Bobby McFerrin is a 10-time Grammy winner who has earned critical acclaim as a vocalist, composer and conductor in jazz, world and classical music. In this six-part series, he speaks candidly about his influences, ancestral memory and other aspects of his artistry.
The Black Classical Masters series is an on-going examination of black history and culture. It explores both by looking at the contributions of black artists to classical music.
More than 80 episodes of the Black Classical Masters series have aired on WLRH-FM in Huntsville, Alabama since the series began in 2001.
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Piece Description
Bobby McFerrin is a 10-time Grammy winner who has earned critical acclaim as a vocalist, composer and conductor in jazz, world and classical music. In this six-part series, he speaks candidly about his influences, ancestral memory and other aspects of his artistry. The Black Classical Masters series is an on-going examination of black history and culture. It explores both by looking at the contributions of black artists to classical music. More than 80 episodes of the Black Classical Masters series have aired on WLRH-FM in Huntsville, Alabama since the series began in 2001.
Transcript
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Timing and Cues
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Musical Works
"Don't Worry, Be Happy," Bobby McFerrin, from the CD "Simple Pleasures"
"Another Night in Tunisia," Bobby McFerrin and the Manhattan Transfer, from the CD "Spontaneous Inventions"
"Air," Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma, from the CD "Hush"
"Turtle Shoes," Bobby McFerrin and Herbie Hancock, from the CD "Spontaneous Inventions"
"Thinkin' About Your Body," Bobby McFerrin, from the CD "Spontaneous Inventions"
"Vocalise," Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma, from the CD "Hush"
"Common Threads," Bobby McFerrin, from the CD "Medicine Music"
"Sweet in the Morning," Bobby McFerrin, from the CD "Medicine Music"
"From Me to You," Bobby McFerrin, from the CD "Spontaneous Inventions"
"Circlesong Six," Bobby McFerrin, from the CD "Circlesongs"
"Menuet from String Quintet No.1 in E Major," Bobby McFerrin from the CD "Paper Music"
"Circlings," Bobby McFerrin from the CD "Beyond Words"
"Mass," Bobby McFerrin from the CD "Beyond Words"
"Taylor Made," Bobby McFerrin and Taylor McFerrin from the CD "Beyond Words"
Additional Files
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Steve Yasko
Posted on March 27, 2006 at 03:51 PM | Permalink
Review of Black Classical Masters series: Bobby McFerrin
This is a pretty nice series of short segments. Bobby McFerrin is one of those artists that every one knows...and most folks love. His story is not often told this fully and completely.
We are taken on a journey through the many facets of the chapters of his life. It is a pretty exciting life too. But....well, in my reviews there always seems to be a But.....
The story telling is a bit stiff, formal...frankly, it takes itself much too much too seriously. Bobby is fun no matter if he's doing jazz, pop or classical. I just didn't feel the fun. I'm afraid I got to go with the narration here. Oh, I wish I could find something else to talk about here. I think this style of narration works really well for the t majority of pieces in this series...and I must confess that I haven't listened to others and I should.
But here I think the voicing can get down right silly in order to pump up the interview segments. Sure, Bobby is a serious cat, but he's got a little Alley in him that comes through in the segments, but kind of looses out at the end of the actualities.
But should that stop you from airing this series? No, I don't think so. The 5 min segments are a great construction that many PDs can work with. It's promotable across the week. A great audience recycler. I do wish the producer had offered up a few ways this could be used..stacking, horizontal etc.