Warren Hill

Warren Hill是高音及次高音SAX 手，Warren Hill算得非常有特色的Saxman了，其特色在他一头乌黑的长发，和一双迷人的眼睛。 出生并生长在加拿大多伦多的Warren Hill从小是一个摇滚音乐迷，并喜欢吉他的演奏以及演唱，直到11岁的时候才开始学习SAX的演奏。而后又来到纽约学习爵士音乐。而当他开始接触David Sanborn, Grover Washington Jr., Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane等这些爵士音乐家的音乐的时候，小Warren Hill彻底被他们的音乐所征服，并完全把其兴趣爱好从摇滚转移到爵士上来。而在爵士音乐名校伯克利学习期间，Warren Hill很快成为了学校了的明星SAX手。毕业以后他选择了成为一名商业化的Smooth Jazz SAX手。并一开始就获得了成功。从1993年到2002年所发行的所有六张专辑在R&R或者是NAC以及Smooth Jazz电台中的战绩都非常的不俗。 2002年发行的专辑《Love Songs》可以算得上是Warran Hill商业成就最高的一张专辑，当时还被他的家乡加拿大提名为Juno奖中的最佳现代爵士大奖。其实这张由Narada Jazz发行的专辑当中Pop的音乐元素占了一大半。Warren Hill本身就非常喜欢浪漫爱情的流行歌曲。而在他以前的作品中也经常演奏一些爱情歌曲。不过这次他玩了把彻底的，专辑中11首曲子全部都是经典的爱情歌曲，其中包括"My Funny Valentine"，"Because Of You" 这样的超级经典，还有Eric Clapton的 "Wonderful Tonight"， Paul McCartney的"My Love" Paul Young的"Oh Girl" 以及Joe Cook的"You Are So Beautiful"。这么多大家熟悉的爱情歌曲演奏起来是很容易入了俗套的。不过总的来看Warren Hill的重新演绎还是非常有特色的，很多单曲中有非常有亮点，而Warren Hill除了SAX吹起来迷人，他的嗓音也是非常出众的，专辑中他自己亲自演唱了流行曲"Because of You", 爵士Standards "My funny Valentine"以及用拉丁语演唱的"Dancing With You" 。在"My funny Valentine"中，无论是演唱还是伴奏，都非常的Straight-ahead, 而后Warren Hill紧接着来了一段Smooth Jazz的"My funny Valentine"，不过这次是用的次高音SAX。 而在"Dancing With You"中另一个值得注意的亮点就是Marc Antoine的西班牙吉他的演奏。
by Jason Ankeny
Saxophonist Warren Hill was born in Toronto; one of five children, he began playing guitar at the age of eight, and by his teens was fronting a local rock group. Originally he turned to the sax only to play in his school band, making the instrument his total focus following his introduction to jazz during a summer program at the Eastman School in Rochester, NY; influenced by David Sanborn, Hill played each weekend in a local combo while studying physics at the University of Toronto, eventually dropping out to pursue music full time. A stint at Boston's Berklee College of Music followed, and on Graduation Day 1988 he was given several featured solos; in the audience was producer Russ Titleman, who immediately hired Hill for a session with Chaka Khan. He soon relocated to Los Angeles, recording a demo tape that eventually landed him a deal with RCA; Kiss Under the Moon, Hill's debut LP, appeared in 1991, and was followed by a stint backing Natalie Cole on her Unforgettable tour. Scoring an NAC chart-topper with 1993's "The Passion Theme" (from the film Body of Evidence), he next issued the album Devotion, returning in 1995 with Truth. With 1997's Shelter, Hill began featuring his vocals as well as his instrumental skills; Life Thru Rose Colored Glasses followed in 1998 and Love Life was issued in August 2000. A collection of romantic numbers was released as Love Songs in 2002, while 2005's PopJazz had an equally appropriate title. In 2008 he joined the Koch label and released La Dolce Vita.