我用我的语言来说你熟悉了的故事

音乐最大的魅力在于，同样的一个故事由不同的人来说，有完全不一样的味道。说起来这是理所当然的：毕竟每一个人的生活历练都不同，对事情的看法当然也都迴然相异。
不过基本上，古典音乐和爵士音乐有着不同的出发点。简单来说，聆听古典音乐是在听起来一样的音符世界里面寻找不同点；而爵士音乐则是在听起来完全不一样的音符世界里面找到一样的定点。

聆听古典音乐，大体上是从听起来相同的音乐当中寻找每个不同版本的异同。古典音乐家的演奏是不会任意加入乐谱以外的音符的，不然就会被抨击到体无完肤。在贝多芬以前的作曲家是会让演奏家在协奏曲(Concerto)当中炫耀自己的技艺，而将Cadenza 留给演奏家自由发挥。贝多芬憎恨这样的自由而将Cadenza 也写下来，禁止任何人即兴（不怪得他的脾气那么坏）。同样的，贝多芬之前的作曲家也大多会让演奏家自己决定音乐的表情，大小声，速度等都让音乐家们自己决定；之后的作曲家都将这些自由统统收回来。所以作曲家和演奏家这两个职业越来越分开，变成截然两回事了。是以演奏古典音乐作品是以忠实于作曲家的意愿为根本的。甚至极端一点的音乐考古学家会追溯和推测作曲家的作曲意念，希望能够发掘出已经消失人世几百年了的想法。古典音乐基本上就是得忠实于乐谱上写的音符来演奏，虽然这些音符可能在数百年前就已经用鹅毛笔在蜡烛的光芒中就写下了。当然乐谱记载的方式很大程度上只有重现作曲家大概的想法而已，许多的表情等等都没有办法忠实的记载下来。

那么演奏家自己的人格想法呢？就得在这些已经定格了的音符当中烙印入自己的思想了。

所以听古典音乐的演奏，我们听的是相同的音符，可是却由不同的人格发声。如果用演讲来打个比方，Martin Luther King 的著名演讲: I Have A Dream：

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.


当然由原讲者Martin Luther King 来说的话，气派澎湃，意境万千。
那么想像如果是由甘地来讲呢？可能就是温文尔雅的了。
如果曼德拉演讲这段子，可能就慢慢的，很有耐性的（当然是带有南非腔啦）
如果是小布什讲的话可能只会惹人暗笑吧（嘻嘻嘻）
而我国现有伟大的政客说出来，可能没有人会相信吧。

不同的演讲者在演讲这个稿的时候，他们并不会加入讲稿以外的句子。他们可能会说错一两个字，或者在不同的地方停顿，在语气上抑扬顿挫有所不同。不过最重要一环还是他们对这个讲稿的解读，以他们各自的知性来带出他们各自认为重要的部分，来把这个演讲稿的精神最好的带出来。这是古典音乐的特性：我们得在很多个听起来一样版本（因为演奏者都不可以偏离作曲家写下的音符）当中找出不同点。

因为刚刚听了内田光子Mitsuko Uchida 在Carnegie Hall 弹奏的Schubert 最后三部钢琴奏鸣曲，于是这里选出好几个不同版本的Schubert 的最后 Piano Sonata in Bb Major D960, 第一乐章来做比较：

俄国钢琴家Sviatoslav Richter 弹奏的，是那么的慢：

Arthur Rubinstein 的 版本：

Clifford Curzon 的版本：

Maurizio Pollini 的版本：

Horowitz 的版本：

说真的，如果初略听一下，不太能够分得出来到底差别很大在哪里。当然像Richter 的版本就和其他版本速度上差很多。不过对熟悉这曲目的人来说，欣赏古典音乐最享受之处就在从这些小小的异同处，寻找乐趣。每个版本都是各自的小宇宙啊！

有心人甚至剪辑了以下这个视频，将八个不同版本的Schubert D960 的第一旋律做比较： 八位钢琴家分别是： 

1 Alfred Brendel

2 Vladimir Horowitz
3 Clifford Curzon
4 Clara Haskill
5 Artur Schnabel
6 Andreas Staier (Hammerklavier)
7 Sviatoslav Richter
8 Maria Judina

说起来，虽然每一位钢琴家都在看着同样的一份乐谱（Schubert 在1839年写下，去世后十年才出版之后大体上都不改的墨迹），可是弹奏出来的却可以有着不同的呼吸，不同的印象，不同的速度，不同的小宇宙。音乐的世界追求的就是如此的个人世界观，不是吗？

