Some of you know that I go to (and make audio recordings of) TONS of live concerts. The one time I saw Bobby McFerrin remains in the top 5 performances I’ve ever seen! Unfortunately 1995 was before I started making concert recordings…
I hadn’t planned to go but two tickets fell into my lap when a co-worker had a last minute conflict. This was at the intimate Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, NM. The stage contained four stools and four microphones. That’s it! It was Bobby and three other vocalists. No instruments. The sounds they made with just their voices were simply incredible.
The show I saw was an improvisational quartet he called Hard Choral. Not much exists these days from that group, but this clip shows his improvisational style (with a choir). He really involves the audience and spreads a lot of joy.