煞猛來打拼 Working Hard from Twisting Roots by TPO Big Band

Nashville, TN Jazz arranger and composer Jamey Simmons arranged the next selection on our recording; a version of a well-known Taiwanese Hakka song called Working Hard. Simmons had this to say about his arrangement: "Jim and the band sent the famous pop rendition of the song to me and it seemed like a fun challenge to transfer into the jazz/big band style. Since the tune speaks of the hard work ethic of the Taiwanese people, I decided to patiently develop the melody over a vamp with repetitive chords. With the thought that in work we encounter struggles (like the song talks of) the "bridge" moves to a minor key in the style of jazz pianist McCoy Tyner - an influence of mine. We move into the real task of improvising, with a solo by Damiano Niccolini on alto sax and a tenor solo by Li Che An. They each develop the energy to new heights, and work towards a section full of musical counterpoint. I think of this section being like the life of an artist - the demand on a person to do several things well at once. The TPO does this admirably! Finally, the band sees the award for its efforts in a final climax - a shout chorus utilizing the big sound of Danny Deysher and the drive of Baron Jan. This ushers in the melody, followed by a relaxed resolution. It was a thrill to hear how lovingly the band played this arrangement. I can't help thinking about my own grandparents who operated a fruit farm in rural Wisconsin, relying on God's provision of rain, land, sunshine, and the strength to prune, tend, and pick the crops. Music truly is a universal language.”
來自田納西州納許維爾的爵士樂編曲家和作曲家Jamey Simmons為我們改編了有名的客家曲目《煞猛來打拼》。Simmons説：「Jim和樂團傳給我了這首歌的著名流行版本，如何把它轉換為爵士樂與大樂團風格會是一個有趣的挑戰！」
由於這首樂曲描述台灣客家族群勤奮工作的精神，我決定不斷地在一個重覆和弦的背景音上發展旋律。想起在工作中總會遭遇到掙扎和挫折，間奏的地方我將曲調轉為小調並且加入了影響我至深爵士鋼琴家McCoy Tyner的手法。接著進入到即興演奏部分，由Damiano Niccolini進行中音薩克斯獨奏，以及由李哲安的次中音獨奏。他們各自將能量提升到新的高度，在重奏之中又充滿樂句上的對位。我認為這就像藝術家的生活，一個人必須完美達成許多事，而踢霹歐爵士大樂團做的非常好！
樂隊伴隨著小號手丹尼(Danny Deysher)宏亮音色以及鼓手詹無季(Baron Jan)的強烈節奏帶出了全曲的高潮齊奏，再次引出主旋律並且以一個輕鬆的方式收尾。真的非常開心能夠聽到樂隊如此出色地演奏我的編曲。
這首樂曲也使我想起自己在威斯康辛州經營水果農場的祖父母，他們依賴上帝的雨水、土地、陽光，悉心修剪、照料和采摘作物的樣貌。音樂確實是一種通用的語言。

Created in May 2020 during the World COVID Pandemic, TPO is an international group of professional musicians based in Taipei that brings the spirit and sound of vintage American jazz into 21st century Taipei.

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