Fear that perhaps the 20th anniversary celebration of the Vail Series ended with Yo-Yo Ma?
Don’t worry, be happy.
Renowned jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin will be performing at 8 p.m. on Saturday (April 1) in
Swasey Chapel.
McFerrin was born in New York City in 1950. Both of his parents were trained opera singers.
By the age of six, McFerrin was studying music theory. After completing his formal education. McFerrin toured with several rock-oriented bands for a short while.
By 1977, McFerrin was a trained pianist. However, he would soon train as a vocalist, following in the footsteps of his parents.
McFerrin began to work with legendary pop/jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks.
However. in 1982. his true skills began to shine and McFerrin recorded and released his debut album, Bobby McFerrin for Elektra Records.
The album worked to show the music world McFerrin’s skill as a -vocalist. McFerrin performed both accompanied and unaccompanied pieces on the album.
It was McFerrin’s 1984 follow-up album, The Voice, that proved the potency of McFerrin’s voice.
The Voice was a milestone in jazz history. This was the first album by a jazz singer to be totally unaccompanied by any instruments.
McFerrin’s 1985 album, Spontaneous Inventions, is regarded by critics as the best album of his career. For this album, McFerrin utilized the skills of many famous musicians, including pianist Herbie Hancock and saxophonist Wayne Shorter.
It was McFerrin’s 1988 follow-up album, Simple Pleasures, that would throw him into the pop music spotlight and give him a household name. The album contained McFerrin’s surprise hit “Don’t Worry, Be Happy. Much like many of his recorded works, the song is totally performed by McFerrin’s voice.
After his successful year in 1988, McFerrin drifted out of the music spotlight for nearly two years. In 1990, he released the album Medicine Music. Unlike his past several efforts, the album did not bring him rave reviews, despite his continued vocal work.
In 1990, McFerrin also teamed up with legendary pianist Chick Core for six concerts. Highlights of the performances were released as a live album entitled Play.
In 1991. McFerrin teamed up with cellist Yo-Yo Ma for the album Hush. It is rumored that these two legendary musicians met at Denison University, while performing as a part of the Vail Series.
After a few releases which did not earn McFerrin any more commercial success, he returned in 1995 with Bang! Zoom, recorded with the help of the jazz group The Yellowjackets. Though the album was not a huge commercial success, it proved that McFerrin was still able to produce and release albums.
In 1995, McFerrin also released his first album of Classical music, entitled Paper Music.
In 1996, McFerrin once again teamed up with Corea for The Mozart Sessions. For this album, both artists would cross genre boundaries from jazz to classical. Despite the fact that the jazz-oriented improvisations on songs entitled “Prelude” turned off some classical purists, the album proved to be a success.
In 1997, McFerrin once again return to critical acclaim with his album Circlesongs. This time around, McFerrin was not a solo vocalist.
The album features the sounds of a 12-member group Voicestra, which McFerrin founded himself in the late 1980s.
Though the album focuses in part around the riffs of McFerrin’s vocals, the album works to show McFerrin’s true genius as a vocalist. All of the music on the album was created on the spot and sounds much like tribal chants.
In 1997, McFerrin also released a compilation of his greatest hits, entitled Jazz Masters.
For more information on McFerrin, connect to his website at www.bobbymcferrin.com.
For more information, contact the Vail Series at (740) 587-6557.
