A single chair is centered on the stage as the performance, Live in Montreal begins.

It is July

2003, at the 24th annual Montreal International Jazz Festival and one of the headline

performers, Bobby McFerrin, a jazz vocalist that is well-renowned for his virtuoso skill, is

making his way onto the stage. The audience is hung in suspense – after all, they do not know

what to expect from a man who is famed for never giving the same show twice. Since the

early 1980s, McFerrin has been described as a musician that has constantly sought greater

possibilities for music (Poole). This is exemplified in the way in which he has used his

technical skill to expand what is thought of as traditional jazz vocal music and introducing

other varied musical styles into his own to create a unique sound that has distinguished him

from other singers for decades.

In broad terms, the genre of the music performed in this concert is vocal jazz. Bobby

McFerrin, however, has come to hone a signature musical style that incorporates many other

genres, so the set is not strictly traditional jazz. Musical elements such as scat singing, the use

counterpoint melodies and improvisation, which are central to McFerrin’s performance, are

some of the typical features of jazz music observed (Hobson 5; Lincoln Center’s Jazz

Academy; Sarath 10). His improvisation included ostinato patterns and syncopation, which

are also very characteristic of jazz music, especially ragtime (Rawlins et. al. 198). McFerrin

also made use of atypical vocal techniques ad. libitum to furnish his singing. This included

tongue-clicks, bird calls and the mimicking of instrumental timbres and even the vocal

timbres of other popular singers. Body percussion, which McFerrin incorporates heavily into

his performance, is believed to be one of the earliest, most primitive forms of music

performance (Locklear 69). McFerrin’s body percussion included clapping, stomping and

slapping his chest and/or thighs to add rhythmic accompaniment to his solo singing.
Most of the repertoire performed during this concert was improvised with the help of the

audience, therefore the music was not performed to reflect a particular style period, but rather

worked to demonstrate the skill of the singer. However, the music that was not completely

improvised was of several different genres. In particular, McFerrin interpolated a melody

from the opera, Carmen by Georges Bizet, a composer of the romantic period. At this

particular point of the concert, a trapeze artist was performing and McFerrin served as her

background music. His dynamics seamlessly fluctuated between loud (forte) and soft (piano),

as did his tempo to reflect the mounting tension of the trapeze performance. Even with the

interpolation of the melodic insert from Carmen, the vocal performance was still largely

improvised. Another musical style included was from the baroque period. McFerrin

encouraged his audience to sing the Charles Gounod Ave Maria superimposed over his

singing of Johann S. Bach’s Prelude in C. Given the tranquillity of this composition, it was

performed at a constant, moderate tempo, with moderately soft (mezzo-piano) dynamics.

McFerrin is a very adept vocalist, with a vocal range that spans four octaves (Poole). He

moves seamlessly between his falsetto and lower registers and with flawless intonation, and

thus, cannot be faulted on any technical aspect of his vocal performance. He also displays a

keen sense of rhythm when he uses his own body as a percussive instrument. In addition to

his faultless musical delivery, he performs with a great deal of emotion that is reflected in his

facial expressions. Variations in his vocal timbre also communicate the range of emotion that

is evoked in the different songs performed. Thus, even though most of the concert comprised

improvised singing, a range of emotion was exuded by the performer in order to

communicate the intention of the music with the audience.

During this concert, The Grand Montreal Choir (Le Grand Choeur de Montreal) joined

McFerrin for an improvised performance. This was my favourite part of the concert as it

demonstrated that Bobby McFerrin’s skill is not limited to just singing. At this point in the

performance we realise that, not only is he a talented performer, he is also adept at giving

sound musical direction to a group of musicians. He conducted the choir with great mastery

and control. There seems to exist a false dichotomy in music that one is either a star soloist,

or a conductor whose important role is often trivialised. With this performance, on the same

stage, on the same night, Bobby McFerrin showed that one can be both. In the broader

scheme of things, I think that exemplifies McFerrin’s fluidity as a musician as a whole. His

talent is all-encompassing and he uses different media to bring his musical ideas to life – and

this particular part of the performance showed just an example of how he is able to achieve

that.

Bobby McFerrin’s career has spanned over three decades, and it is not difficult to understand

why. His talent transcends the borders of stylistic restriction, and his technical skill as a jazz

vocalist is what has enabled him to traverse various musical landscapes, both charted and

uncharted. His use of improvisation and inclusion of the audience into his performances

ensures that every single one of his live shows is as unique as the last and can never be

replicated – taking away the monotony for both him and his audiences alike. I would

certainly enjoy another live performance of this musician’s work, particularly because of this

element of surprise. It is for this reason that I would recommend attending his performances

to my family and friends.

Link to Bobby McFerrin’s Live in Montreal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=WodODxpTbpA
 WORKS CITED

1. Hobson, Vic. Creating Jazz Counterpoint: New Orleans, Barbershop, and the Blues.

University Press of Mississippi, 2014, pp 5-7.

2. Lincoln Center's Jazz Academy. “Exploring Jazz Vocals and Scat Singing”. Youtube,

uploaded by Jazz at Lincoln Center’s JAZZ ACADEMY, 1 October 2015,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHcnoQUx_4w.

3. Locklear, Steve. “Body Percussion”. Drum! May 2006, pp.69 - 74.

4. Poole, John. “Bobby McFerrin’s Improv-inspired ‘Vocabularies’”. NPR Choice page.,

6 April 2010, https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?

storyId=125725036&sc=fb&cc=fp. Accessed 30 May 2018.

5. Rawlins, Robert, Nor Eddine Bahha, Jazzology. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard, 2005,

pp.131-133; 198.

6. Sarath, Edward. Improvisation, Creativity, And Consciousness. Albany: SUNY Press,

State Univ. of New York Press, 2013, pp.3-10.