原是比较文学出身，却意外踏上爵士演唱生涯的女歌手史黛西．肯特（Stacey Kent），是近五年来爵士乐界最闪亮的新星。踩着一条和大部份爵士歌手截然不同的路上来的她，虽是纽约在地人，其爵士生涯却起自欧洲，在史黛西．肯特前去攻读义文、法文和德文的过程中，意外结识身为萨克斯风手的老公汤姆．林森，史黛西．肯特在完全没有专业音乐训练的背景下，开始了爵士演唱，到伦敦市政厅音乐学院学习，并在伦敦各地的爵士酒馆演唱。 随后史黛西．肯特的试唱带被唱片公司相中，在1997年顺利发行了第一张专辑，并立刻受到来自乐评和大众的一致好评，即使没机会到台湾宣传，她那清新、宛如小女孩般的嗓音和真挚的诠释风格，也造成了轰动，引起许多爵士乐迷的注意。唱片公司看好她的歌声魅力，每张专辑都投入越多的宣传，一直到她上一张专辑，蓄积了广大的乐迷和专业好评，而她也展开了为期长达两年的全球宣传之旅，旅途中她到了卡内基音乐厅、也来到台湾的国家音乐厅，和法国重要演出场所，所到之处无不票房满座，更为她赢得了总销售量高达十万张的金唱片佳绩，并高距美国告示牌爵士排行榜长达35周之久。 短短十年里，史黛西．肯特平均一年发行一张专辑，中间吸引了全球各地的乐迷，而这些乐迷中，不乏国际名人，好比日裔英籍小说家石黑一雄，这位英国布克奖得主，就是史黛西．肯特的最大歌迷，他还将她的专辑选进他个人的“;荒岛唱片”;中；另外著名的畅销犯罪小说家约翰．哈维也在他最新的小说“;静如止水”; （Still Water）中，写进了史黛西．肯特。另外好莱坞老牌演员、导演克林．伊斯威特也因为钟爱她的歌声，而邀肯特在他70大寿生日派对上为他演唱。除此之外，音乐同业对她的肯定更是让人侧目，她被三届卡最佳歌曲创作得主李文斯顿赞为堪与往昔的爵士巨星相比，将她比作今日的比莉．哈乐黛、艾拉．费兹洁罗，更力赞她对歌词的清晰咬字有着纳京．高的功力。 这样的歌唱实力，让她能够一上全美电视网唱一次现场，就把自己四张专辑拱上亚马逊网站销售前十大。这张“;早安．幸福”;是她加盟Blue Note的首张发行，也是她第一次踏进国际大厂的作品。全片由她的萨克斯风手老公汤姆．林森担任制作和编曲，全片以吉他、键盘、贝斯、鼓和萨克斯风这样的小型五人组合搭配，清清淡淡的传统爵士伴奏，衬托肯特的轻柔嗓音，正好捕捉到她声音那种擅于掌握浪漫情歌的那一面。在这些乐手的搭配下，整张专辑呈现出更像她现场演唱会的爵士风格，也与她过去专辑采用较多弦乐、走情歌取向的作风截然不同，其中尤其是John Parricelli连换六把吉他那细腻的声音，主导了整张专辑的音乐织体。这张专辑更特别的是，特别邀请到她的头号歌迷，小说家石黑一雄为她填写四首歌词，在收到这四份歌词后，史黛西更鼓励老公吉姆，首次提笔创作歌曲。而这种请现代名家为她量身订作新歌的走向，也正是史黛西．肯特向过去挥别的大动作：不像以往专辑全部都是翻唱爵士老歌，这张新专辑中的12首歌曲，有九首都是为她新写的。 片中另一件值得一提的是，史黛西肯特唱了两首法文歌曲，这也不是她以前专辑中会出现的曲子，片中她选了两首都是由著名的法国多才多艺的歌手Serge Gainsbourg所创作的。另外则唱了一首Baden Powell和Vinicius de Moraes为1966年电影“;男欢女爱”;（A Man and a Woman）所写的芭莎诺瓦名曲。同样的芭莎诺瓦歌曲还有Sergio Mendes在1968年创作的“;So Many Stars”;。另一首意外则是摇滚乐团Fleetwood Mac在1970年代的歌曲“;Landslide”;。而当然，全片中，台湾观众们最想听的，当然是一再被用在电影和广告中的经典名曲“;What a Wonderful World”;。
by MacKenzie Wilson
New York native Stacey Kent never anticipated a career in jazz music, for she was a Sarah Lawrence graduate with a degree in comparative literature. But her childhood days spent listening to the traditional beauty of Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole undoubtedly influenced her. While on holiday in Europe after graduating from college, she took up singing without much formal training and never looked back.
Kent became acquainted with several musicians at Oxford in 1991 and through them she found herself participating in a jazz course at the famed Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There she also met her future husband, tenor saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, and also landed a spot in the class. Her next spot was singing with the Vile Bodies Swing Orchestra at the Ritz Hotel in London, quickly landing a role in Ian McKellen's Richard III film, playing the big-band singer. The mid-'90s were more focused on recording and in 1996, Kent inked a deal with Candid Records. A year later, the critically acclaimed Close Your Eyes was issued; Tender Trap followed in 1999. Her third LP Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire, which showcased popular standards, appeared in spring 2000. The ballad-oriented Dreamsville appeared the next spring.
by MacKenzie Wilson
New York native Stacey Kent never anticipated a career in jazz music, for she was a Sarah Lawrence graduate with a degree in comparative literature. But her childhood days spent listening to the traditional beauty of Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole undoubtedly influenced her. While on holiday in Europe after graduating from college, she took up singing without much formal training and never looked back.
Kent became acquainted with several musicians at Oxford in 1991 and through them she found herself participating in a jazz course at the famed Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There she also met her future husband, tenor saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, and also landed a spot in the class. Her next spot was singing with the Vile Bodies Swing Orchestra at the Ritz Hotel in London, quickly landing a role in Ian McKellen's Richard III film, playing the big-band singer. The mid-'90s were more focused on recording and in 1996, Kent inked a deal with Candid Records. A year later, the critically acclaimed Close Your Eyes was issued; Tender Trap followed in 1999. Her third LP Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire, which showcased popular standards, appeared in spring 2000. The ballad-oriented Dreamsville appeared the next spring.
