This year the Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival (BVJF) held by Brisbane Jazz Club will welcome a truly shining star to its stage, the incomparable Rhiannon.
Rhiannon is so good she doesn't even need a surname – she's like the Madonna or Cher of jazz. Rhiannon has spent over 30 years making music with Bobby McFerrin beginning with the a cappella ensemble Voicestra and currently touring with Gimme 5, which features Bobby with Joey Blake, Judi Vinar and David Worm.
Ahead of her performance at BVJF, which features her duo with pianist Laurence Hobgood, The Two Of Us, we take time with Rhiannon to find out about her incredible career and what she'll be bringing to Brisbane.
You'll be performing with Laurence Hobgood at the Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival – what do you two have planned for that show?
We call our duo The Two of Us; the project is improvisation and beloved songs from the jazz repertoire and everywhere else. There is always room for piano solos and improvised vocal solos when performing from the jazz repertoire, but we really enjoy completely improvised performances. This is an important festival on the tour. We want to meet the singers and jazz lovers in Brisbane.
What excites you the most about performing at the Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival?
Every opportunity to perform with Laurence is exciting. This performance will be for a brand-new community in Brisbane thanks to Ingrid James, who had the idea to bring me to the Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival. We have worked for two years to make this happen. Ingrid has built a wonderful vocal community in Brisbane and we are excited to bring our improvised concerts to the festival. I will teach a circle singing workshop (Saturday 3 August, 12.30pm).
This workshop is open to all singers who have solid musical skills, good pitch and rhythm, and want to expand their vocal and improvisational experience. And Laurence and I will team to teach another workshop: It's All Music (Monday 5 August, 6pm). This workshop explores the fundamental connection between improvisation and song form. We welcome singers and instrumentalists. You can register on the festival website. We hope to see you in Brisbane.
This will be your first trip to Australia; what's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Australia?
The incredible nature. It is legendary for all of us who dream about coming to Australia. I arrive with my wife Janne a few days early, so we can go exploring. Of course, we realise your country is huge and we will have to choose but what a delicious problem. I have students that have come to Hawaii to study with me.
For years they have invited me to come to Australia and I am very happy that the tour has come together, so I will have a chance to reconnect and sing together again. Also, I have sung with Australian singers and instrumentalists over the years and always found they have great technique and solid musical ideas. I want to know more.
Do you have any plans for exploring the country while you're here?
The tour is quite tight; we will have some time in Melbourne before the first workshop. I am interested in the natural world and organic farming. We will try and get out to explore in Melbourne and hopefully, spend some time on the coast near Brisbane at the end of the tour. Our friends have some ideas for us. What do you suggest???
In July you're also holding a four-day Vocal River workshop in Melbourne – what can attendees expect to get out of this class?
We sing six hours each day. This gathering is designed for experienced improvisers - strong, committed singers and vocal teachers who want to deepen vocabulary and intuitive skills, inventing personal and ensemble music. We will improvise in a small group, enjoy solo work in the circle, practice song form, small ensemble exercises, and group collaborations from my book 'Vocal River'.
What's the most common mistake students make when they first begin vocal improvisation?
Singers need to have a good musical foundation in singing technique, along with rhythmic, melodic and harmonic understanding before they begin to study improvisation. It is a practice just like any other kind of music study. It also offers the opportunity to understand music as a spiritual practice.
I find that working with improvisation both on my own and with students or collaborators is powerful for the beautiful music that we can only find in this way, but also because we are developing trust and generosity that make the work together so rich. Often singers think vocal improv is totally free and they do not always recognise the importance and benefits that this foundation will provide. It is also important to listen to and love all kinds of music - this personal music library will be the underpinning for future improvisations.
What have you been up to so far in 2019?
2019 started with a short tour to the west coast and Arizona with Bobby McFerrin and Gimme 5, a five-voice ensemble that also includes Joey Blake, Judi Vinar and David Worm and me. The tours have been sensational. I have been able to perform all over the world with my dear friends and meet old friends and new singers in every city! I return to my beloved farm for a few days before making the trip to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It has been a remarkable year and I am grateful.
