【口琴汇--口琴大师】神一样存在的Howard Levy
下面的文章来源于希腊的一个网站采访，很详细，文章内容很长，有兴趣了解这位大神的琴友可以慢慢看下去 （http://blues.gr/profiles/blogs/q-a-with-master-of-the-diatonic-harmonica-howard-levy-his-musical?fbclid=IwAR0172vKIAwE3wcw3XavmoJEMSe5a4EnMZXJkvMZUXlDe_qthET7c66_ieo）网站，这是一家
"I want my music to affect people emotionally in a deep way, and to make them think as well. I also like to make people appreciate the full potential of the diatonic harmonica, and hopefully play well enough to be asked to come back."
Howard Levy: Notes From The Heart
（谷歌翻译内容：“我希望我的音乐能够深刻地影响人们的情感，并让他们思考。我也希望让人们欣赏全音阶口琴的全部潜力，并希望能够发挥得很好，以至于被要求回来。”
Howard Levy：心灵的笔记）
Multiple Grammy- Award Winner Howard Levy is an acknowledged master of the diatonic harmonica, a superb pianist, innovative composer, recording artist, bandleader, teacher, producer, and Chicago area resident. His musical travels have taken him all over the geographical world and the musical map. Equally at home in Jazz, Classical music, Rock, Folk, Latin, and World Music, he brings a fresh lyrical approach to whatever he plays. This has made him a favorite with audiences worldwide, and a recording artist sought after by the likes of Kenny Loggins, Dolly Parton, Paquito D’Rivera, Styx, Donald Fagen, and Paul Simon. As a sideman, Howard has appeared on hundreds of CDs and played on many movie soundtracks. He is perhaps best known for the four CD’s he recorded with Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, a unique band that set the musical world on its ear back in the early 1990’s. He got back together with the band in 2010 and recorded the CD Rocket Science.
（谷歌翻译内容：多重格莱美奖得主Howard Levy是全音阶口琴的公认大师，一位出色的钢琴家，创新作曲家，录音艺术家，乐队领队，教师，制片人和芝加哥地区居民。他的音乐旅行使他遍布整个地理世界和音乐地图。同样在爵士乐，古典音乐，摇滚，民谣，拉丁音乐和世界音乐的家中，他为他演奏的任何东西带来了一种新鲜的抒情方式。这使他成为全世界观众的最爱，并且受到Kenny Loggins，Dolly Parton，Paquito D'Rivera，Styx，Donald Fagen和Paul Simon等人的追捧。作为一名旁观者，霍华德出现在数百张CD上，并播放了许多电影原声带。他最出名的可能就是他与Bela Fleck和The Flecktones录制的四张CD，这是一支独特的乐队，在20世纪90年代早期将音乐世界放在耳边。他于2010年与乐队一起回归并录制了CD Rocket Science。）
They toured extensively in 2011-2012, and Howard won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for “Life in Eleven”, which he wrote with Bela Fleck. Howard’s other prominent collaborations include three CDs with Trio Globo (Glen Velez and Eugene Friesen), two with Lebanese Oud player/composer Rabih Abou Khalil, and one with the avant- garde Jazz Riessler/Levy/Matinier Trio. Howard is music director and chief composer for the Latin/Jazz group Chévere de Chicago. He produced and released the band’s CD Secret Dream, and Time Capsules with his acoustic swing group Acoustic Express, on his own label, Balkan Samba Records. His solo Jazz CD, Alone and Together on Balkan Samba, and his Jazz trio CD Tonight and Tomorrow on the Chicago Sessions label, both received 4-star reviews in DownBeat. In 2011 Howard also released a classical CD featuring his “Concerto for Diatonic Harmonica and Orchestra,” the first concerto ever composed for the diatonic harmonica. He has performed the piece more than 20 times in the US and Europe. He also has an online harmonica school. In 2018 released 3 new albums: “Art + Adrenaline”; “From the Vaults, Vol. 1: Harmonica Jazz"; and “From the Vaults, Vol. 2: The NBV Quintet (1980-1983)”.
（谷歌翻译：他们在2011年至2012年期间进行了广泛的巡回演出，霍华德为Bela Fleck写的“十一生”中的格莱美最佳乐器作品获得了格莱美奖。霍华德的其他着名合作包括三张CD与Trio Globo（Glen Velez和Eugene Friesen），两张与黎巴嫩Oud演奏家/作曲家Rabih Abou Khalil，以及一张与前卫Jazz Riessler / Levy / Matinier三重奏合作。霍华德是拉丁/爵士乐团ChéveredeChicago的音乐总监和首席作曲家。他在他自己的唱片公司Balkan Samba Records上制作并发行了乐队的CD Secret Dream和Time Capsules以及他的声学摇摆乐团Acoustic Express。他的单曲Jazz CD，Alone和Together on Balkan Samba，以及他的Jazz三重奏CD Tonight和明天的芝加哥Sessions唱片公司，都获得了DownBeat的四星评价。2011年，霍华德还发行了一张经典CD，上面写着他的“全音阶口琴和管弦乐协奏曲”，这是第一部为全音阶口琴创作的协奏曲。他曾在美国和欧洲演出过20多次。他还有一个在线口琴学校。2018年发行了3张新专辑：“Art + Adrenaline”; “来自Vaults，Vol。1：Harmonica Jazz“;和”From the Vaults，Vol.2：NBV Quintet（1980-1983）“。）
Interview by Michael Limnios
How has the Jazz, World, and Folk music influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?
