Special Event 11 December 2010 - Jane Selkye, Chris Kee & Henry Salvia

photo by baronsboy Jane Selkye translates into Spanish and performs this incredible song written by Joni Mitchell for the classic album, "Blue". In translation, Jane's beautiful rendition takes on a slightly different twist that is less personal and more longing for one's home. The song was recorded by Cookie Marenco, Blue Coast Records, in early December with Jane singing and performing on the guitar, Chris Kee on bass and Henry Salvia contributing tasteful piano melodies. The Extended Sound Enviroment (E.S.E.) proprietary technique was used to maximize the sound quality. Recorded live to 2" tape and mixed to DSD, no headphones or overdubs were employed in the recording. You can check out more of Jane's recordings at JaneSelkye.DownloadsNOW.net and on the Blue Coast Collection. Chris Kee and Henry Salvia are both members of Houston Jones. Cookie Marenco, the Blue Coast Artists and the team (Patrick O'Connor, Mike Howles and Paulo Horn) at Blue Coast Records sincerely thank you for showing your support for high quality music and performances! If you experience any problems with the downloads, please contact support.

Jane comments about translating to Spanish

"Translating lyrics or poetry is a great pleasure because the translator has to find a way to convey mood and meaning while preserving syllable count, more or less. Literal translation would be comical in most cases. I went over the English lyrics and explored image and sound that would get the same message across. In translating the Spanish version back to English, I'm doing the same thing, though I didn't preserve rhyme or meter. In the process, pretty much unintentionally, some of the verses took on additional meaning, as if the narrator were an immigrant from a warmer climate, rather than as the original version shows, an immigrant from a colder northern climate. There's a line there, where in English Joni says "I made my baby cry," that I interpreted as "Mi corazon llora." "Mi corazon" can mean your heart, and is also a way to refer to your sweetheart."

The English Translation of "El Rio"

Christmas is coming
Snow on the trees
Candles glow in windows
Faces full of joy

I dream of a river
to take me far away

The cold here makes me feel even farther away
From the soul of my homeland
these coins are so foreign
the stars are so cold

I dream of a river
to take me far away
An endless roadway of ice
On my wings made of silver
Would I fly
I dream of a river
to take me far away
my heart [sweetheart] weeps

He gave me the gift of his affection
His sweetness calmed me
his soft little kisses,
his ferocious love

I dream of a river
to take me far from here

I was so difficult
from heaven down to hell
and then I turned my back
on his tender heart

I dream of a river
to take me far away
An endless roadway of ice
On my wings made of silver
Would I fly
I dream of a river
to take me far away
my heart (sweetheart) weeps