I was going through my 80s playlist - both to make sure I have stuff to listen to when we travel, but also to make sure I haven't missed obvious hits by various singers. Sometimes, that leads to an interesting discovery - as happened earlier this week.
From the point of view of the Top 40, Bobby McFerrin was a bit of a "one-hit wonder" with this very stereotypical song from the 80s:
Don't Worry By Happy
What a wonderful song and fun video, don't you think?
But, what if I told you that Bobby McFerrin is an amazing musician who is very much underappreciated in popular music? Let me share some of what I found as I became a huge fan of this man!
Firstly, nearly all (if not actually all) of the sounds in his videos/songs are made by him - as he uses his body as a musical instrument bar none.
Say Ladeo
One of his newer pieces, it's a fun video with his wonderful vocals. I can imagine this guy as a hippy grandfather somewhere. The grandfather that all the kids wish they had. And so musical!
Blackbird
I think this was the first piece I saw from this performance event and I was pretty much transfixed by the incredible talent of Bobby McFerrin. Every movement is planned to create a particular sound, whether it's by tapping his chest to create the desired sound or breathing in a certain way.... down to the fluttering of the blackbird!
WTF selection - sort of...
Itsy Bitsy Spider
This one really shows the huge showman that Bobby McFerrin is. He doesn't hog the stage, that's for sure!
Messages
This one is just so completely different from everything else I've heard from Bobby McFerrin. It makes me think of a movie soundtrack or some experimental thing you might hear at a university or something. It's just different! Give it a listen - especially if you think you don't like him.
Speaking of university stuff, listen to this - it's incredible!
Demonstrated the Power of the Pentatonic Scale
This is just a small part of a much larger presentation for the World Science Festival talking about how this pentatonic scale transcends time and culture - it's ingrained!
This is probably why he has an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music (Wikipedia.)
Today's Finale!!!
Concerto for two cellos in G minor, RV 531 (Gewandhausorchester Leipzig)
I love this piece with Bobby McFerrin's amazing vocal ability standing in for a cello - and with real class! I love that he's put the conductor's wand over his ear. I also like that the cellist is clearly enjoying working with him.
That's it for today! I hope you had as much fun as I did!
As usual, I'm simply sharing YouTube videos on a theme, all rights remain with the original.
Note: Crossposted on Steem, Whaleshares, WeKu, Hyperspace.
Bring popcorn! (For @popcornexpress)
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Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
verified author on Goodreads
find me on Twitter
blogging on: Steem, Whaleshares, WeKu, Hyperspace
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