''Hush'' is a collaborative album by

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. 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 rap ...

and

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

. It was released on the

Sony Masterworks Sony Music Masterworks (Sony Masterworks) is a record label, the result of a restructuring of Sony Music's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterwor ...

label in 1992. The pair first met at a 1988 celebration of

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

. The album peaked at No. 93 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Production

The album was produced by McFerrin and Steven Epstein. McFerrin wrote five of its songs; the collaborators adapted three

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

compositions. According to McFerrin, Ma was hesitant to improvise during the recording sessions.

Critical reception

The Indianapolis Star ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the ''Indianap ...

'' wrote: "Apart from a rousing indulgence in country fiddle-music licks on 'Hoedown!', McFerrin's own compositions here lean toward the artfully overdubbed New Age." The ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

'' praised "the album's best track, McFerrin's beautifully melodic 'Stars'." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' admired "the winning combination of Ma's unerring, often deeply expressive touch and McFerrin's wit, whimsy, resourcefulness and sheer musicality."

Track listing

# "Grace" ( McFerrin) – 3:54 # "Double Mandolin Concerto in G, RV 532" Andante (

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

) – 4:03 # " The Flight of the Bumblebee" (

Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

) – 1:08 # "Stars" (McFerrin) – 4:04 # "

Hush Little Baby "Hush, Little Baby" is a traditional lullaby, thought to have been written in the Southern United States. The lyrics promise various rewards to the child for remaining quiet. The simple structure allows more verses to be added ad lib. It has a Rou ...

" ( Trad.) – 2:36 # "

Vocalise A vocal warm-up is a series of exercises meant to prepare the voice for singing, acting, or other use. There is very little scientific data about the benefits of vocal warm-ups. Relatively few studies have researched the effects of thesexercis ...

," song for voice & piano, Op. 34/14 (

Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

) – 6:26 # "Musette for keyboard in D Major (AMN II/22; doubtful),

BWV The (BWV; ; ) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a ...

Anh. 126" (

J. S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

) – 4:12 # "Coyote" (McFerrin) – 2:52 # "Sonata for 2 cellos, No. 10 in G Allegro: Prestissimo" ( Barrière) – 2:36 # "

Ave Maria The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's s ...

" (

Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

/ J. S. Bach) – 2:37 # "Hoedown!" (McFerrin) – 5:38 # "Air" ( Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068) (J. S. Bach) – 5:11 # "Good-bye" (McFerrin) – 1:11

Personnel

* Yo-Yo Ma –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

* Bobby McFerrin – vocals, arrangements (5)

Production

* Linda Goldstein – executive producer * Steven Epstein – producer * Bobby McFerrin – producer, liner notes * Chris Tergesen – recording, mixing * Ron Rigler – recording assistant * John Yates – assistant engineer * Aaron Krops – mix assistant * Matthew LaMonica – mix assistant * Bud Graham – mastering * Julia Cohen – production coordinator * Allen Weinberg – cover design * Carol Friedman – cover photography * Yo-Yo Ma – liner notes

References

{{Authority control Bobby McFerrin albums Yo-Yo Ma albums 1992 albums Vocal–instrumental duet albums