JazzAndTheEssenceofAmerica

　　ConsideringhowjazzistranscribedinChinese(jueshi),youmaybemisledsintosassumingthatitisanaristocraticculturalform.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.ItoriginatedamongblackAmericansattheendofthe19thcentury,atatimewhentheyoccupiedtheverybottomoftheAmericansocialheap.

　　Sohowhassomethingthatwascreatedbyaoncedowntroddenanddespisedminorityacquiredacentralplaceintoday'sAmericanculture?MrDarrellAJenks,directoroftheAmericanCenterforEducationalExchange,andalsoadrummerinthejazzbandWindow,analysesthephenomenonforushere.Jazz:thesoulofAmerica

　　爵士乐与美国精髓

　　说到美国的爵士乐(jazz),你可能从它的中文译名而推断为那是属于贵族的音乐.殊不知恰恰相反,它源于19世纪末的美国黑人,那时他们处于社会的最底层.

　　然而,来自当年被奴役受歧视的黑人的音乐如今却进入到了美国文化的主流地位,原因何在呢?美国驻华使馆教育交流中心主任(也是《天窗》爵士乐队的鼓手)金大友先生为我们分析了这一现象.

　　PerhapstheessenceofAmericaisthatyoucouldnevergettwoAmericanstoagreeonjustwhatthatmightbe.Afterthinkingaboutitforawhile,wemightchuckleandsay,"Hmm,seemslikebeingAmericanisabitmorecomplicatedthanwethought."Certainlythingslikeindividualism,success(the"AmericanDream",innovationandtolerancestandout.Butthesethingscometogetherbecauseofourabilitytoworkwithoneanotherandfindcommonpurposenomatterhowdiversewemightbe.

　　Some,likeAfrican-AmericanwriterRalphEllison,be-lievethatjazzcapturestheessenceofAmerica.Forgoodreason,forinjazzallofthecharacteristicsImentionedabovecometogether.Thesolosareacelebrationofindividualbrilliancethatcan'ttakeplacewithoutthesgroupseffortsoftherhythmsection.Beyondthat,though,jazzhasaconnectiontotheessenceofAmericainamuchmorefundamentalway.ItisanexpressionoftheAfricanrootsofAmericanculture,amusicalmediumthatexemplifiesthecultureoftheAfricanswhoseculturecametodominatemuchofwhatisAmerican.

　　说起美国的精髓,恐怕你找不到哪两个美国人有着相同的看法.在对这个问题考虑一会儿之后,我们可能会笑起来并且说：“嗯,看来身为美国人比我们当初想的要复杂一点儿.”当然了,强调个性,获取成功(即“美国梦”),创新以及包容是美国人突出的方面.但这些特点集中在美国人身上是因为我们有彼此协作的能力,而无论我们彼此会怎么不同,我们都可以找到共同的目标.

　　有些人,例如美国黑人作家拉尔夫-埃里森,认为爵士乐抓住了美国的精髓,这么说是很有道理的,因为我上面提到的美国人的种种特征在爵士乐中都体现了出来.爵士乐中的独奏是对个人才气的颂扬,但若没有整个乐队的节奏伴奏,个人才气也无法展现.然而,除此之外,爵士乐还在更基本的方面与美国的精髓有着联系,它表现出美国文化植根于非洲,通过音乐媒介证明了非洲人的文化已经支配了美国人的文化.

　　That'sright,inmanyrespectsAmerica'srootsareinAfrica.ReadRalphEllison'sperceptivedescriptionofthetransformationofseparateAfricanandEuropeanculturesatthehandsoftheslaves:

　　"...thedancingofthoseslaveswho,lookingthroughthewindowsofaplantationmanorhousefromtheyard,im-itatedthestepssogravelyperformedbythemasterswithinandthenaddedtothemtheirownspecialflair,burlesquingthewhitefolksandthengoingontoforcethestepssintosachoreographyuniquelytheirown.Thewhites,lookingoutattheactivityintheyard,thoughtthattheywerebeingflat-teredbyimitationandwereamusedbytheincongruityoftatteredblacksdancingcourtlysteps,whilemissingcom-pletelythefactthatbeforetheireyesaEuropeanculturalformwasbecomingAmericanized,undergoingametamor-phosisthroughthemockingactivityofapeoplepartiallysprungfromAfrica."(RalphEllison,LivingwithMusic,pp83-4).

　　的确,在很多方面,美国的根是在非洲.请读一下拉尔夫-埃里森关于非洲与欧洲各自不同的文化在当年奴隶手中加以改变时所做的敏锐描述：

　　那些在院子里