Ten-time Grammy- winning vocalist Bobby McFerrin can spontaneously invent complex jazz melodies, complete with bass and percussion, or transform his voice into a realistic horn or violin.
One can easily imagine an insect aloft when he performs Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Flight of the Bumble Bee," or the breezy spirit of the tropics in his biggest hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy," from 1988.
Such talents raised an obvious question as he gave a vocal workshop at the Jazzschool in Berkeley this week. "What everybody wants to know is, how do you do it?" asked Laurie Antonioli, the school's chair of vocal jazz studies.
For the last year and a half, the man with what Germans call the Wunderstimme (wonder voice) has kept his talents to himself during a sabbatical from performing. On Wednesday night he gave his first singing concert ahead of touring in the United States and Europe.
In an interview, he described his technique in simple terms. "There really is nothing to teach. I just tell them that it's yodelling, that's what it is. There really is no great secret behind it," he said.
By that he means rapidly shifting from bass notes from his chest to high notes in his head to create the sensation of multiple instruments, often enhanced by percussive thumping on his chest. Inspired by pianist Keith Jarrett's improvised solo concerts, McFerrin, 56, says he begins his solo shows with a spontaneous work, then adds composed songs.
"The secret behind improvisation is just motion. You sing one note after another and just keep going," he said. "The moment I walk out I am hearing what you are hearing for the first time."
McFerrin began creating his unique style 30 years ago. "My ideal solo concert I have yet to do, and that would be where every single piece is improvised," he told Reuters. "I've had some wonderful improvised concerts, but to do an entirely improvised concert - I have not done it to my satisfaction yet, which means I still have a lot of work to do."
In recent years, McFerrin has added conducting to his repertoire. In February and March he will lead the Munich Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. In May, he will conduct La Scala Orchestra in Milan, and in the coming months will give solo concerts in Hungary, France and Britain.
The Philadelphia resident has performed with top names in jazz and classical music, including Yo-Yo Ma (with whom he recorded "Flight of the Bumblebee"), Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, and is now working on recording choral arrangements of his compositions.
The eclectic singer's work with classical music has by no means repressed a playful personality that includes mocking a pompous music-hall announcer voice (something he heard growing up - his father was the first black male opera singer to perform at New York's Metropolitan Opera) or mimicking regional accents. "What's the secret to being uninhibited, not only in music, but in general?" one audience member asked him. "I've always been sort of a goofball, really," said McFerrin, who sports dreadlocks and a graying goatee.
Earlier he said: "Even when I'm conducting, I don't take myself seriously." He long ago stopped performing "Don't Worry, Be Happy," but it remains lucrative, most recently after its inclusion in the 2005 film "Jarhead," he said.
"'Don't Worry'" has allowed me to do all sorts of things," he said. "It's given me a financial cushion." His last Grammy came in 1992. Even if some listeners are unaware of his later work, McFerrin is grateful to be a successful working musician. "I like doing what I do. The recognition part is not what I am after; if the recognition comes, that's fine."
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