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"

Silk Road Ensemble + Rhiannon Giddens: « Le blues de l'infirmerie Saint James »

Filmed:
947,415 views

La chanteuse Rhiannon Giddens se joint au collectif musical international Silk Road Ensemble pour chanter « Le blues de l'infirmerie Saint James », enrichissant la chanson de folk américain, que Louis Armstrong a popularisée dans les années 20, d'une influence roumaine et d'une énergie espiègle.
- 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
(MusicMusique)
0
960
3760
(Musique)
01:28
I wentest allé down
1
76200
2576
Je suis descendue
01:30
to StSt. JamesJames InfirmaryInfirmerie
2
78800
3320
à l'infirmerie Saint James
01:36
To see my babybébé there
3
84800
4600
Pour y voir mon bébé
01:42
She was lyingmensonge on a long woodenen bois tabletable
4
90200
5880
Elle était allongée sur une table en bois
01:49
So colddu froid, so still, so fairjuste
5
97760
5680
Si froide, si immobile, si pâle
01:57
I wentest allé up to see the doctordocteur
6
105320
5080
Je suis montée voir le docteur
02:05
"She's very lowfaible," he said
7
113040
4960
« Elle va très mal, » a-t-il dit
02:10
I wentest allé back to see my babybébé
8
118640
6120
Je suis retournée voir mon bébé
02:18
Good God
9
126320
1975
Bon Dieu
02:20
she's lyingmensonge there deadmort
10
128320
6520
elle était étendue là, morte
03:07
I wentest allé down to oldvieux Joe'sDe Joe barbar roomchambre
11
175640
4760
Je suis allée dans le bar du vieux Joe
03:14
On the cornercoin of the squarecarré
12
182040
5760
Au coin de la place
03:20
They were servingportion drinksboissons as perpar usualhabituel
13
188720
5296
Ils servaient des verres, comme d'habitude
03:26
And the usualhabituel crowdfoule was there
14
194040
4760
Et les habitués étaient là
03:31
To my left stooddebout OldVieux JoeJoe McKennedyMcKennedy
15
199800
4240
A ma gauche se tenait
le vieux Joe McKennedy
03:37
His eyesles yeux were bloodshotinjectés de sang redrouge
16
205440
3440
Ses yeux étaient injectés de sang
03:42
He turnedtourné to the crowdfoule around him
17
210240
4640
Il s'est tourné
vers la foule qui l'entourait
03:47
And these are the wordsmots he said
18
215720
4880
Et voici les mots qu'il a dits :
03:53
"Let her go, let her go, God blessbénir her
19
221600
3920
Laissez-la partir, laissez-la partir,
que Dieu la bénisse
03:59
WhereverPartout où she maymai be
20
227480
3680
Où qu'elle puisse être
04:03
She can searchchercher
this wholeentier widelarge worldmonde all over
21
231680
4400
Elle peut recommencer à chercher
à travers le monde entier
04:08
But she'llcoquille never find anotherun autre man like me
22
236920
4840
Mais elle ne trouvera jamais
un autre homme comme moi
04:14
She can searchchercher
this wholeentier widelarge worldmonde all over
23
242560
4856
Elle peut recommencer à chercher
à travers le monde entier
04:19
And she'llcoquille never find
24
247440
3920
Et elle ne trouvera jamais
04:24
anotherun autre man
25
252160
5799
un autre homme
04:32
like me
26
260000
3320
comme moi
04:46
When I diemourir, please God, buryenterrer me
27
274280
4120
Quand je mourrai,
Dieu s'il vous plaît, enterrez-moi
04:51
In my ten-dollardix dollars StetsonStetson hatchapeau
28
279680
4960
Avec mon Stetson à 10$
04:57
Put a twenty-dollarvingt dollars goldor piecepièce
on my watch chainchaîne
29
285520
5176
Mettez une pièce d'or de 20$
sur ma chaîne de montre
05:02
So my friendscopains know I dieddécédés standingpermanent pattapoter
30
290720
5320
Pour que mes amis sachent
que je suis mort immobile
05:08
Get sixsix gamblersGamblers to carryporter my coffincercueil
31
296880
4240
Faites porter mon cercueil par six joueurs
05:14
And sixsix choirchorale girlsfilles to singchanter me a songchant
32
302400
5936
Et faites chanter pour moi
une chanson par six filles de la chorale
05:20
StickBâton a jazzle jazz bandB: et on my hearsecorbillard wagonwagon
33
308360
5336
Mettez un groupe de jazz
sur mon corbillard
05:25
To raiseélever hellenfer as I go alongle long de
34
313720
5360
Pour semer la pagaille
alors que je m'en vais
07:33
Now that's the endfin of my storyrécit
35
441080
6440
C'est la fin de mon histoire
07:42
Let's have anotherun autre roundrond of boozeboissons alcoolisées
36
450600
5600
Prenons une autre tournée
07:49
And if anyonen'importe qui should askdemander you
37
457160
5440
Et si quelqu'un vous le demande
07:56
Just tell them I got
38
464160
4936
Dites juste que j'ai
08:01
the StSt. JamesJames InfirmaryInfirmerie
39
469120
4120
le blues
08:15
bluesBlues
40
483960
3800
de l'infirmerie Saint James
08:30
(ApplauseApplaudissements)
41
498040
3760
(Applaudissements)
Translated by Morgane Quilfen
Reviewed by Elise LeCamp

▲Back to top

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
THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM