旋律、打击乐器、即兴创作、切分法、滑音、和声——他措辞精炼，文采飞扬，向小读者娓娓道来，通俗易懂，字里行间洋溢着爵士演奏的真切快乐。

　　Prolific poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist Langston Hughes is considered one of the fathers of jazz poetry, a literary art form that emerged in the 1920s and eventually became the foundation for modern hip-hop. In 1954, the 42-year-old Hughes decided to channel his love of jazz into a sort-of-children’s book that educated young readers about the culture he so loved. The First Book of Jazz was born, taking on the ambitious task of being the first-ever children’s book to review American music, and to this day arguably the best. Hughes covered every notable aspect of jazz, from the evolution of its eras to its most celebrated icons to its geography and sub-genres, and made a special point of highlighting the essential role of African-American musicians in the genre’s coming of age. Hughes even covered the technicalities of jazz — rhythm, percussion, improvisation, syncopation,blue notes, harmony — with remarkable eloquence that, rather than overwhelming the young reader, exudes the genuine joy of playing。

《爵士第一书》

《爵士第一书》插图

【拉格泰姆】

　　休斯还为书灌制了一张唱片《爵士乐的故事》，分为三个轨道，每一轨道重点讲解爵士乐的某一独特风格。

　　Alongside the book, Hughes released a companion record, The Story of Jazz, featuring Hughes’ lively, vivid narration of jazz history in three tracks, each focusing on a distinct element of the genre。