Prodigy may be a bit of an understatement – this guy could be one of the most brilliant musicians alive, at least according to some recognized greats, Quincy Jones for example: “Never in my life have I seen a talent like him…absolutely MIND-BLOWING.” The hell of it is, he’s 20. Plays and sings everything, but his specialty at the moment seems to be creating multitrack harmonic vocals such as the following:
I just found him today, in a reference to Fascinating Rhythm in the book about sounds.
How is this guy not world-famous? I see by Wikimedia that he tours constantly, and won Grammy awards for pieces on his first four albums, a first for any British artist.
And those videos. I am awed beyond words. In my utterly untutored understanding I agree that he could be one of the most brilliant musicians alive.
I’m bumping this old thread because it’s the closest thing to an appreciation of Collier I found on the Dope. Find him. Watch a bunch of his videos. Spread the word.
He is absolutely insanely talented and incredible. I just can’t get into his music. He’s too far beyond me, I guess. (I must have watched 50 to 100 of his videos over the last few years. He just operates on a different level. But nothing has ever hit my soul, for whatever reason.)
Similar reaction. Jezeesusfug, that must have taken 500 hrs of work! And how could he even conceive that level of detail? But, after the first five videos I found other stuff to listen to that connected better emotionally.
He seems to be more of a musician’s musician. The people who appreciate his work the most are those who know a lot of about music theory and such.
Personally, I tend to listen a bit, get a “wow” sensation at something he does that’s cool, but then it starts to feel too same-y. He uses a lot of effects on his voice, and doesn’t really prioritize his own vocal quality (though he has gotten better). I tend to be more into high vocal talent.
I’m most likely to listen to Collier on other people’s YouTube channels, when they write out the sheet music. That’s when I appreciate it the most.
That said, if there was a concert nearby and I could afford it, I’d definitely go, even if only for the communal singing experience.
First time I heard it sugested that he is not world-famous, for various values of world-famous. Doesn’t he have a bunch of Grammy awards?
I am not sure that we should categorize him as primarily a “vocal talent”. He spends dozens or hundreds of hours at the DAW,
a perfectionist who writes music that makes you think, we might say. He may be deliberately trying to impress sometimes, but that’s OK (and by itself will not hit one’s soul, as you say).
Maybe he was thought of more as that back in 2016, I don’t know, but I’ve always just classified him as a musician in the truest sense of the word. I first came across him probably around 2020 via his discussions on music theory and composition, and his piano work, so I think of piano before singing when it comes to him. I also like his piano a lot more than his singing, so there may be that factoring into that.
The Grammys give out awards in about a thousand categories, adding and subtracting some every year. Most people know only the ones in the music they care most about.
Bela Fleck has won 15 Grammys (50 nominations!) in more categories than anyone. He has been around for almost 50 years, played all over the world, and astonishes audiences with his proficiency on the electric banjo, especially with his band The Flecktones. I’d say that 90% of American audiences have never heard of him. Maybe 99%.
Heh. If you want to see him in Toronto in April, there are Super Ultra Hyper Mega Meta VIP Meet & Greet Package tickets for only C$559.94 each. General Admission Floor Standing Room only.
Funny enough, the only person I know personally who has a Grammy (actually 2), is Howard Levy of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. (He was a regular at the cafe I worked at in college in the 90s – I remember him excitedly bringing the Grammy for Sinister Minister to the cafe for us to see. )
I’m not a fan of his version of Fascinatin’ Rhythm, which is a song with words, words that are important to the sense of the song. He’s turned it into an orchestrated melange of vocal sounds that include (most of) the words, although he feels free to leave some out when they would get in the way of the doo wops.
I also watched (the visuals seem to be important, as well as the vocals) part of Isn’t She Lovely, which is also a song, but with a lot fewer words, so perhaps more amenable to his arrangements. I liked the original, this did not do a thing for me.
Reminds me of some groups I used to listen to, like Manhattan Transfer, or the Swingle Singers, but my reaction is completely different. I think that difference is largely a result of the way the music is put together on a computer vs. a group performing together. Groups create a dynamic tension that is exciting and interesting. This, well, just isn’t, at least not to me.
I didn’t realize this was an old thread, and so are the examples posted in the OP. It’s possible his more recent oeuvre would be more appealing, but I’m probably not going to go out of my way to search it out.
Definitely. He’d also come in with an ocarina sometimes and jam the hell out on that (like I had no idea an ocarina could sound jazzy.) Guy is just insanely talented. We’d have small jazz combos play on Sundays, and it was always a treat if he popped by, as he’d often play a song or two with them.
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