MCFERRIN PULLS THE STRINGS, BRINGING AUDIENCE TO LIFE

By Allan Kozinn, June 27, 1992

When the first recordings of Bobby McFerrin were released, in the mid-1980's, listeners were amazed by his flexibility, range and inventiveness. Singing unaccompanied, he used circular breathing techniques and vocal acrobatics to fill the musical space around his melodies, giving the impression that he was a human music box, both singer and band in a single organism. When he sang "I Am My Own Walkman," who could argue?

He did not sing that song at Carnegie Hall on Thursday night, when he joined forces with the keyboardist Lyle Mays and the drummer Jack DeJohnette. But its message -- that instead of listening to music, one should make it -- was the point of the show, which was part of the JVC Jazz Festival. Throughout the 90-minute set, he wove individual listeners' responses to his antics into the rhythms of his improvisations, or exhorted the audience at large to repeat short melodic phrases.

He also lured listeners onto the stage to sing, dance, provide vocal sound effects and bang on Mr. DeJohnette's drums. Entirely uninhibited himself, he tested his audience's limits and found that quite a few were eager to join in the fun. Fortunately, he is also a supreme puppet master: he was able to impose an instant discipline and a refreshing musicality on even the most potentially chaotic audience participation exploits.

In some ways, the set was a single performance that unfolded with the impression of spontaneity. But there was also a clear underlying structure, and when Mr. McFerrin was not toying with the audience, he engaged in some fascinating interaction with Mr. Mays and Mr. DeJohnette, whose virtuosity was by no means lost in the shuffle.

Singing rhythmically sharp nonsense syllables here, a sweet vocalise there, and hopping around his extraordinary range, Mr. McFerrin turned his voice into a bridge between Mr. Mays's synthesizer washes and Mr. DeJohnette's tactile drumming. At times it was difficult to tell where his voice ended and the instrumental sounds began.

The concert opened with a more traditional set by the New York Jazz Giants, an all-star septet led by the trumpeter Jon Faddis. The six songs, originals but for Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge," offered an interesting study in contrasts.

Mr. Faddis's stratospheric, daredevil trumpet lines, for example, were countered by the brisk chatter of Tom Harrell's trumpet and fluegelhorn solos. The note-bending and wild, winding contours of Bobby Watson's alto saxophone work was complemented by Lew Tabackin's velvety, melodic tenor lines. Mulgrew Miller, on piano, Ray Drummond, on bass, and Carl Allen, on drums, were less frequently in the spotlight, but they made solid contributions and kept the textures varied. 

(Courtesy of NY TIMES)