Podcast appearances and mentions of robert mcferrin

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week's conversation comes in two parts. Like it's geographical spread, northern hemisphere to southern hemisphere, think of this two part discussion as a way of engaging both hemispheres of your brain--the creative and the analytic. My guest is fellow Stanford alum and founder of The Jazz & Democracy Project® (J&D) (https://www.jazzdemocracy.com), Wesley “Dr. Wes” J. Watkins. After several years working in the education sector, Dr. Wes launched the program in November 2009 at Rosa Parks Elementary School, located in San Francisco's historic Fillmore District. J&D is a music integrated curriculum that utilizes jazz as a metaphor to bring democracy to life, enrich the study and teaching of history, government, civics and culture, and inspire youth to become active, positive contributors to their communities. He first proposed the curriculum as part of his undergraduate honors program at Stanford's School of Education and later conducted research for his undergraduate honors thesis at Oxford University where he engaged and learned from music educators at both local elementary schools and world renowned secondary institutions. Now based in Sydney, Australia, J&D has traveled to countries all over the world and, in these times of global social transition, Dr. Wes anticipates continued opportunities to feature and further innovate using tools that will leave lasting impact on the ways that youth and educators approach building and living in their communities and beyond. Where to find Wesley? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesleywatkins/) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JazzDemocracy) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jazzdemocracy/) On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@JazzDemocracy) Who's Wesley listening to? Joseph Solomon (https://www.youtube.com/@whatisjoedoing) Other topics of interest: Activist Oakland, CA (https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/oaklands-history-of-resistance-to-racism) Northern Beaches, Sydney Lifestyle (https://content.knightfrank.com/research/2789/documents/en/northern-beaches-lifestyle-guide-2024-10795.pdf) United States Studies Center (https://www.ussc.edu.au/about/mission-and-history) Crikey! or Kriky! (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/crikey#google_vignette) Flat White vs Latte (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_white) Geechi Taylor (https://www.geechitaylor.com/#!/HOME) Find Rachelle Farrell, Meshell N'Degeocello, on J&D (https://www.jazzdemocracy.com/interviews.html) Ledisi (https://www.ledisi.com) Christian McBride (https://www.christianmcbride.com) Betty Carter + Ray Charles (https://youtu.be/1IM3weosOTY?si=PXNlcx1a5UetHPAN) Episode 47 featuring Wynton Marsalis (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/wynton-marsalis) Jazz for Young People @ Lincoln Center (https://jazz.org/education/school-programs/jazz-for-young-people/) Check out the Chris Botti SF Show (https://youtu.be/j9cNsLPXWnA?si=rmoX7ljb9EO4a1y5) About Robert (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McFerrin), Bobby (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_McFerrin) and Madison (https://www.madisonmcferrin.com) McFerrin Special Guest: Wesley J. Watkins.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week's conversation comes in two parts. Like it's geographical spread, northern hemisphere to southern hemisphere, think of this two part discussion as a way of engaging both hemispheres of your brain--the creative and the analytic. My guest is fellow Stanford alum and founder of The Jazz & Democracy Project® (J&D) (https://www.jazzdemocracy.com), Wesley “Dr. Wes” J. Watkins. After several years working in the education sector, Dr. Wes launched the program in November 2009 at Rosa Parks Elementary School, located in San Francisco's historic Fillmore District. J&D is a music integrated curriculum that utilizes jazz as a metaphor to bring democracy to life, enrich the study and teaching of history, government, civics and culture, and inspire youth to become active, positive contributors to their communities. He first proposed the curriculum as part of his undergraduate honors program at Stanford's School of Education and later conducted research for his undergraduate honors thesis at Oxford University where he engaged and learned from music educators at both local elementary schools and world renowned secondary institutions. Now based in Sydney, Australia, J&D has traveled to countries all over the world and, in these times of global social transition, Dr. Wes anticipates continued opportunities to feature and further innovate using tools that will leave lasting impact on the ways that youth and educators approach building and living in their communities and beyond. Where to find Wesley? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesleywatkins/) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JazzDemocracy) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jazzdemocracy/) On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@JazzDemocracy) Who's Wesley listening to? Joseph Solomon (https://www.youtube.com/@whatisjoedoing) Other topics of interest: Activist Oakland, CA (https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/oaklands-history-of-resistance-to-racism) Northern Beaches, Sydney Lifestyle (https://content.knightfrank.com/research/2789/documents/en/northern-beaches-lifestyle-guide-2024-10795.pdf) United States Studies Center (https://www.ussc.edu.au/about/mission-and-history) Crikey! or Kriky! (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/crikey#google_vignette) Flat White vs Latte (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_white) Geechi Taylor (https://www.geechitaylor.com/#!/HOME) Find Rachelle Farrell, Meshell N'Degeocello, on J&D (https://www.jazzdemocracy.com/interviews.html) Ledisi (https://www.ledisi.com) Christian McBride (https://www.christianmcbride.com) Betty Carter + Ray Charles (https://youtu.be/1IM3weosOTY?si=PXNlcx1a5UetHPAN) Episode 47 featuring Wynton Marsalis (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/wynton-marsalis) Jazz for Young People @ Lincoln Center (https://jazz.org/education/school-programs/jazz-for-young-people/) Check out the Chris Botti SF Show (https://youtu.be/j9cNsLPXWnA?si=rmoX7ljb9EO4a1y5) About Robert (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McFerrin), Bobby (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_McFerrin) and Madison (https://www.madisonmcferrin.com) McFerrin Special Guest: Wesley J. Watkins.

