Since a cappella pioneer Bobby McFerrin singlehandedly gave the vocal arts a hand up to a whole new level of possibilities in the 1980s with his iconic hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy," we have looked at him and listened to him with awe and gratitude. Experiencing him perform live several times only increased these feelings exponentially, and we had the feeling that everyone in the audience was on exactly the same page. Well, in the early 90s Bobby seems to have picked up on that, and has invited the audience to participate, and included interaction with guest musicians, all improvised. This has cemented his reputation as a marvelous entertainer, and has created a new kind of concert-not a performance, but a "communal sharing and celebration of music." This is exactly what the new DVD "Live in Montreal" is all about. It's beautifully filmed at the "Festival International de Jazz de Montreal," In these 21 video cuts, part of the audience is right up on stage with Bobby, and he improvises and creates musical events with them and members of the main audience. He improvises with a trapeze artist above him, and with a singing viola player. I'll just list some of the cut titles to give you a taste of what happens in this very special DVD: 12. "Improvisation with Richard Bona," 13. "Improvisation, Country Stuff," 13. "Baby," 14. "Improvisation with Tamango "Well You Needn't," 15. "Bwee Do," 16. "Le Grand Choeur de Montreal, It's a Wonderful World," 17. "Circlesong One," 18. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and 19. "The Wizard of Oz Medley." Bobby is a living a cappella legend, and this live show is creative, funny, touching and simply brilliant. Don't miss this one! |
