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）
A: Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses is touring Taiwan tomorrow. What about pop diva Lady Gaga? B: Unfortunately, Singapore has once again exclusively secured Gaga’s concerts in Asia, just like Taylor Swift’s exclusive Asian shows last year. A: The Singaporean government reportedly paid up to US$2.2 million to secure Swift’s shows. B: And the shows did boost its economy and tourism. A: But I’m angry about this approach, so I’m not going to Gaga’s shows this time. A: 硬式搖滾天團槍與玫瑰明天即將來台，流行天后女神卡卡呢？ B: 真可惜，新加坡再度取得卡卡亞洲巡演的獨家主辦權，就像去年泰勒絲的亞洲獨家演出一樣。 A: 據報導新加坡政府付出高達220萬美元，取得泰勒絲的亞洲獨家主辦權。 B: 而她的秀也的確提振了該國的經濟和旅遊業。 A: 但我對此還是很不爽，所以不去新加坡看卡卡了！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses and pop diva Lady Gaga are finally touring Asia again. B: Are they also coming to Taiwan? A: The band will stage a show at the Taoyuan Sunlight Arena on Saturday. B: Wow, so this will be the band’s third visit. I really love its 1992 power ballad “November Rain.” The nine-minute hit was the Billboard chart’s longest song at one point. A: Let’s go celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release. A: 硬式搖滾天團槍與玫瑰、女神卡卡終於再度展開亞洲巡演了。 B: 他們也會來台巡演嗎？ A: 槍與玫瑰本週六即將在桃園陽光劇場開唱唷。 B: 哇這將是該團第三次來台演出，我超愛他們1992年強力情歌《November Rain》，全長近9分鐘還曾是告示牌排行榜最長神曲。 A: 那我們一起去慶祝該團出道40週年吧！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
If you could nominate any toys for the Toy Hall of Fame, what would they be? Iconic playthings like yo-yos, toy cars, or video games seem like obvious __1__. Classic toys such as jacks, playing cards, and board games like Chess, Monopoly, and Uno have brought endless joy to generations. Overall, there are countless toys that __2__ in the Toy Hall of Fame. The National Toy Hall of Fame was __3__ in 1998 at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The Toy Hall of Fame aims to __4__ items that have been cherished for generations, and several
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang However, not every toy has its moment. Some fans were __8__ that simple classics like balloons—a universal symbol of celebrations—haven’t made the cut yet. With their lightweight charms and transformative puffs of air, balloons have __9__ millions for decades and will have to wait at least another year for a chance to be inducted. As the Toy Hall of Fame continues to celebrate toys that __10__ creativity and joy, we can only wonder which treasures will earn a spot next. Will the widely adored balloon finally take its place in 2025? Only time will tell, but one thing is
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