Members of a 1980s funk and disco group hit a sour note in their attempt to break the world record for the largest kazoo ensemble, falling short of the some 2,600 impromptu musicians needed.
Organizers were hoping to sign up 3,000 impromptu players for the evening attempt in Harlem, New York City, USA, which was led by the female vocalists of Skyy. Their 1980 song Skyyzoo featured the sound of kazoos being played for some gentle backup.
That backup still managed to get louder on Thursday, with more than 2,000 amateur musicians turning out for the concert.
PHOTO: AP
"I don't know anything about it," said Cecilia Malone, standing among a crowd of spectators and looking at the plastic kazoo in puzzlement. "Which side do you blow on? Do you know?"
The current kazoo record was set this past New Year's Eve in Rochester, where 2,600 kazooers gathered to play shortly before midnight. Before that, The Quincy Park Band had held the record for gathering 1,791 players in Quincy, Illinois, in 2004.
With some instruction from a professional kazooist - Barbara Stewart, member of the group Kazoophony - the Harlem kazooers' toneless buzzing soon transformed into lively tooting.
Stewart, who says she's leading a campaign to name the kazoo America's national instrument, declared the crowd members "proficient" players after the lesson, in accordance with Guinness World Records requirements.
With even utter amateurs able to toot one with little instruction, the kazoo has been a classic American instrument since it was invented in the 1840s. The Original American Kazoo Co., established in 1916, still produces the toy players and maintains a museum in the northwest New York community of Eden.
一個一九八O年代放克及迪斯可樂團的團員們,在嘗試想打破「卡祖笛」合奏的世界紀錄時失敗了,總人數比紀錄中的兩千六百多位即席演奏者少。
主辦者原希望找到三千人參加這場位在紐約哈林區、由「Skyy」樂團的女主唱們所帶領的活動。該團一九八O年的歌曲Skyyzoo使用了卡祖笛,也被當成活動背景音樂。
不過這種音樂在星期四,仍吸引超過兩千名業餘演奏者參加活動。
西莉亞:馬隆說:「我根本不知道它是什麼。」她站在一群人中,看著塑膠卡祖笛顯得很迷惑。「要吹哪一邊啊?你知道嗎?」
目前的紀錄是在除夕夜於羅徹斯特所創造,有兩千六百人於午夜前一起吹奏卡祖笛。舊紀錄為「昆西公園樂團」所有,該團在二OO四年於伊利諾州昆西市聚集了一千七百九十一人。
藉由專業卡祖笛吹奏家、卡祖笛樂團的團員芭芭拉:史都華的指導,哈林區荒腔走板的噪音,很快變成了生動的曲調。
史都華正推動將卡祖笛訂定為美國的國家樂器。她說參與者經過現場課程已成為熟練的演奏者,符合《金氏世界紀錄》所規定。
完全業餘者只要接受一點指導就能吹奏卡祖笛,所以它從一八四O年代被發明以來一直是經典的美國樂器。而在一九一六年創立的美國卡祖笛公司,目前仍生產這種玩具樂器,在紐約西北部伊頓地區的卡祖笛博物館也持續營運。(美聯社/翻譯:張愛弟)
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