心灵奇旅 Soul（迪士尼大电影英文原版）

　　Joe Gardner was not someone who made people sit up and take notice.Not at first,anyway.He was tall but mild-mannered,with a thin mustache and a timid smile.He wore glasses with heavy black frames.At forty-six,his black hair was just starting to turn gray.He didn't care about clothes,so his wardrobe consisted mostly of slacks and black turtlenecks.

　　Anyone meeting Joe for the first time would never guess that within his chest,his heart beat with white-hot passion-a fire that burned for just one thing.

　　Joe loved jazz music.

　　He'd fallen for jazz when he was twelve years old.Since that day,he'd devoted his life to the music-listening to it,studying it,playing it.Jazz was the first thing he thought of in the morning.At night,he went to sleep with riffs and codas swirling through his brain.

　　For Joe,the incredible thing about jazz music,the thing that kept it from getting old,was that there were so many ways to play it.And all those ways made you feel something different.

　　Jazz could be bold and confident.Or playful.Or melancholic.Some jazz made you feel on top of the world.And when you were down in the dumps,jazz could be a balm for your soul.

　　And then there was the kind of jazz that made you feel like you were being run over by a garbage truck.In other words,jazz played by a middle-school band.

　　Unfortunately,Joe was deeply familiar with this variety.

　　On a Friday morning in late fall,Joe stood at the podium in the M.S.74 band room.Armed with only a conductor's baton,he bravely tried to coax a harmony from the noise assaulting his ears.

　　"One,two,three,four! Stay on the beat! Two,three,four-" Joe shouted,waving the baton in vain.He could barely make himself heard over the honking and shrieking of the horn section."That's a C-sharp,horns!"

　　CRASH! A trombonist knocked over her music stand.The trumpeter next to her was slouched so far down that he appeared to be playing into his navel.One of the saxophonists seemed to be playing the wrong song entirely-probably because the kid was paying more attention to his cell phone than the sheet music.

　　Joe turned to Connie,a petite trombonist in the first row.She was his last hope."All you,Connie.Go for it!"

　　Connie raised her trombone to her lips and began her solo.The notes rang out clear and strong over the cacophony.She closed her eyes,swaying as she played.

　　Joe smiled.Once in a blue moon,a student came along who made teaching almost seem worth it.Connie was one of those students.The kid was good.

　　But then the other kids started to laugh.Joe heard their snickers ricocheting around the room.

　　Connie heard them,too.She seemed to wilt in her chair.Her notes faltered.

　　"Hang on,hang on!" Joe hollered.He tapped the music stand with his baton.With a few honks and squeaks,the music ground to a halt.

　　"What are y'all laughing at?" Joe asked sternly.

　　The students gave him blank looks.

　　"So Connie got lost in it.That's a good thing." Joe walked over to the piano.Still talking,he began to play."I remember one time,my dad took me to this jazz club.It was the last place I wanted to be.But then I see this guy playing the piano ..." Joe ran his hands over the keys,riffing."It's like he's singing.And I swear,the next thing I know,it's like he floats off the stage.That guy was lost in the music.He was in it-and he took us with him.I wanted to learn how to talk like that.That's when I knew I was born to play."

　　He ended with a flourish,then turned to look at his students."Connie knows what I mean.Right,Connie?"

　　Connie shrank in her seat.She looked like she wanted to disappear."I'm twelve," she said.

　　A knock at the classroom door interrupted the moment."I'll be right back.Practice your scales," Joe told the class.

　　He stepped out into the hall.Ms.Arroyo,the school vice principal,was standing there."Sorry to interrupt,Mr.Gardner," she said."I wanted to deliver the good news personally." She handed Joe a letter.

　　Joe opened it and scanned the contents.With a shock,he realized it was a full-time job offer-his first ever.

　　"No more part-time for you," the vice principal said,beaming."They finally cleared enough in the budget.You're now our full-time band teacher! Job security.Medical benefits.Pension." She looked at Joe expectantly.

　　"Wow.That's ...great," Joe managed.

　　Vice Principal Arroyo held out a hand for Joe to shake."Welcome to the M.S.74 family,Joe.Permanently."

　　Joe forced himself to smile.

　　Permanently.The word echoed in Joe's mind for the rest of the morning.He knew he should be happy.He'd barely been scraping by on his part-time salary.This job would change all that.

　　But his position at M.S.74 was only supposed to be temporary,just something to keep him afloat until he got his big break.The only thing Joe wanted was to play great music-and not just for a bunch of half-awake middle schoolers.

　　When class let out that day,Joe still felt uncertain.He decided to go see his mother.Maybe she would have some words of advice.Not to mention that he had laundry to do.

　　Libba Gardner owned a small tailoring shop in Queens,New York.She was a tall,elegant woman in her sixties with cropped white hair and a no-nonsense attitude.As Joe folded his laundry,he filled her in on the job offer.

　　"After all these years,my prayers have been answered! A full-time job!" she said,clasping her hands together.

　　"Yeah," Joe said heavily.

　　His mother fixed him with a stern look."You're going to tell them yes,right?"

　　"Don't worry,Mom," Joe said."I've got a plan."

　　Libba's lips pursed like she'd sucked on a lemon."You've always got a plan.Maybe you need to have a backup plan,too,for when your plan falls through."

　　Joe didn't know why he felt so stunned.She'd never supported his career choices.Why had he thought this time would be any different?

　　Libba sighed."Joey," she said in a softer voice,"we didn't struggle giving you an education just so you could be a middle-aged man washing your underwear in my shop."

