◎俞智敏
An ensemble of veteran Pakistani musicians has pulled off an unlikely coup – storming western charts with an innovative jazz album and prompting comparisons with Buena Vista Social Club’s rediscovery of a lost generation of Cuban musicians.
一群巴基斯坦資深樂手最近完成了一項不可能的任務—那就是錄製一張創新的爵士樂專輯橫掃西方國家音樂排行榜，還被人拿來與重新發掘出一整個消失世代古巴樂手的「樂士浮生錄」專輯相比。
The Sachal Studios Orchestra has captured imaginations with a cover of Dave Brubeck’s Take Five blending classical violins with sitars, tablas and other eastern instruments.
薩查爾錄音室樂團重新灌錄爵士樂大師布魯貝克的名曲「試試五拍」，結合了古典樂小提琴與傳統西塔琴、塔布拉鼓及其他東方樂器，成為眾所矚目的焦點。
The piece has brought praise from jazz greats – Brubeck, 90, says it is "the most interesting" version of Take Five he’s ever heard – and propelled the orchestra’s album towards the top of the iTunes jazz charts in the US and UK.
這首樂曲獲得多位爵士大師的讚美，包括現年90歲的布魯貝克本人，他說這是他所聽過「最有趣」的「試試五拍」版本，更讓該樂團的專輯一舉登上iTunes在美國與英國的爵士樂排行榜，而且名列前茅。
The confidence boost is urgently needed. Although Brubeck, Duke Ellington and other jazz legends performed in Pakistan in the 1950s, the turbulence of the past decade has isolated local musicians. Foreign travel is difficult and at home extremist violence has made concerts rare. So is growing conservatism – some Sachal musicians said they dared not practise at home, fearing they could offend pious neighbours.
巴基斯坦樂手亟需這種信心打氣。雖然布魯貝克、艾靈頓公爵及其他爵士樂傳奇樂手曾於1950年代至巴國表演，但巴國過去10年來的動亂卻使本地樂手備形孤立。樂手們很難到國外旅行，國內的極端主義暴力事件又造成演奏機會大減。此外，保守主義勢力也日益抬頭，有些薩查爾樂團的樂手就說，他們不敢在家裡練習，深怕惹惱了信仰虔誠的鄰居。
新聞辭典
pull sth off：動詞片語，非正式用語，指成功做到某件困難或意想不到的事，如The central bank has pulled off one of the biggest financial rescues of recent years.（中央銀行達成了近年來最艱困的金融拯救任務。）
coup：名詞，指妙計、出乎意料的行動或成功之舉，如It was a major coup when they got the Vice President to appear on their show for an interview.（他們成功排除萬難，請到副總統上節目接受訪問。）
cover：名詞，音樂用語，也可寫作cover version或cover song，指翻唱或錄製他人錄製過的歌曲或音樂、口水歌，如They made a cover of a Beatles’ song.（他們翻唱了一首披頭四的歌。）
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