In the very first season of Countermelody I presented an episode which featured both Lawrence Winters and Robert McFerrin, two of the most significant baritones of the twentieth century, and both trail-blazing African American singers. Last week I revisited the life, career, and recordings of Lawrence Winters, and this week, as a companion to that episode, I present today his contemporary Robert McFerrin (19 March 1921 – 24 November 2006), the first African American male to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. He made his first appearance with the company as Amonasro in Aida on Thursday January 27, 1955, twenty days after Marian Anderson's legendary debut there. McFerrin sang only ten performances of three roles under the banner of the Met, eight of them in the house, and two on tour. His final performance there, also as Amonasro, took place almost exactly two years after his debut there. Five months later in June 1957, McFerrin went into the studios of Riverside Records, and, accompanied by the pianist Norman Johnson, and over the course of two days, recorded this legendary album of spirituals, his only solo album, which is heard in its entirety in this episode. I am not alone in considering this a classic of the genre. My presentation of all fourteen tracks of this album is supplemented by three recordings that McFerrin made in 1946 for the short-lived Sunbeam Records label, the brainchild of composer and arranger Marl Henderson Young, who provides the accompaniments. At the other end of the spectrum is a guest appearance that McFerrin, Sr. made on a 1990 recording by his son, superstar singer, composer, and arranger Bobby McFerrin. I also feature a recently unearthed live recording of McFerrin singing Amonasro live in Napoli in 1956, as well as a moving recording of McFerrin performing live in Washington DC in 1995, after having suffered a debilitating stroke that left him virtually unable to speak. Nevertheless, the song, however compromised, was still in his heart. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.