This is a complicated question. I love all good music. I identify most strongly as a Jazz musician, but I started improvising at age 8, before I knew what Jazz was. I studied classical piano, later started playing Rock, Blues, and finally Jazz when I was 17. John Coltrane was my biggest influence and favorite musician, almost like a religion for me. His sound is something that I carry inside me. I got into folk music around the same time as Rock and Blues, and continued to play it, eventually playing with some of America's greatest folk musicians-Steve Goodman, John Prine, Bob Gibson, Tom Paxton, and many more.
Their songwriting and the way they related to audiences is a very important part of my performance style. World music- playing music from many different cultures with musicians from all over the world has been an incredibly enriching experience musically, culturally- in every way. I have learned so much, and it is an especially great joy to play harmonica in music where they have never had harmonica before. I have had many life- changing experiences playing with people like Rabih Abou Khalil, Tito Puente, a recent recording with Peruvian women singer/songwriters, Indian percussionists, and many more.
（Michael Limnios采访
爵士，世界和民间音乐如何影响您对世界的看法以及您所乘坐的旅程？
这是一个复杂的问题。我喜欢所有好听的音乐。我最强烈地认为是爵士音乐家，但在我知道Jazz是什么之前，我在8岁开始即兴创作。我学习古典钢琴，后来开始演奏摇滚，蓝调，最后是爵士乐。约翰科尔特兰是我最大的影响力和最喜欢的音乐家，对我来说几乎就像是一种宗教。他的声音是我带进来的。我和摇滚和蓝调同时进入民间音乐，并继续演奏，最终与美国一些最伟大的民间音乐家 - 史蒂夫古德曼，约翰普林，鲍勃吉布森，汤姆帕克斯顿等等一起演奏。
他们的歌曲创作以及他们与观众相关的方式是我表演风格的一个非常重要的部分。世界音乐 - 来自世界各地的音乐家演奏来自不同文化的音乐，在音乐，文化和各方面都是一种令人难以置信的丰富体验。我学到了很多东西，在以前从未有过口琴的音乐中演奏口琴特别令人高兴。我和Rabih Abou Khalil，Tito Puente以及最近与秘鲁女歌手/词曲作者，印度打击乐手等人合作的录音带来了许多改变生活的经历。）
How do you describe your sound? What touched (emotionally) you from the sound of Harmonica?
I love the bluesy sound of the diatonic harmonica. It is a sound straight from the heart. When I figured out how to play it chromatically, I tried to combine this emotional feeling with my musical knowledge from playing jazz and classical piano.
（你怎么描述你的声音？从口琴的声音中感受到了什么（感情上的）？
我喜欢全音阶口琴的蓝调声音。这是一种直接来自内心的声音。当我想出如何发挥它的色彩时，我试图将这种情感感觉与我在爵士乐和古典钢琴中的音乐知识结合起来。）
"No pitch corrected vocals… But in truth, I also think that one reason why so many singers can't sing in tune anymore is the extremely loud volume of so many bands. In general, the standards for pop singing is much lower than in the past, though there are many notable exceptions."
Which acquaintances have been the most important experiences? What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Playing with The Flecktones, Paquito D'Rivera, a lot of great Chicago players, great Latin percussionists like Jerry Gonzales and Giovanni Hidalgo, my partners in Trio Globo- Glen Velez and Eugene Friesen- performing my Harmonica Concerto with orchestras, hundreds of recording sessions that forced me to play in ways that I would never have done (especially on harmonica) and much more. I've had so many great musical experiences that I have learned so much from- I am very lucky.
Advice- it's funny. An older Chicago bass player, Eddie De Haas, once leaned over and told me during a Jazz gig where I was playing piano "Hey Howard, don't forget to breathe!". It was very funny and had a lot of truth in it, that you should breathe naturally when playing any instrument. It's all about phrasing and mental relaxation that allows you to truly express ideas in a coherent way.
（“没有音调纠正的人声......但事实上，我也认为为什么这么多歌手不能再调唱的一个原因是这么多乐队的音量非常大。一般来说，流行歌唱的标准远远低于过去，虽然有许多值得注意的例外。“
哪些熟人是最重要的经历？有人给你的最好的建议是什么？
与Flecktones，Paquito D'Rivera，很多伟大的芝加哥球员，伟大的拉丁打击乐手如Jerry Gonzales和Giovanni Hidalgo，我在Trio Globo- Glen Velez和Eugene Friesen的合作伙伴一起玩 - 与管弦乐队一起演奏我的口琴协奏曲，数百次录音这迫使我以我从未做过的方式（特别是在口琴上）和更多的方式进行比赛。我有很多很棒的音乐经历，我从中学到了很多 - 我很幸运。
建议 - 这很有趣。一位年长的芝加哥贝斯手，Eddie De Haas，曾经在爵士乐演出中告诉我，我正在弹钢琴“Hey Howard，别忘了呼吸！”。它非常有趣并且有很多真理，你应该在演奏任何乐器时自然呼吸。所有这些都是关于短语和精神放松，让您能够以连贯的方式真实地表达想法。）
未完……