"" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. We might have witnessed a few younger versions of Bobby Mcferrin, but age passes as time passes. Below we countdown to Bobby McFerrin upcoming birthday. But in reality Mcferrin knew the song helped spread the message of positivity to the world abroad and was very proud of the work as a whole.[10]. He was born on March 11, 1950 in Manhattan, New York. He was 85. And, as we're reminded in this episode of Jazz Night in America, he's also a great storyteller and an incisive assessor of his own artistic motivations. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Usually those rumors were non-specific, baldly imparted as "He committed suicide," but sometimes the additional detail that he'd shot himself would be provided. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Still, that's a lot of people, and McFerrin managed to touch the entire audience. Thank you to everyone for your kind words. As per our current Database, Bobby McFerrin is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020). "I started singing the bass riff with my chest voice and then jumping up to my falsetto voice to sing the tune. Theres an extended interlude in the film where Cruise tends bar in Jamaica, and apparently the producers decided that Dont Worry, Be Happy sounded sufficiently Jamaican, so they threw it in there. In 1993, he recorded Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther" theme for the movie, Son of the Pink Panther. They have three children. Bobby McFerrin was born on March 11, 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. Its just baffling. (Cruises other 1988 movie was Rain Man, the years biggest hit. As per our current Database, Bobby McFerrin is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020). The rumor of his suicide fits an established pattern of celebrities who've become pop culture icons as much for their benign, cheerful personas as for their accomplishments either dying or furtively concealing odious secrets completely at odds to those smiling visages. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic). Needless to say, McFerrin has always contained a universe of sound beyond that historical smash hit, "Don't Worry, Be Happy." The father, Robert McFerrin, was an opera singer who voiced Porgy in the movie version of Porgy and Bess. He is also the winner of many awards and has collaborated with different instrumentalists including Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, Joe Zawinul, and Chick Corea. Hed keep time by tapping his chest, and hed sing vocal melodies and complicated basslines at the same time. Bobby McFerrin, (born March 11, 1950, New York, New York, U.S.), American musician noted for his tremendous vocal control and improvisational ability. At that time, he performed on the PBS TV special Sing Out America! You can just imagine fellow '80s hitmakers like Missing Persons and OMD thinking: Why didn't we think of that? Hit songs have lives beyond anything their creators couldve possibly intended. McFerrin released his self-titled debut album in 1982, when he was 32. His mother was a singer and his father was an operatic baritone. If you search the songs title on YouTube, the second video that pops up is McFerrins song, but its credited to Bob Marley. McFerrin later said that he wasnt trying to sound Jamaican when he recorded the song. [13][14], As a vocalist, McFerrin often switches rapidly between modal and falsetto registers to create polyphonic effects, performing both the main melody and the accompanying parts of songs. His youngest daughter is attending Berklee, but McFerrin favors a different university. McFerrin was given a lifetime achievement award at the A Cappella Music Awards on May 19, 2018. Special thanks to Linda Goldstein and Different Fur Studios, Sunshine of Your Love (Pete Brown, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton), Discipline (Bobby McFerrin) featuring Robert McFerrin & Voicestra, Song for Amadeus (Improvisation on Mozart's Sonata No. He later went to the California State University in Sacramento. ("The middle child has a very good voice, but hes into acting," McFerrin said. 3, Jack Johnson (a.k.a. 5 Shooters Were Arrested With Murder Charges, Charles Johnson Colorado Football Death Cause- Wife Family & Net Worth, MLB: Albert Pujols Wife Deidre Pujols And Kids. Learning how to conduct an orchestra. We got through the entire doo-wop era without any all-voice singles reaching the top spot, and lord willing, well also get through the age of YouTube and TikTok novelties without it happening again. He and Debbie have sons named Taylor and Jevon and a daughter named Madison. However, the false "Bobby McFerrin suicide" rumor