　　"Yeah.But,Mom-" Joe began.

　　Libba cut him off."With this job,you'll finally be able to put that dead-end gigging behind you."

　　"Yeah,but ..."

　　"And just think," Libba went on,"playing music will finally be your real career.So you're going to tell them yes,right?"

　　Joe opened his mouth to protest.Then he closed it.He knew nothing he could say would change his mother's mind.

　　And maybe she was right.Maybe this job really was the best career he could hope for.

　　Joe let out a long sigh.Then he nodded."Yeah."

　　"Good." Libba looked satisfied.

　　Bzzzz.Joe's phone vibrated in his pocket.He pulled it out and saw an unfamiliar number."Hello?"

　　"How you been,Mr.G?" said a voice Joe recognized but couldn't place."It's Curley-uh,Lamont.Lamont Baker."

　　"Curley!" Joe was surprised to hear from his former student.It had been-what? At least a decade since Curley had graduated from middle school."Hey,man.How you been?"

　　"Great,Mr.Gardner."

　　Joe chuckled."You can call me Joe now.I'm not your teacher anymore."

　　"Okay,Mr.Gardner.Hey,look," Curley said,getting to the point,"I'm the new drummer in the Dorothea Williams Quartet,and we're kicking off our tour with a show at The Half Note tonight ..."

　　"Dorothea Williams?" Joe yelped."You're kidding.Congratulations,man! Wow.I would die a happy man if I could perform with Dorothea Williams."

　　"Well," Curley replied,"this could be your lucky day ..."

　　Moments later,Joe hung up the phone,his heart pounding.Dorothea Williams! I'm gonna try out for the Dorothea Williams!

　　Dorothea Williams was one of the greatest living saxophone players,a queen of the New York jazz scene.The chance to play with a musician like her only came around once in a lifetime.

　　Joe made a quick excuse to Libba and dashed for the door.He headed for the subway that would take him to the West Village,where The Half Note was located.

　　Twenty minutes later,Joe sprinted up to a green brick building with a red awning over the doorway.Once inside,he paused to catch his breath.His eyes swept over the black-and-white photographs lining the stairwell that led down to the club.All of Joe's heroes were there: Duke Ellington.John Coltrane.Miles Davis.Ella Fitzgerald.Thelonius Monk.Ornette Coleman.Dizzy Gillespie.Charlie Parker.Bill Evans.And so many more.

　　And now it was Joe's turn.At least,he hoped so.

　　"There he is! My man!" Curley was waiting for Joe at the bottom of the stairs.He was taller and broader than the last time Joe had seen him,and his head was shaved bald.But he had the same sweet,round face he'd had at thirteen.

　　"Hey,Curley," Joe said,shaking his hand.

　　"Leon skipping town really put us in a bind,man," Curley told him.

　　"I'll bet." Joe tried to look sympathetic.But inwardly,he thanked his lucky stars.If he ever met Leon,he was going to take him out to dinner for giving him this chance!

　　"I'm glad you made it," Curley said,leading Joe into the club.

　　As Joe's eyes adjusted to the semidarkness,he saw Dorothea onstage,warming up on her sax.Silhouetted against the red curtain,she looked as regal as a queen on her throne.But it was the music that stopped Joe in his tracks.The sound coming from her sax was warm and rich enough to drink.He stood there for a moment,dazzled.

　　"Hey,Dorothea," said Curley,"this is the cat I was telling you about.My old middle-school band teacher,Mr.Gardner!"

　　"Call me Joe,Dorothea ...I mean,um,Ms.Williams.It's a pleasure.Wow.This is amazing," Joe gushed.

　　Dorothea lowered her saxophone.She gave Joe a long,appraising look.The silence stretched on awkwardly.

　　To fill it,Curley added,"Joe is Ray Gardner's son."

　　"So," Dorothea said at last."We're down to middle-school band teachers now."

　　Joe glanced helplessly at Curley.Did that mean he was out? Before he'd even played?

　　"Get on up here,Teach," Dorothea commanded,rising from her chair."We ain't got all day."

　　Joe sprang onto the stage.He barely had time to take a seat at the piano when Dorothea snapped her fingers.

　　"What ...what are we playing?" Joe asked.

　　In answer,Dorothea started to play.Curley and the bassist,Miho,a slender woman with a fedora tipped over one eye,joined in without missing a beat.

　　Joe played a few chords,trying to keep up and figure out where they were going.After a few bars he caught on and pressed the keys harder.Dorothea turned to him and raised an eyebrow,as if to say,It's all you.Show me what you got.

　　Joe took a deep breath.He closed his eyes and began his solo.The Half Note,Dorothea,and Curley all faded into the background.It was just Joe and the piano.He felt like he was floating-floating on a sea of music ...

　　At some point,Joe realized that the room had gone silent.He opened his eyes.Dorothea,Curley,and Miho were all staring at him.

　　"Uh,sorry." Joe lifted his hands from the keyboard,feeling his face go hot."I zoned out a little back there."

　　"Joe Gardner," Dorothea said."Where have you been?"

　　"I've been teaching middle-school band," he answered."But on weekends,I-"

　　"You got a suit?" Dorothea interrupted.When Joe hesitated,she commanded,"Get a suit,Teach.A good suit.Back here tonight.First show's at nine.Sound check's at seven.We'll see how you do."

　　Joe grinned.But his insides were doing cartwheels.He'd done it! He was the new pianist for the Dorothea Williams Quartet!