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Collaborations
Savion Glover, tap and dance
Two of the most creative and spontaneous forces in the performing arts join forces to create an exciting and explosive show, full of surprises. Bobby and Savion have given duo concerts in Seattle, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Newark NJ, and they look forward to working together again.
"A one-of-a-kind evening, one of those occasions when 1+1=3" --Minneapolis Star Tribune
"The two artists gave a breathtaking performance so closely and intuitively in sync with each other that it was almost impossible to tell who was leading at any one moment." --The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Chick Corea, piano
Chick Corea is one of Bobby's favorite collaborators. They have recorded two albums for Blue Note and Sony Records ("Play" and "The Mozart Sessions)", and Chick is featured on Bobby's 2002 release "Beyond Words". They have given duo concerts throughout the US and Europe."Chick is wonderful," says Bobby. "With him, I feel like I can go anywhere. I can do anything I want. Chick is right there. His ears are just astounding. I mean, if we're playing a tune that has 12 bars in it and I had decide at the end of the 9th bar that I want to go back to the first bar, Chick will go right back there with me. I have the flexibility to go anywhere I want, to do anything I want, to sing anyway I want. He's so sensitive; he's astounding, a great accompanist for me. And he's just full of levity. I like that. He's just very light, uplifting. He can play anything and we have a ball. He lets me sit next to him on his piano stool and play. What can I say? We've known each other a long, long time. Like good friends who know when to speak and when not to, and don't have to say anything. It's like that."
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
"I told Yo-Yo that he could improvise," Bobby says. "I could tell it by the way he plays. It's just a matter of learning how to do it and freeing yourself up so you can do it. I said "Yo-Yo, I listen to you play, I watch you play, and you can improvise. I know you can do it, there's no doubt in my mind". So we had these long discussions about improvisation. We played some tunes that he knows real well, for two cellos, stuff like that, and then we played some stuff that I would write. I think I might have scared him a little bit, but I was also intimidated, singing these cello pieces. I had to find a way to sing them. There were just some things I couldn't sing. I said "Yo-Yo, I can't sing this; I have to find another way of doing that because I can't do that". We both have our limitations and we knew what they were and we had to find a way to work it."
Jack DeJohnette, drums and percussion
Bobby and Jack have been friends for decades. They share a thirst for musical exploration outside narrowly defined genres. Bobby participated on Jack's 1994 Blue Note/Capitol recording "Extra Special Edition" and they've sought opportunities to collaborate ever since. Jack was chosen to curate/host four concerts at the 2003 Montreal Jazz Festival, and he invited Bobby to perform with him in an unprecedented voice/percussion duo. They are always on the lookout for ways to play together.
Thomas Hampson, baritone
"Thomas and I met at Tanglewood. We saw each other in Europe a couple of years ago and thought it would be nice to work together. He was singing songs that he had sung before, very relaxed in them and he could really let them go. In fact, in the end of the first half I said "Man, you're like a jazz singer because you lean way back on the beat." Boy, he leaned way back there. It was a challenge to get the orchestra to stay in sort of that sense of time yet give him space to lean back on the beat. It was really challenging and wonderful because he's got such a wonderful voice. He can improvise in the sense that he can take the text and just play with it."
Robin Williams, actor/comedian
In the early 1980s, Robin asked Bobby to join him as the opening act for Robin's US tour. The two have been good friends ever since. Several years later in 1986, Robin was a special surprise guest on Bobby's 1985 Los Angeles concert, recorded live and released on both album and video under the title "Spontaneous Inventions". The song they sang, 'Beverly Hills Blues', was improvised entirely on the spot. Robin also appeared alongside Bobby and Bill Irwin in the 1988 video for 'Don't Worry, Be Happy.' Most recently, the two collaborated on Beatles producer Sir George Martin's 1998 CD, 'In My Life,' singing the Beatles hit "Come Together".
Wynton Marsalis, trumpet
Wynton and Bobby first performed together on the 1982 Elektra album "The Young Lions" (on the track 'B 'n W'), and they have great respect for each other. They performed Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss" together at the 2001 Jazz at Lincoln Center gala. They reunited to co-compose and perform the tune "Baby, I Love You" for Wynton's Blue Note album "Magic Hour" (2004).
Joe Zawinul, keyboards
Bobby has long admired Joe Zawinul's music, especially Joe's work with the revolutionary Weather Report. In 1984, he was thrilled to participate on Weather Report's 1984 album, "Sportin' Life". In August 2004 they joined together for several European dates including Jazz at Marciac.Chick Corea
Chick Corea is one of Bobby's favorite collaborators - in addition to the two albums they recorded for Blue Note and Sony Records ("Play" and "The Mozart Sessions)", they appear together whenever their schedules allow. Look for their duo concerts in the US and Europe in Summer 2005.
Chick Corea is one of Bobby's favorite collaborators. They have recorded two albums for Blue Note and Sony Records ("Play" and "The Mozart Sessions)", and Chick is featured on Bobby's 2002 release "Beyond Words". They have given duo concerts throughout the US and Europe."Chick is wonderful," says Bobby. "With him, I feel like I can go anywhere. I can do anything I want. Chick is right there. His ears are just astounding. I mean, if we're playing a tune that has 12 bars in it and I had decide at the end of the 9th bar that I want to go back to the first bar, Chick will go right back there with me. I have the flexibility to go anywhere I want, to do anything I want, to sing anyway I want. He's so sensitive; he's astounding, a great accompanist for me. And he's just full of levity. I like that. He's just very light, uplifting. He can play anything and we have a ball. He lets me sit next to him on his piano stool and play. What can I say? We've known each other a long, long time. Like good friends who know when to speak and when not to, and don't have to say anything. It's like that."
You
From the very beginning, Bobby's solo concerts have included audience participation. He sees these concerts not as 'sing-alongs' but as genuine collaborations, an integral part of each performance. They are also Bobby's favorite part of every concert. He might create an impromptu choir for a Circlesong; he might ask for a volunteer dancer to create an improvisational duet; he might ask for a pianist to accompany him on a blues; or he might jump into the audience for some one-on-one duets. Whatever it is, you can be sure Bobby will find a way draw you into his musical universe.
Yo Yo Ma
"I told Yo-Yo that he could improvise," Bobby says. "I could tell it by the way he plays. It's just a matter of learning how to do it and freeing yourself up so you can do it. I said "Yo-Yo, I listen to you play, I watch you play, and you can improvise. I know you can do it, there's no doubt in my mind". So we had these long discussions about improvisation. We played some tunes that he knows real well, for two cellos, stuff like that, and then we played some stuff that I would write. I think I might have scared him a little bit, but I was also intimidated, singing these cello pieces. I had to find a way to sing them. There were just some things I couldn't sing. I said "Yo-Yo, I can't sing this; I have to find another way of doing that because I can't do that". We both have our limitations and we knew what they were and we had to find a way to work it."