The Spirit of Reggae|雷鬼精神

The Spirit of Reggae

by Marcus Maurice

Reggae music has been a worldwide phenomenon since the 1960s.

　　In the 1950s, the island of Jamaica was awash with imported American rhythm and blues and African folk records. Out of this _(1)_ of influences came ska, which has an upbeat tempo, lots of horns, jazzy riffs, and strong drums. By the end of the 1950s, ska had become popular around the island, but it wasn't until The Wailers slowed the beat down _(2)_ Jamaican music found its groove in the late 1960s.

　　This new style of music was coined reggae because of the ragged way people danced _(3)_ the beat. One of The Wailers, Bob Marley, ended up _(4)_ reggae's biggest star. His smooth vocals and revolutionary lyrics sung over the top of easily danceable rhythms made him _(5)_ popular all over the world. Marley also practiced Rastafarianism, which is a spiritual movement that praises the former leader of Ethiopia as the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Marley gave a voice to the impoverished in his homeland by _(6)_ social injustices to light. During his career, he toured all over the world and sold millions of records.

　　Unfortunately, Marley's life was cut _(7)_ at the apex of his career when he died of complications from cancer at the young age of 36. To say Marley is _(8)_ in the reggae world would be an understatement. It is _(9)_ that his greatest hits record is named Legend. Meanwhile, his sons, most notably Ziggy and Damien, have kept the Marley spirit alive through their music.

　　Reggae music has branched out into dancehall and dub, as well as had a big influence _(10)_ hip-hop. Artists like Lee "Scratch" Perry, Peter Tosh, and Toots and the Maytals have kept reggae's flame burning around the world.

 

(A) that (B) bringing (C) which (D) to (E) short

(F) punctually (G) combination (H) revered (I) becoming (J) fitting

(K) on (L) wildly

 

雷鬼精神

自 1960 年代以来，雷鬼乐就一直是遍及全世界的现象。

　　1950 年代，牙买加这座岛上充斥着外来的美式节奏蓝调及非洲民谣的唱片。这些影响全部组合起来就产生了斯卡曲风（ska），这是一种具有欢愉节奏、大量铜管乐声、爵士即兴演奏并搭配强烈鼓声的曲风。到了 1950 年代末期，斯卡曲风在这座岛上大受欢迎，但是直到『哭泣者』（编按：Bob Marley 于 1964 年与另五名团员组织了『Wailing Wailers』乐团，再于 1968 年更名为『The Wailers』乐团）出现使得这种快节奏慢下来，牙买加音乐才因此在 1960 年代晚期定下了这种音乐节奏。

　　由于人们随着节奏跳出锯齿感的舞蹈，因此这种新的音乐风格被创名为雷鬼乐。『哭泣者』乐团的其中一位，鲍伯．马利最后成为了雷鬼乐的巨星。他流畅的嗓音和创新的歌词，以及易于随着音乐起舞的节奏，让他在世界各地广受欢迎。马利也笃信拉斯特法理主义，那是一种赞扬衣索比亚前任领导人是耶和华转世门徒的运动。马利透过揭露社会上的不公正为他家乡的穷人发声。在马利的生涯中，他巡回世界各地，并写下数百万张唱片的销售量。

　　遗憾的是，马利在年仅三十六岁时就因癌症并发症去世，他的职业生涯也因此在最高峰时中断了。如果说马利在雷鬼乐界备受尊崇，这样的说法略嫌保守。他的精选集就命名为《传奇》，颇为名符其实。同时马利的儿子，特别是基齐．马利和达米安．马利，透过他们的音乐让马利的精神继续流传下去。

　　雷鬼乐被发展为 dancehall 及 dub 两派，甚至对嘻哈乐影响甚巨。艺人象是李．佩利、彼得．陶许及土司与梅托乐团（Toots and the Maytals）都一直让雷鬼乐的光芒持续在世界各地燃烧。

 

答案： 1. G 2. A 3. D 4. I 5. L

6. B 7. E 8. H 9. J 10. K