I finally met the great man. A hero of mine since before I could walk,
@bobby.mcferrin has taught me more about music than pretty much any human being I can think of. Not just a master of the notes and his instrument, Bobby’s a fearless collaborator, chronic rule bender, one-man-show pioneer, acapella mastermind, permission beacon, audience conductor, sonic revolutionary and total magician, as well as a warm and sparkling person.
Within 5 minutes of meeting we were improvising, which led to many hours of stories, songs and jokes - the kind of dialogue that weaves its way effortlessly between speech and music. One highlight for me was the realisation of our mutual love of Keith Jarrett’s “Facing You” from 1972, the album that most inspired me as a piano player - and the pathway that led Bobby to exploring improvised solo shows.
His parting words to me, “keep singing” (slide 4), will reverberate forever for me, alongside the hundreds of hours of his music, etched into my memory, that have become a home to me and so many others.
Thank you, Bobby. I can’t wait until next time :-)