During the first season of Countermelody I presented the great African American baritone Lawrence Winters in an episode which paired him with his contemporary Robert McFerrin. Today Winters (born Lawrence Whisonant in South Carolina on 12 November 1915 and died of cancer in Hamburg at age 49 on 24 September 1965) returns center stage to Countermelody in a program which focuses on his prowess in standard operatic repertoire and art song. After vocal study with Todd Duncan at Howard University, Winters toured for several years with the Eva Jessye Choir before enlisting as a member of the Armed Forces. Upon returning to the US, he appeared in Harold Rome's Broadway musical revue Call Me Mister. In 1948 he debuted at New York City Opera, the first Black male singer to perform there; he performed there for seven seasons, returning for a single performance as Porgy in 1962. He made his first trip to Europe in 1949 and in 1950 joined the roster of the Royal Swedish Opera, with whom he sang for two seasons. Thereafter, he joined the ensemble of the Hamburg Opera and later, the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He also performed at the Wiener Staatsoper and the San Francisco Opera. He returned to the Broadway stage in 1960, garnering a Tony nomination for his appearance opposite Joya Sherrill in the play The Long Dream. In the last year of his life he also appeared in Germany in the title role of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones. He made a large number of recordings for Philips, Deutsche Grammophon and other labels, as well as a slew of radio recordings, many of the latter of which are featured on this episode. A certified star in Germany, Winters was often featured in pop music that appealed to the German public of the time but which, frankly, was not always worthy of his talent. In this episode I present him in repertoire that reveals him as one of the primarily Verdi and verismo baritones of his era, even when he was singing those roles in German translation. We also hear Winters in excerpts from two operas in which the protagonists are specifically Black: Frederick Delius's Koanga and William Grant Still's Troubled Island. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.

Imposter syndrome is super common amongst womxn and nonbinary artists, especially when it comes to taking the reins in the recording studio. What we will learn today is that even when you grow up knowing that music is in your DNA and is a possible career path for you and/or your innate talent and passion gets you into one of the best music schools in the country, that doesn't necessarily spare you from struggles with self confidence, or escaping the challenges of navigating music's male dominated spaces and industry. Madison McFerrin was born in 1992, the daughter of Grammy-winning vocalist and songwriter Bobby McFerrin, and granddaughter of Robert McFerrin, Sr., the first black man to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, this singer, songwriter and producer first put out a pair of independently released, a-cappella-based EP's called Finding Foundations Vol. I in 2016, Vol II in 2018, and then began to flesh out her sound on the 2019 EP You + I, a collaboration with her brother, musician/producer Taylor McFerrin. In today's conversation, we'll hear how Madison overcame her own imposter syndrome, took the production reins, and made her most fully realized album to date, I Hope You Can Forgive Me.

For the last episode of 2022, I begin a series of episodes which was one of the reasons I began Countermelody in the fall of 2019: a celebration of great singing from great singers in the late years of their lives and careers. In the early years of the recording industry, a long-retired artist such as Adelina Patti would consent to leave recorded documents of their voices for future generations to experience. Oftentimes a cherished artist will make a guest cameo appearance at an important event (think of Leontyne Price coming out of retirement at age 74 and singing “God Bless America” at the September 30, 2001 memorial concert at Carnegie Hall). Other times, artists like Johnny Mathis, Regina Resnik, or Helen Donath, simply never retire, but continue to bestow their artistry upon us decade after decade. Sometimes, as is the case of Lotte Lenya, a performer finds herself later in her life on a mission which demands that she resume performing, in Lenya's case, as a means of securing the musical legacy of her late husband Kurt Weill. There is also, in the case of someone like Alberta Hunter or Elisabeth Welch, the thrill of a jazz or pop artist at the end of her life experiencing a career resurgence at the end of a long life. In the classical world, artists late in their lives can still give extraordinary performances of art song, which makes fewer demands on their voices than taxing operatic roles, while allowing full display of their deepened artistry and experience. There are also operatic roles specifically designed for the more mature artist: roles like Schigolch in Lulu, or the Countess in Pique-Dame, among many others, which are sampled here in performances by Hans Hotter and Rita Gorr, respectively. There are also those rare and exceptional artists who are able to perform movingly even into their nineties, like the Ukrainian bass Mark Reizen, or the verismo soprano Magda Olivero; or after having suffered catastrophic physical setbacks, like the German tenor Karl Erb, the African American baritone Robert McFerrin, or the pop icon Joni Mitchell. These artists (along with many others) and this topic seems deeply appropriate as 2022 draws to a close and we look forward to the inevitable challenges, the blank slate, the looming horizon, of the year to come. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Angela and Joshua introduce listeners to extraordinary baritone Robert McFerrin Sr. Tracing McFerrin's performance journey from Broadway to The Metropolitan Opera to Hollywood, Joshua and Angela discuss McFerrin's vocal prowess, his ability to take advantage of the evolving entertainment industry, and the influential vocal model he set that generations of successful vocalists have followed.Featured Music:"I Got Plenty of Nothin'" from Porgy and Bess"Pari Siamo" from RigolettoSupport the show

