Adrian Chamberlain for The Times Colonist
The casual listener knows Bobby McFerrin mostly for his lighter-than-air ditty, Don’t Worry, Be Happy.
However, it was the spiritual side — well, the lighthearted spiritual side — of the American singer that we witnessed Saturday at TD Victoria International Jazz Fest. (Sorry, pop fans — McFerrin hasn’t sung his greatest hit in concert for years.)
Black spirituals reflect the faith and the experience of Africans enslaved in America. McFerrin, an unorthodox jazz singer, focused on spirituals in his latest album, spirtityouall. On this warm summer evening, we were treated to some of these — and a good deal of McFerrin-esque whimsy as well.
Like Kurt Elling or Ella Fitzgerald, McFerrin scat-sings in the manner of a jazz instrumentalist. He opened the concert a cappella, rapping his upper chest with his right hand, sometimes seeming to hit two tones simultaneously. To hear this live is rather amazing. (06/21/2015)
Read more at The Times Colonist
Bobby McFerrin on TKA