那么爵士音乐则出发点非常不一样了：
同样一首曲子，由不同的音乐家来演绎的话，出来的音符一定是不一样的。这是爵士乐演奏的前提，如果你尽量每个音符都符合前人所演奏过的版本的话，这很难被称为爵士乐。

这里的例子是大家都非常熟悉的曲子，Somewhere Over the Rainbow，原版是从电影Wizard of Oz 里面，饰演Dorothy 的 Judy Garland 演唱的：

相比一下，以下几个版本，每一位演唱者都会以自己的世界观来演绎这首名曲，没有一位演唱者是以模仿Judy Garland 为荣的。

Jane Monheit: 她演唱的版本是加入了Refrain 部分的

Ray Charles：他的版本非常的Ray Charles，Soul 十足

Frank Sinatra: Swing 十足的Frank Sinatra

Eva Cassidy: 她的版本算是经典了。注意她的唱法简直就是将Somewhere Over the Rainbow 的旋律完全解体再重建，给予我们一个完全不同的彩虹。这是Somewhere Over the Rainbow 吗？是，不过这是Eva Cassidy 的彩虹。

Keith Jarrett: 三个不同的演奏版本： Tokyo, La Scala, 和 London。同一位演奏家，同一首曲子，不同的音乐世界。

Art Pepper:

浩荡的音乐世界，充彻着不同的观点，视角，哲学，审美观。可是似乎很重要的是，每一位有着自我尊敬心的音乐家都不会以完全模仿为荣；反而各自都在寻找自己的声音，自己的小宇宙。

当然在综艺节目上面以模仿不同艺人声线表情为业的表演艺术家，当然是另当别论的。可是如果世界是充彻这样的艺人的时候，这个世界是否出了问题？ 如果要听鹦鹉学舌，为什么不直接去听原版的呢？

音乐世界（甚至所有的表演艺术，广义衍生到所有人类的行为）的精彩在于每个人的看法不同，是以他们的艺术都有个人的风格存在。艺术当然是从模仿开始的，然后再从模仿当中创造，这就是艺术必须建立在传统之上。不过有的人将他们的看法精炼成为超越平庸，是以我们将这些超越的人捧上艺术家的宝座，崇拜他们。

不管是爵士音乐，古典音乐，还是摇滚，饶舌，蓝调；如果总是模仿的话，世界是不会如此多姿多彩的。创造吧！

泪的小雨

在之前说过的“泪的小雨”，这里做个比较：

邓丽君的版本：

何芸妮的版本：

爵士乐追求的永远都不是模仿，而是在已经杰出的音乐上面建构自己的看法，自己的主见，自己的世界。那新的版本是一定强过旧的版本吗？那又是见仁见智的了。我们并不主张新的一定好，这不是Darwinism生物学，这是艺术。不过还是强调的是，如果一定要模仿，那我倒不如去听原版的更好。

Jazz Cover of Beatles

I have to admit, covering Beatles tunes ain't never easy. Some of their tunes SHOULD sound like how they did it, period. Some of their songs are easier to be covered than others, usually they are lyrical and more conventional in terms of harmony, melody contour, and instrumentation. But Jazz musicians just wouldn't give up trying, and that's the spirit of jazz, ain't it? There is even a few Beatles jazz albums out there, most notably is a compilation done by GRP: The Beatles Tribute, An All Stars Celebration.

There are also quite a numbers of Beatles covers that I've enjoyed, some are pure magic, some are quite pleasant, some are passable.

And I Love Her (Diana Krall) From above mentioned album:

Stylish, Elegant, Lyrical. I've came to know this particular version many years ago, and still enjoy it tremendously. Midnight Jazz kind of feeling, smoky and sensuous.

Brad Mehldau has got to be the Messiah for Jazz Piano Trio, when he first came out in the late 90s. He attracted a lot of attention updating the repertoire of jazz by including many tunes that he heard while growing up, outside of the mainstream jazz repertory. He covered tunes by Beatles, Radiohead, Oasis, Verve, Nick Drake, Paul Simon, Sound Garden, Pink Floyd, Massive Attack, just to name a few. Maybe it didn't really started from him (Herbie Hancock did a whole album of 'New Standards' in 1996, covering Rock tunes. Definitely worth collecting) but from him onward we have seen the Piano Trio format came back to the forefront of mainstream Jazz scene. There are also a trend of covering unconventional tunes by many jazz bands.

