We’re celebrating Bobby McFerrin this weekend!
As I’ve written before, the best Bobby McFerrin album is whatever one you’re listening to, and his live concerts are always revelatory. I can literally put myself in my seat at every Bobby concert I’ve ever attended and remember the process of trying to absorb each of his albums.
He is without question one of the most brilliant musicians alive.
This weekend, Bobby is receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Grammy Awards. It’s a no-brainer; even as he has moved away from regular recording in favor of the magic of live improvisation, he has created a remarkable recorded legacy. (Even if his best selling song, “Don’t Worry Be Happy” is pretty far outside his creative core, and even though I have heard dozens of people mix him up with Bob Marley.
Take a few minutes and read this beautiful retrospective on his musical career and legacy in the San Francisco Chronicle. He is still making music regularly today, in a non-touring way, and I don’t doubt still breaking new ground.
Singing with Bobby in 2020, just before the pandemic shutdown began, was a musical highlight of my life, and one I probably won’t get again. I will hold tight to it and all the other rooms I’ve shared with him in concert, and his musical will always be present.
(If you use Spotify, here’s a playlist simply titled “Everything Bobby!“)