The Inspiration Work of Bobby McFerrin, One of the most Innovative Musicians and Artists of the Twentieth Century

Through research of his various musical endeavors, it is apparent that Bobby Mcferrin is one of the most innovative musicians and artists of the twentieth century. Mcferrin has never inclosed himself in the box of any one genre, and instead it is he who's fit genres into his own expressive tongue. By combining elements of World, Pop, Classical, Gospel and Jazz music - Mcferrin has created an incredibly unique and powerful voice for himself.

McFerrin's approach to singing and vocals is a brilliant mix of soul and technique. He has mastered the ability of switching swiftly between modal and falsetto registers, and because of this he is able to produce polyphonic effects and perform both the melody and accompanying parts of songs. In addition to this, McFerrin is capable of multiphonic singing - in which a singer seems to produce more than one pitch simultaneously, when actually generating only one frequency with their vocal folds. The last main technique that sets McFerrin apart from other vocalists is how deviceful he is with his own body - using his mouth and chest to create percussive accompaniment and effects. McFerrin uses all these tactics in his improvisation - as an established Jazz musician it's relatively expected that Mcferrin would be a decent improvisationalist, but, he took improv to a whole new extreme using such unique techniques. Eventually, Mcferrin began performing completely improvised shows, creating a far more interactive and personal experience for his audiences. It is In McFerrin's 1984 album The Voice -the first solo vocal jazz album recorded with no accompaniment or overdubbing for a major label- that all of these elements were first documented, and showcased him as a rising virtuoso.

The incredible thing about McFerrin is that even though he is often not accompanied, never does this cause the music he creates to feel lacking. As I said prior, McFerrin was the first jazz musician to start performing solely vocal performances with zero instrumentation and keep an enthused and consistent following: So, when he did team up with other great musicians such as: Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma etc. a whole new side of him was showcased. McFerrin can imitate practically any noise but his ability to recreate the sounds of most any instrument is particularly uncanny. So, when he collaborates with other musicians he lifts the position of the vocalist to the flexibility and musical communication skills of any other instrument. When Chick Corea and Mcferrin collaborated for their live album Play, Corea walked away from the shows with this to say, "Playing these 6 concerts with Bobby has been a total joy. We chased the Muse each night. We explored nooks and crannies of our imaginations. We took each nuance and impulse as it came along and made them all live. We discarded nothing. We admired each other's offerings with no reservations. But the real magic was that the audience was part of the creation the whole way. Bobby's command of artistic communication is magnificent and inspiring. I learned a great deal from him about the art of performance." and Mcferrin in response was just as grateful, excited and modest about the experience - as he continues to be about musical collaboration.

As I said earlier McFerrin has dipped his toes into practically every genre of music known to man; through his repertoire he shows how incredibly versatile he is as well as how he can easily make a tune of any style his own. Mcferrin's style is nothing but "the new"; for a period of his life he didn't even listen to other artists and vocalists so as not to be pushed or influenced in one way or another. Not only does McFerrin dip into various genres, but he is a validated artists in all-winning grammys in both Pop, Jazz and arrangement categories and accomplishing positions like the creative chair of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and a guest conductor for symphony orchestras in both the United States and Canada. His style truly seems to grow and change as he exposes and challenges himself to new heights of vocal and conducting expression.

I personally, was first exposed to Bobby McFerrin on a kindergarten field trip to one of his shows; the memories are of course very vague but this was my first experience with such an innovative form of expression, and that absolutely held a lasting impression. I saw him once more on another field trip a few years later and was able to relate and take in a little more - I recall simply feeling the freedom and fun of the performance as though it was my own personal experience. Now, as a trained musician I can look at the absolute brilliance of his music while still enjoying the freedom and expressiveness in the same innocent manner I did as a kid. But, McFerrin inspires me especially because of his singing and creating purely for the sake of expression; he allowed for recognition but steered away from the egotistical claws of fame. Because of this, he never let himself be stopped by what was at the time musically popular, and he never felt the desire to stop evolving. He paved the way for other musicians to be obscure and expand the definition of popular music, and gave us great ideas and techniques to learn from and be inspired by and for that I am very grateful.

Bibliography:

1. "Who's Bobby?" Bobby McFerrin, http://www.bobbymcferrin.com/whos bobby.php
2. "McFerrin, Bobby." Contemporary Black Biography. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 Sep. 2015<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
3. Washington Post, November 29, 2006.
4. Jet, February 17, 2003, p. 55.
5. New York Times, August 2nd, 1995

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