This Sunday, 24 July 2022, the great African American lyric soprano Adele Addison observes her 97th birthday. This Countermelody tribute presents this great artist in live and studio recordings during the glory years of her career, including performances conducted by three of her most important conductor collaborators, Robert Shaw, Charles Munch, and Leonard Bernstein. Addison might be best remembered today as providing the ghost voice for Dorothy Dandridge in Otto Preminger's controversial 1959 film of Porgy and Bess, but her greatest artistic achievement undoubtedly centers on her concert and recital work. Among countless world premieres in which she participated, the most significant was probably the Gloria of Francis Poulenc, first heard in Boston in January 1961. Other contemporary composers represented in this episode are Aaron Copland, Lester Trimble, Lukas Foss, and Benjamin Lees; Addison's exceptional performances of Handel, Bach, Mozart, and Debussy are also featured. Vocal guest stars include Robert McFerrin, with whom she duets in an excerpt from Porgy; the eminent recitalist Povla Frijsh, who was her voice teacher and coach; and Dawn Upshaw, probably her most renowned student. Please join me in celebrating the long life and legacy of this exceptional artist and teacher. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.  

From an AFRS transcription around August 23, 1943. Born Robert Wiedefeld in Baltimore, Maryland, Weede studied voice at the Eastman School of Music and in Milan. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1937, as Tonio in Pagliacci. His other roles at the Metropolitan included the name part in Rigoletto (opposite Jussi Björling), Amonasro (Aïda), Manfredo (L'amore dei tre re), Shaklovity (Khovanshchina) and Baron Scarpia (Tosca). It was with Rigoletto that he made his debuts in Chicago (1939), San Francisco (1940), and at the New York City Opera (1948). At the New York City Opera, Weede also sang in Pagliacci and in the world premiere of William Grant Still's Troubled Island, opposite Marie Powers, Marguerite Piazza and Robert McFerrin. In Mexico City, the baritone appeared with Maria Callas in 1950, in Aïda and Tosca. Later, he sang again with Callas in Chicago, in Il trovatore and Madama Butterfly. In 1956, he scored a great success on Broadway as Tony Esposito in the original production of Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella, which was recorded by Columbia Records. He was also seen on Broadway in Milk and Honey (1961–63, also recorded) and Cry for Us All (1970).

This special episode, the first of two year-end celebrations, presents artists who have already been featured on Countermelody in rare recordings that have recently become available to me. A few of the artists heard include George Shirley, Heather Harper, Lawrence Winters, Elisabeth Söderström, Camilla Williams, Julia Migenes, John Raitt, Gloria Davy, Rosanna Carteri, Mirella Freni, Robert McFerrin, Margaret Marshall, Yi-Kwei Sze, Eileen Farrell, Shirley Verrett, Cathy Berberian, and many, many others in recordings, most from my personal collection, which you may not have heard before. This is a gift of love and gratitude from me to my listeners and supporters, a backward glance at all of the great singers who have been heard on the podcast over the past two and a half years, a theme which will continue next week. I look forward to continuing with new topics and new singers as we move into 2022. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Opera singer Peter Brathwaite shares his passion for five very different singers whose voices, artistry and lives inspire and move him, and whose stories he needs to tell. If you're asked to think of a groundbreaking singer called McFerrin, it's likely that Bobby springs to mind. But this undisputed vocal genius is in fact following in the footsteps of his father, Robert McFerrin Snr: the first ever African American man to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. For Peter, Robert McFerrin's beautiful baritone voice, and his experiences singing on the global opera stage, resonate down generations of black men singing in opera. He both acts as a role model and offers insight into the cyclical nature of conversations about race and representation in classical music.

