Bobby McFerrin's voice scours the vast horizon of sound. Though he's only one man, he routinely transforms himself into a five-piece band, a skilled soprano, or a trio of tribal-sounding chanters singing in harmony. His voice can replicate the sound of almost any instrument, from the delicate whistle

Bright, Eclectic, Improvised, Layered, Playful

On a Friday night in 1989, the word started drifting through certain circles that a band called The Warlocks was putting on a show outside of Hampton, Virginia. Considering this was the Grateful Dead's original name (they changed it in 1965), many people along the eastern seaboard began scratching th

Classic rock, Expansive, Hypnotic, Improvised, Kaleidoscopic, Open-ended, Organic, Psychedelic music

Carlos Santana is known for his long, drawn-out solos that soar into the highest registers of the guitar. But it would be reductive to say that Carlos Santana is a rock 'n' roll guitarist. Incorporating Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz and blues influences, his sound is undoubtedly multiple. For more tha

Classic rock, Ecstatic, Improvised, Open-ended, Pathos, Psychedelic music, Spiritual

A flagrant marijuana smoker and bridegroom to 27 women in one day, the gloriously rebellious African musician Fela Kuti led a life as tumultuous as the history of his native Nigeria. Jailed several times, Kuti became a voice of dissent against the successive military dictatorships that ruled the land

Ebullient, Hypnotic, Improvised, Juju/highlife, Open-ended, Rhythmic