2018-04-12

Walkin' the boogie: blues music

① A fusion of African musical customs, African-American work songs, folk music and spirituals, the blues sound emerged from the Deep South in the late 19th century.

② Since then it has inspired a variety of styles, from boogie-woogie to R&B.

③ In Chicago, which attracted a large black population during the Great Migration, the blues was amplified with electric guitars, saxophones, piano, drums and harmonica.

④ An exhibition at the Chicago History Museum, opening today, explores the musical form, its legacy and how it "reflected the realities of a new life that was taking shape in the Midwest metropolis".

⑤ Raeburn Flerlage's photographs capture the scene in the 1950s and 1960s, with intimate portraits of performers such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter.

⑥ Visitors can design an album cover or learn the basic chords; for the most ambitious, there's a chance to write and perform a blues song.

⑦ Good luck trying to better "Hoochie Coochie Man".

▍生词好句

fusion /ˈfju:ʒ(ə)n/: n. 融合

custom /ˈkʌstəm/: n. 风俗；习俗

spiritual /ˈspɪrɪtjʊəl/: n.（美国南部黑人基督徒的）圣歌

emerge /ɪˈməːdʒ/: vi. 出现；涌现

the Deep South: 指美国内战前种植棉花和保留奴隶制度的州

inspire /ɪnˈspʌɪə/: vt. 启发

boogie-woogie: n. 低音连奏爵士乐（布鲁斯的一种音乐形式，炫技较多）

R&B:（rhythm and blues）节奏蓝调（布鲁斯的另一种音乐形式）

the Great Migration /mʌɪˈɡreɪʃ(ə)n/ : 大迁徙

amplify /ˈamplɪfʌɪ/: vt. 扩大

saxophone /ˈsaksəfəʊn/: 萨克斯风

harmonica /hɑ:ˈmɒnɪkə/: 口琴

take shape:（逐渐）成型

metropolis /mɪˈtrɒp(ə)lɪs/: n. 大都市

capture /ˈkaptʃə/: vt. 捕捉；获得

capture the scene: 捕捉场景

intimate: adj. 私密的；亲密的

intimate portrait: 私密肖像

good luck doing/with: 祝好运

better /ˈbɛtə/: vt. 超过；超越

better oneself: 提升自己

better the lot of working classes: 改善工人阶级的命运