does indeed have a real-life counterpart. Bobby McFerrin Greatest Hits // Bobby McFerrin Best Songs // Greatest Hits Full Album 2020 8,825 views Aug 1, 2020 Bobby McFerrin Greatest Hits // Bobby McFerrin Best Songs // Greatest Hits. He is 72 as of 2022. Other times he would conduct a symphony, albeit including a segment where the musicians would put their instruments down and sing their parts. They have three children. Bushs campaign invited McFerrin to have dinner with the vice president, and McFerrin declined. Maybe that's because his music seems to be a story of his life and the jazz and classical music he's learned to perform all seem to melt together and become one unique category all of its own. Bob Marley had been dead for seven years when McFerrin wrote Dont Worry, Be Happy, but many, many people evidently think its a Bob Marley song. He formed his first band in high school, and he went on to become a touring keyboardist with the Ice Follies and a piano-bar performer in Salt Lake City. Hardly. to track Bobby McFerrin and get concert alerts when they play near you. The days of a cappella overdubbing and one-man-bandsmanship are behind him, for now. In the 1959 film version of Porgy And Bess, we see Sidney Poitier singing, but the sound we hear is Robert McFerrins voice. McFerrin also showed up in a 1988 Levis commercial and, two years later, another one for Ocean Spray. He shares the same passion as his father, he was a musician as well. But the Cocktail soundtrack was much, much bigger. Bobby McFerrins album Simple Pleasures went gold pretty great for a covers-heavy album of novelty a cappella jazz-pop. Updates? On September 24 of that same year, he performed the theme song for the opening credits of Season 4 of The Cosby Show. Following his efforts, in 1986 McFerrin was invited to perform at the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles, being a part of Herbie Hancocks band. Two of his children are also musicians and Jevon McFerrin is an actor. Chico Kaonohi (from eft) prays with Priscilla Hoopii and Lana Vierra in November 2022 outside U.S. District Court in Honolulu, after his Native Hawaiian son was found guilty of a hate crime in the 2014 beating of a white man. Robert Keith McFerrin Jr., mais conhecido como Bobby McFerrin ( Nova Iorque, 11 de maro de 1950 ), um msico estadunidense. Dont Worry, Be Happy was a #1 jam. Donald Trumps First Wife Belief And Siblings Details, Footage: Robert Adams San Bernardino Ca Shooting, Who Killed Zack Tv? In 2003, Rendezvous in New York was released by Chick Corea. Bobby McFerrin (born New York City, March 11, 1950) is a jazz-influenced a cappella vocal performer and conductor. Very soon, another nugget from that soundtrack will appear in this column. He created that lasting ear-worm of a #1 hit early in his career. At the time, in the mid-1980s, it was a sobriquet more readily associated with Frank Sinatra but in its definitive clarity, loaded with implications, no term could have been better suited to his art. McFerrin might have meant the song satirically, or at least not fully seriously; theres cutesy mugging all through the track that gives him a certain plausible deniability. Robert McFerrin, Bobbys father, was an operatic baritone singer who served in World War II and then became first Black man ever to sing at New Yorks Metropolitan Opera. Bush started using it as his campaign song, without McFerrins permission. ), "My family is a source of great joy, and of course that gets expressed through music. He's an NEA Jazz Master, a generous collaborator, an endlessly inventive vocal talent, an orchestral conductor. Bush's campaign apparently got the right one and moved on to other musical choices. The Cocktail soundtrack was also a big deal. McFerrin was honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters award on August 20, 2020. Other than the general novelty of an all-a cappella pop song, I dont hear anything musically redeeming in Dont Worry, Be Happy either. In McFerrin's concert appearances, he combines serious conducting of classical pieces with his own unique vocal improvisations, often with participation from the audience and the orchestra. The couple has remained married for over four decades. An artistic traveler who figures out new uses for the human voice and who seems like hed probably be a great hang. A cool guy with a cool family. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He shares the same passion as his father, he was a musician as well. (I dont feel great about mentioning Bill Cosby twice in one column, but hes part of the story here.) Yet the tale wasn't true. This week, he returns with a new recording, spiritYOUall, which isas the punny title suggestsa gospel album. Get your tour dates seen by one billion fans: Magyar Vasttrtneti Park / Hungarian Railway Museum. