What’s Jazz?

 托人在日本買到Akiko 08年的兩張專輯，<<What’s Jazz? -Style>> 和 <<What’s Jazz? –Spirit>>。雖已是年多前的作品，可是因為香港人對Akiko幾乎全無印象（其實認識她的日本人也不知會有幾個），大概在這裡簡單介紹一下也無妨的。

Akiko是76年生的日本地下爵士樂歌手。一如大部份現代爵士樂歌手，01年推出的大碟GIRL TALK主要是翻唱經典樂曲諸如FALLING LEAVES、SPRING CAN REALLY HANG YOU UP THE POST等。她以厚實的聲線與溫婉性感的唱腔得到不少爵士樂迷的青睞。出道至今的十年間她推出了近二十張專輯，當中以GIRL TALK、COLLAGE、MOOD INDIGO等最為有名。
簡單而言<<What’s Jazz?>>系列可算是她本人對當代爵士樂的思考結果。<<Style>>一張屬傳統風格，而<<Spirit>>則摻入不少POP、ROCK、甚至DISCO的元素。
她的專輯同名樂曲What’s Jazz的歌詞就很直接地探討一般人覺得老掉牙的爵士樂在今日應該何去何從這個問題。文字寫得真摯而深入，是我最喜歡的詞之一。特別是她提到倘爵士樂迷仍固執於古老爵士樂風格，拒絕接受新元素，他們也就是聲明爵士樂已死了。

現在此把整段歌詞打出來：(很珍貴的…網上其他地方找不到，應該)

What’s Jazz?
Originating in America.
An African and European mix.
But then all this is known to everyone.
No fun to hear all that you know.

What’s jazz? You know of Count Basie, John Coltrane,
Louis Armstrong and all those names.
You know they made the different styles we hear,
‘The Swing’, ‘Be-bop’ and ‘Dixieland’.

But is ‘Jazz’ a style?
Or just the rhythm played?
And will it still be jazz without the improvising style?

Is it an American thing?
A culture old and boring?
Does it have to be done the way that they’ve played?
‘Cause isn’t jazz supposed to be fun and free?

You know, I haven’t studied to sing at school.
I don’t know ‘bout all the chords they use,
The music theory that they play is too,
Confusing for my simple mind.

You see, Ella, Billie and Anita taught me all I now
That’s how I sing my jazz

“That’s not jazz.” Or “It’s a privilege.”
We’ve heard them many times.
But don’t you see it’s not logic?

Miles Davis is great to hear.
But try a different ear.
4hero, Jazzanova, Matthew Herbert etc…
‘Cause otherwise you’re saying ‘Jazz’ is dead.

One thing, let me explain I do love the old.
But I’m living in the present ‘NOW’,
To me, the music ‘Jazz’ is our spirit,
Like ‘Blues’ and ‘Soul’ and also ‘Rock’.

That’s jazz. That’s why I sing as I sing today.
And I’ll be singing all I feel that’s ‘Jazz’.