The men of Naturally 7 can sing like a dream. But what you might not expect from this vocal group is what else they do -- their voices contain multitudes of instruments, from a glorious trumpet to a full drum kit (with a side of turntables). They call it "vocal play" -- the art of creating instrumental music with the human voice. It's an evolutionary step beyond beatboxing, which is a solo pursuit -- these seven musicians are a tight orchestra.
Naturally 7's sonic range is clear even by reading the member lineup: Roger "N'glish" Thomas is a baritone and rapper; Rod Eldridge handles tenor, trumpet and scratching; Warren Thomas brings percussion, guitar and a third tenor. Baritone Dwight Stewart; tenors Jamal Reed and Garfield Buckley (who also plays harmonica); and bass Armand Hutton round out the group.
“The group adamantly defies characterizations as a capella, a term which refers to singing without instruments. Naturally 7, on the other hand, use their voices as instruments.” — The Lonely Note
One-of-a-kind R&B group Naturally 7 beatboxes an orchestra’s worth of instruments to groove through their smooth single, “Fly Baby.”(Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 3:56.) Watch Naturally 7’s performance on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive […]
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