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. At least in part, that's by . It's just work.". Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. was born on March 11, 1950, in Manhattan, New York. Corrections? Ever since then, McFerrin has traveled the world, doing guest-conductor gigs with various symphonies and leading improvisatory vocal exercises with big crowds. Bobby has been active in his career for over five decades. In 1977 he auditioned for and won a singing job. But his real life? The weird thing was that, although I could visualize myself solo, on stage, I couldn't imagine what it might sound like. His chart-topping feat would be truly impressive if the song were any good. McFerrin sang a Wizard of Oz medley during that television special. By the beginning of the 21st century, McFerrins work had garnered 10 Grammy Awards. Inspired by Keith Jarretts improvised piano concerts, in 1982 he worked up the nerve to sing alone. Currently, Bobby McFerrin is 72 years, 11 months and 22 days old. A true master. Vocalist and conductor whose song "Don't Worry Be Happy" was a hit in 1988. Bobby is also known for coming up with some of the hit singles. McFerrin has carved out a fascinating and successful career in music, and virtually all of that career has played out far away from the pop charts. Apart from the above, Bobby McFerrin has also performed many times on stage. Yesterday I had the pleasure of watching the show one of the greatest contemporary musicians of the past century that keeps haunting the youth of this new era with amazing, innovative arrangements, mixing rhythms, sounds, syncopated melodies ballads with irresistible, inspiring, exciting to see the playfulness with Mc Ferrin that makes everything flow leading the audience into a frenzy Too bad we did not have an encore - the audience stood for about 15 minutes cheering, hoping the whole band back, but had to console themselves with the ground Bobby. And yet he still loosed Dont Worry, Be Happy into the world, like a plague. His song Dont Worry, Be Happy was used by George H. W. Bush in the official election campaign. What a stultifying embrace of the status quo. Toni Basil topped the charts with her 1982 one-hit-wonder 'Hey Mickey'. Bobbie McFerrin is an exceptional performer. He has been married to Debbie Green since October 18, 1975. Still, millions of people evidently think that McFerrin was Jamaican or, rather, that Dont Worry, Be Happy is actually a song from the most famous Jamaican musician of all time. He was the voice of Santa Bears First Christmas in 1986. It was a single from her debut album Word of Mouth, and it was originally written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. At this performance he was nicely supported by 4 others from his Voices ensemble, and at times they provided fun and amusement, other times melancholy and emotion. He also featured as the voice of Santa Bear in the film Santa Bears First Christmas. song of the year and record of the year, and winning the "best pop vocal, male" award for Bobby McFerrin. As a young man, Bobby McFerrin played jazz keyboards. Along with some originals, he covers religious/humanist songs ranging from the Negro-spiritual era on up to Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released"; sometimes playing with scatted vocals in his jazzy trademark way, but sometimes going for more of a bluesy, earthy, Americana feel. It is the best kept secret in Berkeley right now. Beyond Words became available in 2002. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Does Kevin Gates Have A Sister? 1989 saw McFerrin compose the music for a Pixar short film entitled Knick Knack. Live Live Death Statistics Worldwide and The United States Bobby McFerrin - Biography Robert Keith "Bobby" McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American jazz vocalist and conductor. Music News Guns N' Roses to Tiffany: No.1 Songs From 1988 . Justin Timberlake posts sweet birthday message for 'dream of a partner' Jessica Biel, Tom Sizemore, star of 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Heat,' dies at 61 after brain aneurysm, Josh Hartnett is done talking about his break from Hollywood but ready to make fun of actors: 'We're the worst', Michael B. Jordan admits muscle gain for 'Creed' has been harder as he's gotten older, Billy Bush suggests Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes start their own show after ABC exit: 'They've got something that works'. But McFerrin's idea of work is awfully playful. McFerrins 1988 album Simple Pleasures was originally supposed to be a collection of covers. He has built up a reputation