“Troubled Island,” an opera about Haiti by William Grant Still was written in 1938 but had to wait 11 years for its first performance, which took place on today’s date in 1949. That 1949 production was by the New York City Opera, and the original cast included baritone Robert McFerrin, Sr, whose son, Bobby McFerrin, Jr., became a famous singer, too. Speaking of familiar names, the libretto for “Troubled Island” was written by Langston Hughes, and its dance sequences were choreographed by George Balanchine. William Grant Still was born in Mississippi in 1895, studied music at the Oberlin Conservatory, and took private lessons from the arch conservative composer George Whitefield Chadwick as well as the avant-garde firebrand Edgard Varèse. Like many composers active in the 1930s and 40s, he moved to Los Angeles to write for Hollywood, but also achieved fame as a preeminent African-American composer of concert works. The critical reception to “Troubled Island” in 1949 was negative. One review wrote, “‘Troubled Island’ sounds rather as if the libretto of ‘Tosca’ had been set to the music of ‘The Desert Song’.” But with the hindsight of history, any project involving William Grant Still, Langston Hughes, and George Balanchine sounds downright intriguing.

“Troubled Island,” an opera about Haiti by William Grant Still was written in 1938 but had to wait 11 years for its first performance, which took place on today’s date in 1949. That 1949 production was by the New York City Opera, and the original cast included baritone Robert McFerrin, Sr, whose son, Bobby McFerrin, Jr., became a famous singer, too. Speaking of familiar names, the libretto for “Troubled Island” was written by Langston Hughes, and its dance sequences were choreographed by George Balanchine. William Grant Still was born in Mississippi in 1895, studied music at the Oberlin Conservatory, and took private lessons from the arch conservative composer George Whitefield Chadwick as well as the avant-garde firebrand Edgard Varèse. Like many composers active in the 1930s and 40s, he moved to Los Angeles to write for Hollywood, but also achieved fame as a preeminent African-American composer of concert works. The critical reception to “Troubled Island” in 1949 was negative. One review wrote, “‘Troubled Island’ sounds rather as if the libretto of ‘Tosca’ had been set to the music of ‘The Desert Song’.” But with the hindsight of history, any project involving William Grant Still, Langston Hughes, and George Balanchine sounds downright intriguing.

In this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, lecturer and music librarian Tanisha Mitchell talks about singers of the past and present who broke barriers, paved the way, and continue to carry the torch in "The Enduring Legacy of Black Singers in Opera.” In this first part of the series, Tanisha focuses on male singers spanning the 19th, 20th, and 21st century, including George Shirley, Robert McFerrin, Vinson Cole, Simon Estes, Sir Willard White, Derek Lee Ragin, Eric Owens, Morris Robinson, Russell Thomas, and many more!

Episode 23 – Winters and McFerrin: A Tale of Two Baritones (Black History Month IV) Today's episode, the fourth in a sequence honoring African American singers, this one pays tribute to two great baritones, Lawrence Winters (1915-1965) and Robert McFerrin (1921-2006). Winters was a trailblazer on records and on stage at the New York City Opera and in major German opera houses; while McFerrin, the first African American male to sing a major role at the Metropolitan Opera, made his debut in 1955 as Amonasro in Aida three weeks after Marian Anderson made history on the same stage as the first black solo singer to perform there. This episode examines the early life and rise to prominence of each singer; the role that Porgy played in the careers of both singers; and each one's credentials as a Verdi baritone par excellence. Highlights include an excerpt from William Grant Still's opera Troubled Island, which premiered at NYCO in 1949, and a memorable cache of spirituals recordings from both singers. Guest aritsts heard on this episode include Todd Duncan, Camilla Williams, Marie Powers, Maria Stader, Adele Addison, Laurel Hurley, and Grace de la Cruz. Countermelody is a new podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please also visit the Countermelody website for updates, additional content, and to pledge your support. www.countermelodypodcast.com

Bobby McFerrin (Manhattan, 11 de marzo de 1950) es un cantante a capella y director de orquesta estadounidense, muy influenciado por el jazz. Es el hijo del renombrado barítono solista Robert McFerrin. Su canción "Don't Worry, Be Happy", aparecida en la banda sonora de la película de 1988 "Cocktail" protagonizada por Tom Cruise, fue el éxito número 1 en las listas de Estados Unidos.

