Bobby McFerrin Vocalist and conductor
He will always be remembered for ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ but Bobby McFerrin has “moved on to other areas”. Tuesday July 27th, he brings his latest creations to Malaga
26.07.10 - 10:49 -
Bobby McFerrin has an extraordinary voice capable of practically everything. It is his own powerful musical instrument that he uses to perform anything from Bach’s ‘Ave Maria’ and Vivaldi’s ‘Andante’, to the theme to the movie ‘Son of the Pink Panther’ or the well known ‘My Favourite Things’. “The voice is the original instrument, and the best way for me to communicate”, explains the New York born vocalist in an interview with this newspaper. The artist known globally for his hit ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ has chosen Malaga as the venue for his only concert in Spain. The date is next Tuesday, July 27th, at the Cervantes Theatre, as part of the concert series organised by the Cajamar Foundation.
McFerrin doesn’t need the accompaniment of a violin, piano or guitar. “Musical instruments can be beautiful and brilliant, but they’re not my particular speciality as a performer”, he tells us, although he admits that “instruments extend the range of colours that the music is able to use”.
However, according to McFerrin it is the spirit that is “the most powerful instrument of all, whether it speaks through the voice, the fingers, the heart, or the mind”. He chooses the first option and takes to the stage armed with nothing more than his well-trained voice box.
Intimate performances
Being alone on stage is what makes McFerrin feel “closer to the audience” and in Malaga he promises just that, a concert ‘a capella’.
“Actually, I sing more and more softly as time goes on”, he confesses. “I find that performing is more intimate with the audience that way”. However his extraordinary vocal range remains the same. “I have about one more octave than most people, and I guess that’s a combination of good genes and lots of practice”, he reveals modestly.
His voice gained him worldwide recognition in the late eighties when ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’, which was included in the soundtrack to the film ‘Cocktail’ starring Tom Cruise, shot to the top of the charts. “I’m happy that people remember it and still want to hear it”, he admits. However since he recorded the song more than twenty years ago he has never performed it live. His explanation is simple: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy was me singing seven different parts in a recording studio with no instrumental accompaniment, so it couldn’t be performed in the way that people might remember hearing it - unless I had six clones”, he adds. Needless to say he won’t be singing it in Malaga either.
Explorations
In any case the ten-times Grammy winner had no intention of living off the interest of his eighties hit. “I’ve moved on in my musical explorations and performances to other areas, just like almost every other musician”, he explains. In the nineties he began his collaborations with jazz pianist Chick Corea and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. What’s more he combines his facet as vocalist and composer with that of conductor. “Nothing can match the feeling of conducting an orchestra”, says McFerrin, who has stood up in front of duos, trios, chamber groups, jazz bands, and symphony orchestras.
His latest offering comes in the form of ‘VOCAbuLarieS’, an album with a spiritual sound that “reaches for new heights in the power of vocal music”, with a great variety of “voices weaving all those improvised ideas that were later ‘formalised’,”. It uses “lots of the world’s musical and spoken languages” - including Spanish and a language he invented himself - “in a form completely inspired by music’s freedom of spirit”.
However his ability to innovate and experiment away from current trends does not make him feel like an artist swimming against the tide. “It’s a joy and a pleasure to ride the wave of music for as long and as far as I can”, he states.
In the family
Currently on the crest of that wave is his son, Taylor McFerrin, who modernises Bobby’s vocal style, mixing it with electronics and soul, among other rhythms. “He’s a talented man with his own clear musical voice”, says the proud father, who steers away from comparisons.
McFerrin explains that he had wanted his son to “find his own way” and that now “Taylor seems to be doing well”. “Everyone has to try to do whatever is in his or her heart, if they’re lucky enough to have the opportunity”, concludes McFerrin. And he certainly knows what he is talking about.
Bobby McFerrin - VOCAbuLarieS
Place: Cervantes theatre, Malaga.
Date: Tuesday July 27th.
Time: 9 p.m.
Tickets: From 10 to 40 euros.
Where to buy them: The Cervantes box office; www.uniticket.es or 902360295.
