Ten-time Grammy award-winning vocal phenomenon Bobby McFerrin highlighted his residence as a Montgomery Fellow at the College with a stunning solo concert at the Hopkins Center on Tuesday evening.
McFerrin is an unconventional and greatly respected musician who has spanned vast technical and imaginative territories. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, the Yellow Jackets, the Vienna Philharmonic and Herbie Hancock, and he was named the creative director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in 1994. He has also worked with actors such as Jack Nicholson, Savion Glover, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal.
McFerrin performed before a completely sold-out show in Spaulding Auditorium. He demonstrated an almost superhuman versatility with his voice and rhythm, while also charming the audience with his extremely personable stage presence.
The vocalist, who has been described as "living music" by the Los Angeles Times, could verily be described as a one-man a cappella band, beating out endless rhythms on his chest and body with his hands while singing multiple notes simultaneously across a seemingly impossible range.
His repertoire for the night included well-known pop songs, classical music, birdcalls, and a spectacular collection of jazz tunes.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the concert was the audience participation. McFerrin turned conductor as he divided the audience and indicated that each section sing certain notes in order to provide a background for his own singing. It worked amazingly well, as the low hum washed over the auditorium and harmonized with McFerrin's own vocal symphony.
At one point, he called out for anyone who wanted to dance to come up on stage, announcing, "We're going to do a modern dance improvisation here." Three courageous members in the audience stepped up, and McFerrin ordered all the lights turned off except for one solitary spotlight. He then bade the three audience members to dance, one at a time, while he improvised appropriate a cappella to each dance. The entire episode was wildly funny and impressive at the same time.
The Dodecaphonics, an undergraduate a cappella group, guest-starred on the show, performing Evanescence's hit song "My Immortal" and providing a physical backdrop for McFerrin, who jokingly made them stay onstage in case he needed them for later.
McFerrin never lost his crowd for a moment, as he continued his interactive repertoire throughout the concert. He walked into the audience, singing right at individual people. By guiding them with his voice, he got individual members of the audience to perform soft duets with him into the mike.
Near the very end, he made a call for "all singers," and when he did, more than fifty singers from the Dartmouth community bounded to the stage and sang to McFerrin's conducting.
The sheer beauty and versatility of McFerrin's performance made perfectly clear the enormous impact he has had on the world of music. Throughout the night, he was at turns an opera singer, Dorothy of Oz, a beat box, a car engine, a mockingbird, a pair of castanets, a torrent of raindrops, and a boys' choir.
A truly inspired artist and performer, McFerrin dazzled with his versatility, technique and range, and he left the audience of the show with an incomparable musical experience they will not soon forget.