for being skilled at polyphonic singing. He's been most comfortable collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, and other jazz and classical musiciansor classical audiences, as when he gets a crowd to sing "Ave Maria" while he performs Bach's "Bach's Prelude No 1 in C Major" as counterpoint. "I wanted to do something with a band, and a lot simplerPeople are more aware of my jazz and classical and world music roots, but the rock and blues and soul influences have always been there, too," he said recently. He is widely noted for his hit, iconic song Dont worry, be happy which was streamed worldwide with a good moral not to stress in the desperate time of chaos. (A few years ago, when Dont Worry, Be Happy turned 30, Brad Shoup wrote a very cool Stereogum story on McFerrins unlikely career. For a few years in the late 1990s, he toured a concert version of Porgy and Bess, partly in honor of his father, who sang the role for Sidney Poitier in the 1959 film version, and partly "to preserve the score's jazziness" in the face of "largely white orchestras" who tend not "to play around the bar lines, to stretch and bend". He is widely known for his hit song Dont worry, be happy which was streamed globally. "I always say I learned everything I know at MSU: Making Stuff Up," he told Insight News. and funny noises - reminds everyone it's fun to be alive. Though the stereotype created by his monster hit has McFerrin being Mr. A Cappella, it shouldn't come as such a shock that he records with instrumentalists if you know his background. Bobby McFerrin started his career by coming up with an eponymous debut album. Join Songkick Additionally, he has performed in Sing Out America with Judy Collins on a PBS TV special. The tale was justly ironic and thus much beloved: the man who'd crooned "In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double" ultimately couldn't stomach what he'd been spooning out to others. The highest-charting single from Andy Sambergs group the Lonely Island, the 2010 Akon collab I Just Had Sex, peaked at #30.). McFerrin won a bunch of jazz Grammys, and at Bill Cosbys request, he sang the season-four theme song for The Cosby Show. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The song was even involved in George H. W. Bushs 1988 campaign, as the official song; unfortunately, it was without McFerrins permission. Sometimes he would do entirely improvised shows with a 12-piece a cappella vocal group. McFerrins parents both had distinguished vocal careers. T.I. Robert Keith McFerrin Jr.s voice is still young, do you have any clue on what is his age? The action you just performed triggered the security solution. In addition to his vocal performing career, in 1994, McFerrin was appointed as creative chair of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. His song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" (featured in the 1988 movie Cocktail, and the 2005 movie Jarhead) was a #1 U.S. pop hit in 1988. He then came up with the chartbuster Dont Worry, Be Happy in 1988. Whatever Happened to Bobby McFerrin? We'll hear music from across his chameleonic career, ranging from Mozart to Cream. The new album brings him back to his childhood, since three songs on it were also recorded by his father, Robert McFerrin Sr., on a 1957 album, "Deep River" And Other Classic Negro Spirituals. (The senior McFerrin was the first black man to join the Metropolitan Opera Company, so the junior McFerrin not realizing he was a singer until he was 27 may count as a "duh" moment.). Were all so stupid. January 20, 2022 Host Christian McBride talks with vocalist and 2020 NEA Jazz Master Bobby McFerrin. Omissions? The venue isn't very big and capacity is only about 700 people, so it was sold out. We also believe Bobby Mcferrin might have chosen options for investments to double his returns to add more worth to his Networth. Damn, if I say it, you can slap me right here. However, the false "Bobby McFerrin suicide" rumor does indeed have a real-life counterpart. It was titled Kitty, but she changed it so she could alter the perspective of the person telling the story. I miss that now that my sons are living on their own and my daughters away at college. Unfortunately there are no concert dates for Bobby McFerrin scheduled in 2023. His nickname is McFerrin Robert Jr.;McFerrin Robert Keith. In McFerrins youth he was inclined to become a minister of music, but, after attending California State University at Sacramento and Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, he instead became a pianist and organist with the Ice Follies ice-skating show and with pop music bands. and regularly performs both as a solo artist and as a conductor. 