Since It’s From Eclectic Bobby McFerrin, ‘Beyond Words’ Is Beyond Category

Jazz needs Bobby McFerrin. So does pop music--remember “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”? Classical music needs McFerrin too, if his work as a conductor is any indication. In fact, music in general needs this widely talented artist.

Underscoring his musical diversity, “Beyond Words” (***, Blue Note/Angel), the first release under a contract that issues his albums jointly on the Blue Note jazz imprint and the Angel classical label, is a collection of pieces displaying his far-reaching vocal and instrumental skills. Fifteen of the 16 tracks are originals; the exception is a masterful duet between McFerrin and Chick Corea on the latter’s lovely melody “Windows.”

The tracks range in length--the longest a bit over seven minutes, the shortest only a minute and 13 seconds; nearly half are less than three minutes. Performed by a variety of small ensembles (including, in addition to Corea, accordionist Gil Goldstein, flutist Keith Underwood, bassist Richard Bona, percussionists Cyro Baptista and Omar Hakim and, on one track, son Taylor McFerrin on beatbox), the works have the feeling of a brief but telling passage across the colorful landscape of McFerrin’s creative imagination.

The opening track, “Invocation,” reveals his remarkable scat singing in action. At a time when far too many vocalists dip into improvisation without either the ear or the musicality to do so properly, McFerrin’s work is a reminder of how marvelous jazz improvising for the voice can sound when it is performed by a master. Other pieces leap across genres: the contemporary classical-like repetitions of “Dervishes,” the bistro sound of “Chanson,” the bass and drums of “Taylor Made,” and the fragmentary references to plainsong, Middle Eastern music, African, Spanish and Asian sounds.

But the most remarkable aspect is McFerrin’s astonishing vocal technique. Layering his voice in some spots, he becomes a virtual one-man representation of his Voicestra ensemble; elsewhere, he amazes with his remarkable ability to intersperse a sung melody with low bass notes and high accents that simultaneously outline the line’s harmony. McFerrin may well be the only singer who has developed this technique to such a high degree of sophistication. He is definitely the only one who has done so while maintaining a career that reaches into virtually every area of musical expression.

Claudia Acuna has had a diversified career in a somewhat different sense. Born in Santiago, Chile, she settled on a life as a jazz singer while still a teenager. Moving to New York before she had become fluent in English and lacking the funds to enroll in one of the city’s many jazz programs, she simply hung out at jazz clubs, supporting herself with jobs as a baby-sitter, dog walker and dishwasher.

But her perseverance finally paid off. “Rhythm of Life” (***, Verve) is her second album. Like her initial release, “Wind From the South,” it is a blend of American ballads (“My Romance,” “I Fall in Love Too Easily,” “More Than You Know”) and Latin pieces (“Volver a los Diecisiete” by Chile’s masterful singer-songwriter Violetta Parra, “Ay Mariposa” by Cuba’s Pedro Luis Ferrer and “Maria Maria” by Brazil’s Milton Nascimento).

In each case, Acuna’s insists on original interpretations. Ballads such as “My Romance” and “More Than You Know” are presented over surging undercurrents of jazz rhythm--the latter case includes solos from trombonist Avi Leibovich and alto saxophonist Sherman Irby. “Nature Boy” builds from a repetitious ostinato pattern to a climactic ending in which her musicians join in chanting “There was a boy....”

Speaking of her accompanists, Acuna has surrounded herself with some of New York’s finest jazzmen--including, in addition to Irby and Leibovich, bassist Dave Holland, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, pianist Jason Lindner and guitarist Romero Lubambo. Billy Childs adds beautifully crafted arrangements, especially a lovely, floating accompaniment for Acuna’s rendering of “I Fall in Love Too Easily.”

There’s even more vocal jazz on the soundtrack album for the new film “Kissing Jessica Stein” (***1/2, Verve), which provides a mini-history of jazz singing--mostly by female artists--at its best, concentrating on the love theme at the essence of the film’s story. The collection opens and closes with tracks from the wispy-voiced but sophisticated Blossom Dearie, starting with “Put on a Happy Face” and closing with “I Wish You Love.”

In between, there is a lexicon of fine vocal performances: Anita O’Day swinging “Taking a Chance on Love”; Shirley Horn with “I Just Found Out About Love”; Ella Fitzgerald and a ton of strings on “Manhattan”; Dinah Washington with her ineffable rendering of “Teach Me Tonight”; Carmen McRae finding her groove on “Exactly Like You”; a youthful Peggy Lee doing a big-band version of “I Don’t Know Enough About You”; Diana Krall romping through “Devil May Care”; and Billie Holiday’s classic “What a Little Moonlight Can Do.”

Add to the rapidly growing list of female jazz vocal artists the single-named Jacintha. Her new album, “Lush Life” (**, Groove Note), was recorded in Los Angeles with the prominent participation of players such as guitarist Anthony Wilson, accordionist Frank Marocco, fluegelhorn player Dmitri Matheny, bassist Darek Oles and drummer Joe LaBarbera. In addition, pianist-arranger Bill Cunliffe provided extraordinarily atmospheric string ensemble backings for a few of the tracks.

The Singapore-born artist cannot yet be described as a versatile jazz singer. But in her area of specialty--sensuous balladry--she is often extremely effective. Blessed with a dark, sumptuous sound, she uses its whispering-in-your-ear qualities to considerable advantage. When her phrasing is at its best, she employs subtle shifts of emphasis as well as occasional slight variations of line to penetrate into the heart of the material.

Although she probably shouldn’t have chosen to sing “Manha de Carnaval” in Portuguese, doesn’t quite grasp the darker aspects of “When the World Was Young” and has noticeable pitch problems on “September Song,” Jacintha captures the essence of less demanding, more accessible material such “Black Coffee,” “Smile” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” But she needs to expand her stylistic palette if she hopes to compete with the rush of newly arriving, talented vocal jazz newcomers.

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Don Heckman writes frequently about jazz for The Times.