Bobby McFerrin in Wrocław: a four-octave voice, jazz and the art of vocal improvisation

Bobby McFerrin is a 10-time Grammy winner, regarded as one of the world’s most renowned vocal innovators and improvisers. He is an outstanding conductor, the creator of one of the late 20th century’s most popular songs, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, and a passionate advocate of music education. His records have sold 20 million copies, and collaborations with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock have made him a true ambassador for classical music and jazz.

McFerrin possesses a four-octave vocal range and a broad repertoire of vocal techniques. He is music’s last true Renaissance man, a vocal explorer combining his own ideas with jazz, folk and world music, choral, a cappella and classical. As a conductor, he has an orchestral ear, making his vocal invention seem limitless. He can sing trumpet-inspired parts in the jazz standard “Round Midnight”, interpret flute and cello lines in Fauré and Vivaldi, or simply create an entirely new sound.

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