158,744 fans get concert alerts for this artist. Want to see Bobby McFerrin in concert? Bobby was around to see everything his parents did; he was four years old when Robert debuted at the Met in 1955. McFerrin was given a lifetime achievement award at the A Cappella Music Awards on May 19, 2018. Also, I hate McFerrins fake accent so much. McFerrin deserves to be remembered for more than the time he infected the world with a noxious smarm-cloud of a song, and he probably will be. He makes regular tours as a guest conductor for symphony orchestras throughout the United States and Canada, including the San Francisco Symphony (on his 40th birthday), the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and many others. McFerrin made history with that release, a solo-vox tour de force, and later eclipsed his own feat with Simple Pleasures, which yielded a No. Bobby McFerrin has been active in his career for a long time and has contributed to many popular artists. Instead, its merely half an album of covers; five of the LPs ten tracks are McFerrin doing a cappella takes on 60s rock oldies like the Beatles Drive My Car and the Young Rascals Good Lovin. Its genuinely impressive to hear McFerrin replicate the guitar solo from Sunshine Of Your Love with his mouth. Those who'd heard the tune too often during difficult spans in their own lives found a measure of comfort in this, because as anyone who suffers from clinical depression can tell you, getting over it requires far more than the mere adoption of a Pollyanna attitude. For example, the concerts often end with McFerrin conducting the orchestra in an a cappella rendition of the "William Tell Overture," in which the orchestra members sing their musical parts in McFerrin's vocal style instead of playing their parts on their instruments. He is widely known for his hit song "Don't worry, be happy" which was streamed globally. Surely a song that cheerful could only lead to a heavily ironic end, no? Join 158,744 fans getting concert alerts for this artist. In 2009, McFerrin and psychologist Daniel Levitin hosted The Music Instinct, a two-hour documentary produced by PBS and based on Levitin's best-selling book This Is Your Brain on Music. Bobby McFerrin was born in the Year of the Tiger. McFerrin spontaneously decided to sing "blah blah blah" as lyrics, and the final version of the short film includes these lyrics during the end credits. McFerrin was honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters award on August 20, 2020. Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. is an American-based Folk and Jazz artist who was born on March 11, 1950. "Pop" is probably not the right word, but its rootsy, folky feel might make it fit in instantly on the kind of stations that play acoustic-leaning acts like Mumford & Sons, the Avett Brothers, or the Lumineers. Bobby McFerrin - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday Currently, Bobby McFerrin is 72 years, 10 months and 26 days old. Performance & security by Cloudflare. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. He has been married to Debbie Green since October 18, 1975. Instead, he was going for Mexican. Bobby McFerrin, (born March 11, 1950, New York, New York, U.S.), American musician noted for his tremendous vocal control and improvisational ability. Personal Life: wife, girlfriend, dating, divorce, kids In 1975, Bobby McFerrin got married to Debbie Green. Bobby McFerrin, Soundtrack: The Two Popes. Bobby McFerrins zodiac sign is Pisces. Half of Simple Pleasures ended up being McFerrins own songs, and he led the album off with Dont Worry, Be Happy.. Bobby McFerrin will celebrate 73rd birthday on a Saturday 11th of March 2023. In the late 90s and early 00s, the makers of the novelty toy Big Mouth Billy Bass sold millions upon millions of singing animatronic rubber fishes, most of which were presumably gag gifts to family members who really didnt want them. Given how that election went, maybe Bobby McFerrin shouldve worried. Bobby then came up with the album SpiritYouAll in 2013. As of March 2023, Bobby McFerrins net worth is around $5 million. As a swinging jazz and ballad vocalist, by 1980 McFerrin was touring with popular jazz singer Jon Hendricks. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. [15], A document of McFerrin's approach to singing is his 1984 album The Voice, the first solo vocal jazz album recorded with no accompaniment or overdubbing.[16]. His response to being a pop star as the '80s turned into the '90s? A ten-time Grammy Award winner, he is one of the world's best known vocal innovators and improvisers. