Musical Pied Piper Jacob Collier is an absolute marvel. Every night, he turns sold-out crowds of music enthusiasts into his own personal musical instrument, kind of like a human pipe organ. And on the occasions when he’s faced with an actual orchestra, his particular brand of brilliant madness shines through just the same. His crowd control performances all involve “no plan, no sheet music, no rehearsal, and no prior discussion.” Talk about a leap of faith!

I first came across Jacob Collier when I was writing about Dodie a few weeks ago. I found a recording of Collier singing Wild Mountain Thyme with Laufey and Dodie with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. The performance is very sweet and pretty, and I was letting it wash over me when Collier started doing his thing with the audience. I knew I needed more, and I’m so glad I followed that particular rabbit hole.

Collier seems to be a real musician’s musician. Widely touted as a genius, he has collaborated with an amazing roster of luminaries including Bobby McFerrin, John Legend, Hans Zimmer, Herbie Handcock, Brandi Carlile, Alicia Keys, Chick Correa, and hundreds of others. The first video below is true music geekery, so if you’d rather not dive into how the sausage is made, you should skip it. I found it wildly fascinating.

You can follow the marvelous music man Jacob Collier on his website and on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.