Today I am indulging myself and those of you who care deeply about music with a string of videos all either created by or depicting Jacob Collier, a young musician of – and I say so unhesitatingly – genius.

I was alerted to him by my firstborn with whom I frequently exchange musical discoveries, more successfully so in one direction than the other, but still…..

He sent me this video of Moonriver, created way before the pandemic hit, employing techniques of editing multiple, really hundreds, of videos, together and re-harmonizing with the arranger’s own vocals. It is not a song I am particularly fond of, but I was impressed by the arrangement.

Off I went to check the kid out – 25, looking 15, with a proclivity for strange hats, cow-patterned socks (thus today’s photographs) and t-shirts and, man, a musical brain to die for. Grew up and still lives in a musical household in London, with a single mom and 2 sisters, encouraged to be an autodidact regarding his musical education, even though the mom works as a classically trained musician and is a professor of music.

A documentary filmed at MIT, Boston, where he did a residency as composer, conductor, arranger, performer of both multiple instruments and vocals, made it very clear we are not just seeing a gifted producer of pop ballads, or jazz, or whatever you want to call it, but some serious classical moves given that all is specified, if only in the moment when he interacts via computer programs with his supporting musicians. If you have 30 minutes, do watch it, you get to experience a flow of bridging in his composition Hideaway that is mind boggling (with full orchestra in the documentary.)

If you don’t have the time for the documentary, just listen to some of his music. Here is Hideaway done solely by him. (You can read a description here.)

I recommend looking at the videos for a bit just to enjoy his performer’s antics and enthusiasm, but eventually, listening is best done with eyes closed and headphones. I chose a random collection, from more acoustic music (NPR Tiny Desk concert) to singles from his 4 album creation Djesse. The music transports you.

It even makes the cows smile!