ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Silk Road Ensemble - Musical explorers
With a repertoire spanning classical, improvisational and folk traditions from around the globe, the Silk Road Ensemble spins sounds that celebrate cultural solidarity.

Why you should listen

Inspired by the exchange of ideas and traditions along the historical Silk Road, cellist Yo-Yo Ma established Silkroad in 1998 to explore how the arts can advance global understanding. Since 2000, the Silk Road Ensemble has been at the core of Silkroad's work. Representing a global array of cultures, the Ensemble models new forms of cultural exchange through performances, workshops and residencies. The artists of the Ensemble draw on the rich tapestry of traditions from around the world that make up our many-layered contemporary identities, weaving together the foreign and familiar to create a new musical language.

The Ensemble tours throughout the world and has recorded six albums. "St. James Infirmary Blues," which the Ensemble performed at TED2016, appears on Sing Me Home, its new, Grammy Award-winning album. Sing Me Home was recorded alongside the new documentary feature The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble from Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville.

For its TED2016 appearance, Silk Road Ensemble is:

Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (bass)
Johnny Gandelsman (violin)
Joseph Gramley (percussion)
Karen Ouzounian (cello)
Kojiro Umezaki (shakuhachi)
Michael Ward-Bergeman (accordion)
Reylon Yount (yangqin)
Evan Ziporyn (clarinet)

More profile about the speaker
Silk Road Ensemble | Speaker | TED.com
Rhiannon Giddens - Musician
With a rich voice and an equally rich sense of history, Rhiannon Giddens animates American folk tradition with her electrifying song interpretations.

Why you should listen

Singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens is the co-founder of the Grammy-winning string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops, playing banjo and fiddle. Giddens's 201 Grammy-nominated solo debut, Tomorrow Is My Turn, blends gospel, jazz, blues and country, showcasing her dazzling vocal prowess. Her follow-up album, Freedom Highway, largely comprised of original songs, was released to widespread critical acclaim in February 2017.

Giddens performed at the Obama White House and duets with country star Eric Church on his powerful anti-racism hit "Kill a Word." In 2016, she received the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Singer of the Year and the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Bluegrass and Banjo. Giddens also has a recurring role on the recently revived television drama Nashville.

More profile about the speaker
Rhiannon Giddens | Speaker | TED.com
TED2016

Silk Road Ensemble + Rhiannon Giddens: "St. James Infirmary Blues"

