Circlesongs | |
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Studio album by | |
Released | April 1, 1997 |
Studio | The Hit Factory (New York, NY) |
Genre | Vocal jazz |
Length | 42:29 |
Label | Sony Classical |
Producer | Linda Goldstein |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Circlesongs is a 1997 studio album by American vocalist Bobby McFerrin, released by Sony Classical.
In 2018, McFerrin toured with his ensemble the Voicestra, performing material from Circlesongs, as well as improvisational works with audience improvisation encouraged. [2]
The music on the album is performed by "circle singing", an improvisational technique created by McFerrin in 1986. [3] In circle singing, a leader in a circle of singers directs one sub-group in the circle to sing an improvised musical part, and then the leader improvises another part for another sub-group to sing overlayed onto the first part, and so on until the whole circle is singing different improvised parts. The song evolves as the leader changes the improvisation for different groups. [4]
Originating in vocal jazz, scat singing or scatting is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice solely as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. This is different from vocalese, which uses recognizable lyrics that are sung to pre-existing instrumental solos.
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Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. is an American jazz singer and songwriter. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rapidly alternating with arpeggios and harmonies—as well as scat singing, polyphonic overtone singing, and improvisational vocal percussion. He is widely known for performing and recording regularly as an unaccompanied solo vocal artist. He has frequently collaborated with other artists from both the jazz and classical scenes.
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You Are My World is the tenth album in the live praise and worship series of contemporary worship music by Hillsong Church. The album reached the ARIA Albums Chart Top 100.
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Life, Love & Other Mysteries is the third album by contemporary Christian music group Point of Grace. It was released in 1996 by Word and Epic Records.
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Simple Pleasures is the fourth studio album by American singer and musician Bobby McFerrin, released in 1988 by Manhattan Records.
Di•a•lects, Music for solo synthesizers and voices is the fourth studio album by Joe Zawinul which was released in 1986. It was created by Zawinul alone with his programmed synths and rhythm machines, using vocoders on his own vox and importing Bobby McFerrin's improvised onomatopoeics and a vocal trio singing in a Zawinul-created language on other tracks."
Spontaneous Inventions is a 1986 live album by American vocalist Bobby McFerrin, released by Blue Note Records.
Bang!Zoom is a 1995 studio album by American vocalist and jazz/folk musician Bobby McFerrin, released by Blue Note Records. The line-up includes several members of the jazz fusion band Yellowjackets.
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Bob Stoloff is an American jazz musician and teacher.
All the Sad Young Men is a 1962 album by Anita O'Day, arranged by Gary McFarland and produced by Creed Taylor.
The Best Is Yet to Come is a 1982 studio album by American jazz musician Grover Washington Jr., released via Elektra label. The album includes his major hit "The Best Is Yet to Come" recorded with Patti LaBelle.
The Imperials Sing the Classics, also titled Sing the Classics, is a 1984 studio album by Christian music vocal group The Imperials. It is their final album on the DaySpring label as they switched to Word Records' Myrrh label for their next album Let the Wind Blow (1985). The Imperials Sing the Classics is the group's 30th studio album as they were celebrating their 20th year of music and ministry by singing four-part harmony, reminiscent of their early years. It is an album of covers singing classic contemporary Christian music songs from the 1970s and early 1980s with production by Neal Joseph and arranged and conducted by Don Hart. The album peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Top Inspirational Albums chart.