一方で「A Summer Story」では、貴族の息子が自分の領地の別荘に避暑に来て、そこの奉公人の娘とよい仲になるけれども、夏が終わるとともに帰ってしまうという話、と思ったら、貴族じゃなくて若い法律家が夏に田舎にやって来て、みたいな話だったようだ、って全然覚えてなかったぞ(^_^;)。Turn Of Centuryと予告に書いてあるから、エマよりは後の時代だ。
The corpulent black fiddler, and his friend who plays the tambourine, stamp upon the boarding of the small raised orchestra in which they sit, and play a lively measure. Five or six couple come upon the floor, marshalled by a lively young negro, who is the wit of the assembly, and the greatest dancer known. He never leaves off making queer faces, and is the delight of all the rest, who grin from ear to ear incessantly. Among the dancers are two young mulatto girls, with large, black, drooping eyes, and head-gear after the fashion of the hostess, who are as shy, or feign to be, as though they never danced before, and so look down before the visitors, that their partners can see nothing but the long fringed lashes.
But the dance commences. Every gentleman sets as long as he likes to the opposite lady, and the opposite lady to him, and all are so long about it that the sport begins to languish, when suddenly the lively hero dashes in to the rescue. Instantly the fiddler grins, and goes at it tooth and nail; there is new energy in the tambourine; new laughter in the dancers; new smiles in the landlady; new confidence in the landlord; new brightness in the very candles.
Single shuffle, double shuffle, cut and cross-cut; snapping his fingers, rolling his eyes, turning in his knees, presenting the backs of his legs in front, spinning about on his toes and heels like nothing but the man’s fingers on the tambourine; dancing with two left legs, two right legs, two wooden legs, two wire legs, two spring legs—all sorts of legs and no legs—what is this to him? And in what walk of life, or dance of life, does man ever get such stimulating applause as thunders about him, when, having danced his partner off her feet, and himself too, he finishes by leaping gloriously on the bar-counter, and calling for something to drink, with the chuckle of a million of counterfeit Jim Crows, in one inimitable sound!
実を言えば、Voyageの原稿を考えているときにもFitzgeraldのJazz Age関連の小説なんかの和訳本を買って読んだあと、原文はどうなんだとか思ったので、PDのKindle版（Tales of The Jazz Age, etc.)もDLしてチラチラと読んだりはしていて、それ以外にも「夜明け前/島崎藤村」は何年かかってるんだかというくらいに途中だし、Charles Dickensのアメリカ紀行も英文をDLしたりとか宮沢賢治全集とか、PDの未読がいっぱい溜まっている、といってもタブレット一つで済むというのがありがたい・・・、というより本を持ってるって意識がないからほったらかしなんだけど。
The Great Gatsbyはまだ10ページもいったかどうかというところだけど、よくわからない文章が多い。でも気にせず進む、というのが僕の読書スタイルだな。
Also "playing in two." A form of rhythm organization in which the first and third beats of the bar are emphasized (particularly by the bass), often leaving the second and fourth beats silent, with a resulting "boom-chick" feel. Two-beat was especially common in early jazz, but can be found in all eras.
From Africa came the first musical instrument, a drum. A hollow trunk of a tree or a taut of animal hide supplied the rhythm or beat. To the basic rhythm was added the human voice. Next, the first wind instrument, the shepherd's flute. The basic beat of the tom-tom, the same thematic strain of the chant that was carried across oceans and contained in early Spanish music after the invention of the guitar. It spread to countries which share the Spanish language. Cuba, Western Indies, and South America where the rhythm or beat assumeda new form of expression. The ever-winding cycle finally reached the shores of the southern United States where the beat was momentarily lost, but the melody was woven into the pure Negro spiritual. And the beat returned.
この前の場面で、黒板に「Origins of Jazz」のチャートが出ているので、エクセルで再現してみた。
Danny Kaye as Professor Hobart Frisbee
Virginia Mayo as Honey Swanson
Benny Goodman as Professor Magenbruch
Tommy Dorsey as Himself
Louis Armstrong as Himself
Charlie Barnet as Himself
Lionel Hampton as Himself
Mel Powell as Himself
Buck and Bubbles
Buck Washington as Buck
John William Sublett as Bubbles
The Page Cavanaugh Trio as Themselves
The Golden Gate Quartet as Themselves
Russo and the Samba Kings as Themselves
Swing関連でダラダラとYouTube検索して偶然見つけたのが、今回のタイトル映画「A Song is Born（Danny Kaye主演、1948年）」の1シーン、浜崎あゆみの歌に同名の曲があるらしいけどそれは知らない。
今や伝説のプレイヤー達が出演（一部は代役らしい）してるけど、それよりDanny Kaye扮する教授が朗読するのが、"The History of Jazz"というんで聞き取ってみたら、意外や意外な話だったんだな（YouTubeの再生速度を落としても聞き取れないところとか、わからないところがあったけどね）。
The History of Jazz From Africa came the first musical instrument, a drum. A hollow trunk of a tree or ?(tore of) animal hide supplied the rhythm of beat. To the basic rhythm was added the human voice. (Next) the first wind instrument, the shepherd's flute. The basic beat of the tom tom, the same (semantic) strain of the chant that was carried across oceans (which) contained an early Spanish music after the invention of the guitar. Spread the country was the shared Spanish language, Cuba, Western India, and South America were the rhythm of beat (the) soon the new form of expression. There's the winding cycle finally reached the shores of the southern United States where the beat was momentarily lost. But the melody was woven at the pure negro spirit. And the beat returned.
映画"A Song is Born"は恋愛ミュージカルだし、1948年の映画だからこのジャズ史もどうなんだと思ってしまうんだけど、ジャズは、アフリカのリズムにスペインのギターから中南米を介して合衆国南部の海岸にたどり着いて、それから黒人が・・・、なんてのは聞いたことないですよね？僕が知らんだけかな。
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