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic) I was especially touched by the way he brought members of the audience up onto the stage to participate in the show. His height is 1.75 m tall, and weight is 66 kg. Before that, he had spent six years developing his musical style, the first two years of which he attempted not to listen to other singers at all, in order to avoid sounding like them. This material may not be reproduced without permission. 1 single and three Grammy awards. He married Debbie Green in 1975. Dont Worry, Be Happy remains the only completely a capella #1 hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. In 1983, he began performing full 90-minute sets that consisted just of his voice, along with body language and body percussion. Maybe Bobby McFerrin didnt mean to write a song in praise of societal stagnation, but when you write a song like Dont Worry, Be Happy, you run that risk. will eventually appear in this column. The couple has remained married for over four decades. Bobbys daughter Madison McFerrin has gotten a lot of Pitchforky buzz for her own a cappella version of dancey neo-soul. siamo venuti da Vicenza/Italia a Vienna per ascoltare le tue performance e sinceramente siamo rimasti delusi. For a while in the '90s, before the public knew to turn to Snopes.com on such matters, an urban legend persisted that the song's originator, Bobby McFerrin, had committed suicide. "My whole goal this whole time was to be a working musician," he told NPR. The vocalist has received nominations for the Kids Choice Awards, Soul Train Awards, and Primetime Emmy Awards. On the track, McFerrin mentions a bunch of reasons why someone might want to worry homelessness, litigious landlords, lack of style, lack of romantic companionship and he advises letting all that go and embracing some vague amorphous bliss. A ten-time Grammy Award winner, he is known for his unique vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitchfor example, sustaining a melody while also rapidly alternating with arpeggios and harmoniesas well as scat singing . Compatible with Horse or Dog. Bobby has even performed for The Cosby Shows theme song in 1987. Personal life [ edit] He is the father of musicians Taylor McFerrin and Madison McFerrin, and actor Jevon McFerrin. McFerrin's performance throughout was engaging, fun, and beautiful. Also, he is an expert in Vocals, piano, percussion, and vocal percussion as well. Fuck 1988. So: Bobby McFerrin. Taylor put out an album on Flying Lotus Brainfeeder label in 2014 Bobby guested on it and hes now part of Robert Glaspers jazz supergroup R+R=Now. Songkick is the first to know of new tour announcements and concert information, so if your favorite artists are not currently on tour, join Songkick to track Bobby McFerrin and get concert alerts when they play near you, like 158662 other Bobby McFerrin fans. BOBBY MCFERRIN. Product Description. Sara is survived by son Bobby McFerrin, her daughter Brenda McFerrin, her daughter-in-law Debbie and grandchildren Taylor, Jevon and Madison McFerrin. The song became a global hit, and McFerrin decided to begin to pursue other aspects of music such as production and arrangement. So, when he came to the Virginia G. Piper Theater in Scottsdale, Arizona, in April of 2014, there was no way I could miss the live show. McFerrin vocally protested that usage and loudly declared that he was voting for the other guy; some reports at the time even had McFerrin taking it out of his concert repertoire, just to make sure no one got the wrong message. McFerrin also participates in various music education programs and makes volunteer appearances as a guest music teacher and lecturer at public schools throughout the U.S. McFerrin has collaborated with his son, Taylor, on various musical ventures. [3], His mother Sara (Copper) McFerrin was a soloist and taught voice at Fullerton College in Southern California. The forced calm of the thing the Andy Griffith-ass whistling, the meandering doo-wop bass tones, the little fake-reggae doot-doots mostly works to stress me out. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Weve had plenty of hit songs where people made funny screeches, percussive plops, and goofy sound-effects with their mouths, but Dont Worry, Be Happy is the only song where those things are the entire song. Bobby McFerrin was onto something when he titled his second album The Voice. He has also released many albums as sidemen. He was also the singer of the film Son of the Pink Panther. On the song Dont Worry, Be Happy, McFerrin aimed for the kind of simplicity and contentment that the phrase implied. In 1984, McFerrin performed onstage at the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles as a sixth member of Herbie Hancock's VSOP II, sharing horn trio parts with the Marsalis brothers. He is also the recipient of ten Grammy Awards.