Warren Hill

Warren Hill是高音及次高音SAX 手，Warren Hill算得非常有特色的Saxman了，其特色在他一頭烏黑的長(zhǎng)發(fā)，和一雙迷人的眼睛。 出生并生長(zhǎng)在加拿大多倫多的Warren Hill從小是一個(gè)搖滾音樂(lè)迷，并喜歡吉他的演奏以及演唱，直到11歲的時(shí)候才開(kāi)始學(xué)習(xí)SAX的演奏。而后又來(lái)到紐約學(xué)習(xí)爵士音樂(lè)。而當(dāng)他開(kāi)始接觸David Sanborn, Grover Washington Jr., Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane等這些爵士音樂(lè)家的音樂(lè)的時(shí)候，小Warren Hill徹底被他們的音樂(lè)所征服，并完全把其興趣愛(ài)好從搖滾轉(zhuǎn)移到爵士上來(lái)。而在爵士音樂(lè)名校伯克利學(xué)習(xí)期間，Warren Hill很快成為了學(xué)校了的明星SAX手。畢業(yè)以后他選擇了成為一名商業(yè)化的Smooth Jazz SAX手。并一開(kāi)始就獲得了成功。從1993年到2002年所發(fā)行的所有六張專(zhuān)輯在R&R或者是NAC以及Smooth Jazz電臺(tái)中的戰(zhàn)績(jī)都非常的不俗。 2002年發(fā)行的專(zhuān)輯《Love Songs》可以算得上是Warran Hill商業(yè)成就最高的一張專(zhuān)輯，當(dāng)時(shí)還被他的家鄉(xiāng)加拿大提名為Juno獎(jiǎng)中的最佳現(xiàn)代爵士大獎(jiǎng)。其實(shí)這張由Narada Jazz發(fā)行的專(zhuān)輯當(dāng)中Pop的音樂(lè)元素占了一大半。Warren Hill本身就非常喜歡浪漫愛(ài)情的流行歌曲。而在他以前的作品中也經(jīng)常演奏一些愛(ài)情歌曲。不過(guò)這次他玩了把徹底的，專(zhuān)輯中11首曲子全部都是經(jīng)典的愛(ài)情歌曲，其中包括"My Funny Valentine"，"Because Of You" 這樣的超級(jí)經(jīng)典，還有Eric Clapton的 "Wonderful Tonight"， Paul McCartney的"My Love" Paul Young的"Oh Girl" 以及Joe Cook的"You Are So Beautiful"。這么多大家熟悉的愛(ài)情歌曲演奏起來(lái)是很容易入了俗套的。不過(guò)總的來(lái)看Warren Hill的重新演繹還是非常有特色的，很多單曲中有非常有亮點(diǎn)，而Warren Hill除了SAX吹起來(lái)迷人，他的嗓音也是非常出眾的，專(zhuān)輯中他自己親自演唱了流行曲"Because of You", 爵士Standards "My funny Valentine"以及用拉丁語(yǔ)演唱的"Dancing With You" 。在"My funny Valentine"中，無(wú)論是演唱還是伴奏，都非常的Straight-ahead, 而后Warren Hill緊接著來(lái)了一段Smooth Jazz的"My funny Valentine"，不過(guò)這次是用的次高音SAX。 而在"Dancing With You"中另一個(gè)值得注意的亮點(diǎn)就是Marc Antoine的西班牙吉他的演奏。
by Jason Ankeny
Saxophonist Warren Hill was born in Toronto; one of five children, he began playing guitar at the age of eight, and by his teens was fronting a local rock group. Originally he turned to the sax only to play in his school band, making the instrument his total focus following his introduction to jazz during a summer program at the Eastman School in Rochester, NY; influenced by David Sanborn, Hill played each weekend in a local combo while studying physics at the University of Toronto, eventually dropping out to pursue music full time. A stint at Boston's Berklee College of Music followed, and on Graduation Day 1988 he was given several featured solos; in the audience was producer Russ Titleman, who immediately hired Hill for a session with Chaka Khan. He soon relocated to Los Angeles, recording a demo tape that eventually landed him a deal with RCA; Kiss Under the Moon, Hill's debut LP, appeared in 1991, and was followed by a stint backing Natalie Cole on her Unforgettable tour. Scoring an NAC chart-topper with 1993's "The Passion Theme" (from the film Body of Evidence), he next issued the album Devotion, returning in 1995 with Truth. With 1997's Shelter, Hill began featuring his vocals as well as his instrumental skills; Life Thru Rose Colored Glasses followed in 1998 and Love Life was issued in August 2000. A collection of romantic numbers was released as Love Songs in 2002, while 2005's PopJazz had an equally appropriate title. In 2008 he joined the Koch label and released La Dolce Vita.