Bobby McFerrin (Manhattan, 11 de marzo de 1950) es un cantante a capella y director de orquesta estadounidense, muy influenciado por el jazz. Es el hijo del renombrado barítono solista Robert McFerrin. Su canción "Don't Worry, Be Happy", aparecida en la banda sonora de la película de 1988 "Cocktail" protagonizada por Tom Cruise, fue el éxito número 1 en las listas de Estados Unidos.

Uur 1 1. I?ll be seeing you ? Jo Stafford 2. Let it grow ? Eric Clapton 3. Voetspoor en schaduw ? Karin Bloemen 4. De cara a la pared ? Lhasa 5. Moon over Bourbon Street ? Sting 6. Albatross ? Alela Diane 7. Crawdad?s song ? Harry Belafonte 8. Tennessee River runs low ? The Secret Sisters 9. Une enfant ? Charles Aznavour 10. J?aime Paris au moi de Mai ? Zaz & Charles Aznavour 11. The devil ain?t lazy ? Pokey LaFarge 12. Woordenman ? Marcel de Groot 13. City of New Orleans ? Steve Goodman 14. Jamaican rumba ? Larry Adler Uur 2 1. Morningside ? Neil Diamond 2. Is that all there is ? Peggy Lee 3. Voor alles ? Wende 4. Inch Allah ? Adamo 5. Waltz to the road ? Noa 6. So begins the task ? Stephen Stills & Judy Collins 7. New frontier ? Donald Fagen 8. Er ruhrt sich was in mir ? Dominik Plangger 9. It ain?t necessarily so ? Robert McFerrin & Cast 10. Summertime ? Eva Cassidy 11. Samba de verao ? Marcos Valle 12. Iko iko ? Dr. John 13. Mammagamma ? Alan Parsons Project

Yahaloma comes from an enriched musical family of Multi Platinum and Grammy award winners. Her mother, The Queen of High Energy Evelyn Thomas, has sold over 19 million copies of her hit “High Energy”, which is one of the most remixed dance songs of this age. Her Uncle, operatic baritone Robert McFerrin, was the first African American to be a regular with New York's Metropolitan Opera. She is also the cousin of 10 time Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin. This young lady is an awesome vocalist, writer, and performer, which is no surprise to those who follow her all over the world. Her mother has groomed her for the stage since the age of 4, touring the world, singing, dancing, and opening for the likes of Barbara Pennington, Eartha Kit, Sylvester, Michael Brown, and more! She went on, as a solo act, to open for various artists such as George Clinton and P-Funk, Shabba Ranks, Mary Mary, and George Lott, also appearing, by request, for the mothers of T-Pain, Neo, and Little Wayne, and appearing on BET multiple times. Her writing and vocal skills have even commanded the attention of the Grammy Board, getting her 8 Grammy Nominations for a collaboration with Walter “Clyde” Orange of The Commodores and child activist Craig Deanto, and a collaboration with former Lead Singer of the group Inner Circle, Carlton Coffie, “Everything will be Alright”. She is currently on tour with the Former Lead Singer of The Temptations, Mr. Glenn Leonard, singing lead and background vocals for the Hitsville Live Show as well as heading up her own live show, The Beautiful Tour, world-wide. 

NYCO Tosca arrives with mixed reviews...Are we being too sensitive on the operatic stage?...Cross-over Dido...No Verdi or Puccini next season a Lyric Opera Chicago...Police called on man screaming in his apartment.     It's February, so Oliver's Corner can take a break  from researching operas and rely on the artistry of others.  This week:  Leona Mitchell, Robert McFerrin, and Barbara Hendricks.     This week features Michael, The OC and Doug Dodson.