Filmed:
947,415 views

Die Sängerin Rhiannon Giddens tritt mit dem internationalen Musikkollektiv Silk Road Ensemble auf und singt "St. James Infirmary Blues". Sie peppt das amerikanische Volkslied, das in den 1920er Jahren durch Louis Armstrong populär wurde, mit Romani-Einflüssen und frecher Energie auf.
- Musical explorers
With a repertoire spanning classical, improvisational and folk traditions from around the globe, the Silk Road Ensemble spins sounds that celebrate cultural solidarity. Full bio - Musician
With a rich voice and an equally rich sense of history, Rhiannon Giddens animates American folk tradition with her electrifying song interpretations. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
(MusicMusik)
0
960
3760
(Musik)
01:28
I wentging down
1
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2576
Ich ging
01:30
to StSt.. JamesJames InfirmaryKrankenstation
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78800
3320
ins Krankenhaus St. James
01:36
To see my babyBaby there
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84800
4600
um meine Kleine dort zu sehen
01:42
She was lyingliegend on a long woodenaus Holz tableTabelle
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Sie lag auf einem langen hölzernen Tisch
01:49
So coldkalt, so still, so fairMesse
5
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5680
So kalt, so still, so blass
01:57
I wentging up to see the doctorArzt
6
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5080
Ich ging nach oben,
um mit dem Arzt zu sprechen
02:05
"She's very lowniedrig," he said
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"Sie ist sehr schwach", sagte er
02:10
I wentging back to see my babyBaby
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Ich ging zurück zu meiner Kleinen
02:18
Good God
9
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1975
Mein Gott
02:20
she's lyingliegend there deadtot
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Sie liegt da tot
03:07
I wentging down to oldalt Joe'sJoes barBar roomZimmer
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Ich ging in die Kneipe zum alten Joe
03:14
On the cornerEcke of the squarePlatz
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an der Ecke des Platzes
03:20
They were servingPortion drinksGetränke as perpro usualgewöhnlich
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Sie servierten die gleichen Getränke
03:26
And the usualgewöhnlich crowdMenge was there
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194040
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und die gleichen Leute waren dort
03:31
To my left stoodstand OldAlt JoeJoe McKennedyMcKennedy
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Links von mir stand
der alte Joe McKennedy
03:37
His eyesAugen were bloodshotblutunterlaufen redrot
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Seine Augen waren blutrot
03:42
He turnedgedreht to the crowdMenge around him
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Er drehte sich zur Menge um ihm herum
03:47
And these are the wordsWörter he said
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Und das waren seine Worte:
03:53
"Let her go, let her go, God blesssegnen her
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"Lasst sie gehen, lasst sie gehen,
Gott segne sie
03:59
WhereverÜberall dort, wo she maykann be
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3680
Wo auch immer sie ist
04:03
She can searchSuche
this wholeganze widebreit worldWelt all over
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Sie kann auf der ganzen Welt suchen
04:08
But she'llSchale never find anotherein anderer man like me
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aber sie wird nie wieder
einen Mann wie mich finden
04:14
She can searchSuche
this wholeganze widebreit worldWelt all over
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4856
Sie kann auf der ganzen Welt suchen
04:19
And she'llSchale never find
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aber sie wird nie wieder
04:24
anotherein anderer man
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5799
einen Mann
04:32
like me
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wie mich finden
04:46
When I diesterben, please God, burybegraben me
27
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Wenn ich sterbe, oh Gott,
bitte begrabt mich
04:51
In my ten-dollarzehn-Dollar- StetsonStetson hatHut
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4960
in meinem Zehn-Dollar-Stetson-Hut
04:57
Put a twenty-dollarzwanzig-Dollar- goldGold pieceStück
on my watch chainKette
29
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5176
Legt ein Zwanzig-Dollar-Goldstück
auf meine Uhrkette
05:02
So my friendsFreunde know I diedist verstorben standingStehen patklopfen
30
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Damit meine Freunde wissen,
dass ich mir treu geblieben bin
05:08
Get sixsechs gamblersSpieler to carrytragen my coffinSarg
31
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4240
Findet sechs Spieler,
die meinen Sarg tragen
05:14
And sixsechs choirChor girlsMädchen to singsingen me a songLied
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und sechs Chormädchen,
die mir ein Lied singen
05:20
StickStick a jazzJazz bandBand on my hearseLeichenwagen wagonWagen
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5336
Stellt eine Jazzband
auf meinen Leichenwagen
05:25
To raiseerziehen hellHölle as I go alongeine lange
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um für mich Krach zu machen"
07:33
Now that's the endEnde of my storyGeschichte
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Und das ist das Ende meiner Geschichte
07:42
Let's have anotherein anderer roundrunden of boozeAlkohol
36
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Trinken wir noch eine Runde
07:49
And if anyonejemand should askFragen you
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Und wenn dich jemand fragt
07:56
Just tell them I got
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Sag ihm nur,
das Krankenhaus St. James
gab mir
08:01
the StSt.. JamesJames InfirmaryKrankenstation
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4120
08:15
bluesBlues
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den Blues
08:30
(ApplauseApplaus)
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3760
(Applaus)
Translated by Olga Polushkina
Reviewed by Yan Lu

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Silk Road Ensemble - Musical explorers
With a repertoire spanning classical, improvisational and folk traditions from around the globe, the Silk Road Ensemble spins sounds that celebrate cultural solidarity.

Why you should listen

Inspired by the exchange of ideas and traditions along the historical Silk Road, cellist Yo-Yo Ma established Silkroad in 1998 to explore how the arts can advance global understanding. Since 2000, the Silk Road Ensemble has been at the core of Silkroad's work. Representing a global array of cultures, the Ensemble models new forms of cultural exchange through performances, workshops and residencies. The artists of the Ensemble draw on the rich tapestry of traditions from around the world that make up our many-layered contemporary identities, weaving together the foreign and familiar to create a new musical language.

The Ensemble tours throughout the world and has recorded six albums. "St. James Infirmary Blues," which the Ensemble performed at TED2016, appears on Sing Me Home, its new, Grammy Award-winning album. Sing Me Home was recorded alongside the new documentary feature The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble from Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville.

For its TED2016 appearance, Silk Road Ensemble is:

Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (bass)
Johnny Gandelsman (violin)
Joseph Gramley (percussion)
Karen Ouzounian (cello)
Kojiro Umezaki (shakuhachi)
Michael Ward-Bergeman (accordion)
Reylon Yount (yangqin)
Evan Ziporyn (clarinet)

More profile about the speaker
Silk Road Ensemble | Speaker | TED.com
Rhiannon Giddens - Musician
With a rich voice and an equally rich sense of history, Rhiannon Giddens animates American folk tradition with her electrifying song interpretations.

Why you should listen

Singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens is the co-founder of the Grammy-winning string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops, playing banjo and fiddle. Giddens's 201 Grammy-nominated solo debut, Tomorrow Is My Turn, blends gospel, jazz, blues and country, showcasing her dazzling vocal prowess. Her follow-up album, Freedom Highway, largely comprised of original songs, was released to widespread critical acclaim in February 2017.

Giddens performed at the Obama White House and duets with country star Eric Church on his powerful anti-racism hit "Kill a Word." In 2016, she received the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Singer of the Year and the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Bluegrass and Banjo. Giddens also has a recurring role on the recently revived television drama Nashville.

More profile about the speaker
Rhiannon Giddens | Speaker | TED.com