Here are several versions of Brad Mehldau's treatment of Beatles tunes that I like a lot:

Blackbird (Brad Mehldau) From The Art of the Trio Vol I:

I love this particular song from Beatles's White album, always find it to be heart warming, and the unusual harmony color, even that little wing fluttering sound in the middle of the song could make my heart leap. Paul's voice is also so gentle and lovely. Love this one! Here is some interesting fact about the song. The harmony is inspired by Bach! Damn it, this whole musical legacy is just so damn interesting, proud to be a little part of this whole legacy! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(song))

Another tune from the White Album. This is my favorite albums from the Beatles legacy, which I have spent my teens listening to no less than a hundred times in the span of half year's time. At first, Martha My Dear just feel like a weird song, the way the melody goes and the harmony, seems to be at odd. The brass arrangement was really quite out for my ears at the time as well. But I came to embrace every songs in the album and appreciate every notes in there. When I first heard this version from Brad in 2007, it was another rude awakening as well. What the hell! What is going on here!!! But with my friend's insistence, I listened to it a few more times, Wow! The whole Left Hand Right Hand coordination, the contrapuntal playing, the unusual modulations, the discords and resolutions, damn! This is the shit!

You just got to give it to him, that he redefined Jazz piano, set another high goal for everyone after him to attain. He definitely change the sound of jazz, when most people at the time thoughts jazz is dead (Jazz had been announced dead too many times over the years. Some people claimed it is not dead, just smelled funny. But from a musician's perspective and from listening to what is available out there, Jazz can't be more alive and kicking, and Thriving!)

Martha My Dear (Brad Mehldau) From Day is Done. 

She's Leaving Home (Brad Mehldau) The Day is Done:

Another one from The Day is Done album. She's Leaving Home is from the legendary Sgt. Pepper and the Lonely Hearts Club Band, written by the Lennon and McCartney team.
A story telling song with great melody (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She%27s_Leaving_Home)

Brad Mehldau's arrangement isn't far from the original, and sticks true to the traditional Head Solo Head format. Of course his signature left hand right hand conversation is apparent here, with much inner movement of harmony changes. There is a rhythm tacet section where he rips through an ostinasto then back to the head. Amazing shit.

Mother Nature's Son (Brad Mehldau)

This particular version of Mother Nature's Son by Mehldau is played solo in a concert in Argentina. I know of two other versions recorded in his album Largo and also a duet album with Joel Frahm.

There are no youtube uploads for these two versions, thus what I posted here is from the Argentina concert. Amazing as usual. Check out that reaction from the audience. Man, I just wish we could see something like that in KL. But with the gradually idiotic people up there, slim chance. Let's kick them out and get our country moving ahead instead of backwards.

Dear Prudence (Brad Mehldau) Largo:

From White Album again, psychedelic feel kind of song. ]

She's Leaving Home (McCoy Tyner): All Star Tribute

One of my favorite pianists, Mr. McCoy Tyner's version of She's Leaving Home is pleasant and straight forward, with his signature voicings and lines. (Worth check out another tribute album he did, all Burt Bacharach tunes for Impulse! Amazing stuff)

Something (Sarah Vaughan): Sarah Sings the Beatles

Brazilian groove of Something! Written by the great George Harrison (every time he writes, it came out great. But he didn't write that many when he was with Beatles)
Check out this version, the nice whistling counter line, and sexy Portuguese lyrics at the verse.

Can't Buy Me Love (Count Basie): Basie's Beatle Bag

The typical Basie's band explosion, swing you off your chair, the big contrasting sections. The organ a bit dated, but once in awhile, it sounded cool. Damn. Basie is cool.

With A Little Help From My Friend (Count Basie): Basie on the Beatles

A normal trio arrangement, nothing too fancy here. He is usually so under play, but here, he swing hard and played so much. The more I listen, the more it sounded like Oscar Peterson playing, anyone point it out?

The Long and Winding Road (George Benson): All Stars Tribute

Nice string arrangement here. Smooth and slick.

Norwegian Wood (Buddy Rich): Big Swing Face

There are actually so many more versions out there, but due to lack of youtube uploads, I feel reluctant to share the information here.
Oh by the way, The movie: Across the Universe has to be one of the best movies that was inspired by music of Beatles. Check it out. I love some of the re arrangements of songs in the movie.