Pop phenom revels in spontaneity of show

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

At 53, Bobby McFerrin either has a lot of guts or still is trying to decide what he wants to be when he grows up.

Forget that "Don't Worry, Be Happy" stuff. Bobby McFerrin has reinvented himself and is here for a one-man show. Gannett News Service photo; Photo illustration by Nick F. Gervais • The Honolulu Advertiser

He's bold — he's doing a one-man concert Saturday night under the auspices of the Honolulu Symphony, except the orchestra musicians are not part of the evening. It's solo from start to finish, so McFerrin could really get lonely, though audience participation will factor in there somewhere.

"It's very comfortable," McFerrin said of this one-man odyssey. "I like the risk, the challenge, of creating something out of nothing. It's spontaneous; and no two shows are ever alike."

He's also conducting — yep, with baton in hand — in periodic appearances, but not here. He's become a serious maestro, bringing new meaning to long-hair musician, what with his dreadlocks.

"When you make music with 60, 70 or 80 musicians who all love Mozart and Beethoven, my goodness ... it's a joyous time," said McFerrin.

Take this solo business. "I simply start singing and it's hard to say if this one-man thing is more difficult than doing a (conventional) concert," he said in a telephone interview. "The voice has the largest color palette of any instrument; in fact, most instruments try to duplicate the voice, not the other way around. I never lose my voice, even in a show like this, because my technique is simple. I sing softly; not any louder than the way I'm speaking to you."

He was adamant about putting the solo thing in perspective. "I'm not mimicking instruments," he said. In essence, he'll sing, often in scat-style vocalizing, drawing in other vocal dynamics. It's bare-bones minimalist, but it's full-tilt concert.

Hard to explain, he admits, so you need to see — or hear — for yourself.

McFerrin has been dubbed a natural wonder in the world of music. No wonder. A 10-time Grammy Award winner, he's reinvented himself a number of times, perhaps to escape boredom, perhaps to soar and achieve new goals. Whatever.

With his four-octave range and an uncanny ability to switch from folk to jazz to the classics, he's a man for all seasons and reasons. He uses his voice to render trumpet-inspired parts in the jazz classic "Round Midnight," or frolics in flute and cello territory in works by Faure and Vivaldi.

Keeps his life interesting, he said. And full of challenges.

"My manager, Linda Goldstein, and I are thinking of new projects all the time," said McFerrin, who, unfortunately, is mostly known only for creating and singing that old hit, "Don't Worry, Be Happy."

While he's happy the tune put him on the map, it's not charted in his current musical journeys, so don't expect to hear him sing it here. Don't holler out the title, either, if you're anticipating an encore.

Ain't gonna happen.

"I'm just still a student of music," he said. "There's still so much to learn, still some wonderful music to be made."

He has been fascinated by the solo work of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett and has expanded that interest — with passion — into his own career.

Over the years, he's mastered a number of instruments but counts piano as his principal choice now. He credits musical parents for his direction into music. His father, Robert McFerrin Sr., was the first African-American male soloist at the Metropolitan Opera and provided the singing voice for Sidney Poitier in the 1958 Hollywood flick "Porgy and Bess." His mother also sang opera.

With such a pedigree, the state of current pop music worries him. "There is a lot of rubbish out there and that bothers me," said McFerrin. "What you put in your ears goes to your heart and goes to your mind. A lot of kids are listening to some bad music, and they are not old enough to understand it when they hear and receive it. They are not able to discriminate what they're listening to, to separate the rubbish. But happily, there are some good artists, too, like Norah Jones and Avril Lavigne."

Music education is critically important to youngsters, he said. "Which is why I do some work in this area. From what I understand, music helps the mind learn in a such a way that if used properly, you pick up a lot of things. I mean, how do you learn the alphabets? You sing it. To learn anything else, if you make a song out of it, it's easier to learn."

His earliest recollection of music?

"As a kid, my mother gave me two things. Music and medicine. When she had to give me an aspirin, she'd turn the radio on," he said. "Or I'd listen to music, classical music, to drift off into sleep."

These are fond memories that spawned a career.

Is there something he hasn't yet conquered that he wants to attempt?

"I'd like to write a book of poetry, write a children's story, compose hymns for some masses at the church," said McFerrin. "But there is never enough time."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honolululadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.