Bela Fleck in The Jazz Club Forum

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Bela Fleck

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nighthawk

Bela Fleck

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Deepest Blue

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Jul 31 05 12:41 PM

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Bela Fleck first gained noteriety as a progressive Bluegrass picker before diving into jazzier waters with the formation of his band the Flecktones. The NYC native was always drawn to Jazz greats like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane even as he was blossoming as a Bluegrass picker. He and the Flecktones play a form of fusion that touches base with many diverse musical elements. I'm going to enjoy looking at various stages of Fleck's career, with much emphasis on his work with the Flecktones. As always, I ask for your input and views of Fleck, pro and con.

QUOTE

Bio: Bela Fleck

Banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck was born in New York City in 1958 and began playing banjo at age 15, though he was influenced more by jazz artists such as Charlie Parker and John Coltrane than traditional bluegrass banjo players. After a brief stint in the late '70s with a Boston-based group called Tasty Licks, Fleck worked with the bluegrass bands Spectrum and New Grass Revival, building an international reputation as one of the finest banjo players in the world. In 1989 he recorded a PBS special backed by an all-star group dubbed the Flecktones -- harmonica player/keyboardist Howard Levy, bassist Victor Lemonte Wooten, and "synth axe drumitar" player Roy "Futureman" Wooten -- with whom he later recorded a self-titled album.Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, was picked up by Warner Bros., and Fleck left New Grass Revival to take the Flecktones full-time. Their 1991 follow-up, Flight of the Cosmic Hippo, reached No. 1 on the Contemporary Jazz charts.
After the release of 1993's UFO Tofu, which blended world beat with bluegrass and R&B, the Flecktones developed a huge neo-hippie following, even jamming onstage with Phish from time to time. Around that same time the Flecktones became a trio with the departure of Levy; Bela Fleck switched to synth banjo, while Victor Wooten introduced a tenor/stereo bass. 1993's Three Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest featured cameos by Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis, while the following year Fleck recorded a solo album, Tales from an Acoustic Planet.

Seth Hindin

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

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Jul 31 05 12:46 PM

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On Tuesday, February 26, Columbia Records will be releasing a DVD entitled Live At The Quick dedicated to world renowned banjo player Bela Fleck and his band, the Flecktones. Live At The Quick is comprised of short interviews and segments from a live performance filmed in December 4, 2001 at The Quick, a venue at Fairfield University in Connecticut. The core of the Flecktones, Bela himself (Banjo, Electric Synch Banjo, Guitar), Victor Lemonte Wooten (Electric Bass, Floor Synth), Future Man (Synth Ax Drumitar, Acoustic Drums, assorted percussion), and Jeff Coffin (Tenor, Alto, and Soprano Saxes, Clarinet, and Flute) were joined by featured guests Sandip Burman (Tabla), Andy Narrell (Steel Pans, Keyboards), Paul Hanson (Bassoon), Paul McCandless (Oboe, English Horn, Soprano Sax, and Sopranino) and Ondar (Tuvan throat singing). After watching a copy of the forthcoming DVD, I had the pleasure of talking with Bela Fleck from his tour bus, to discuss the DVD and the music that has taken the banjo into a whole new direction.
Vince: So when will the new DVD be released?

Bela: It supposed be released sometime this month.

Vince: Did you find the filming process natural, or did you find it unnatural?

Bela: Well it was very slow and there was a lot of stuff I couldn�t do, you know, where you had to let the guys who were doing the camera work and editing do their thing, and then critique it afterwards, which is a little tough on them because they work very hard, and you go back and say, well wait, the wrong person is soloing. That�s sort of tough because it puts you in the role as the �heavy� and I didn�t enjoy that part of it. But the truth is, they were very flexible and they kept working with us and in the end, we had something that we were all very proud of.

Was the actual camera shoot obtrusive?

It was a very high-pressure day because we knew this was the day, it had to happen, all the music had to be right. We had two shots at it. We did two shows that day and we were able to use the best parts of both shows.

This wasn�t your first live recording though.

Audio where we�d do a live album on that day, and do it in one shot. But we like to be covered and have many options to choose from, and not have that kind of pressure. Sometimes you can�t avoid it, and I think sometimes it really makes for a great performance. I think that�s what happened that day. We got a great performance, and everyone sort of stepped up and kicked ass.

Did the rest of the band feel pretty comfortable with it?

Yea.

Everyone seemed to be in their zone.

I think if you look at it, I look kind of nervous in the first song and then everything sort of settled down. Nobody else was really uptight. But they weren�t in on the whole process, they weren�t having the constant meetings with the director about what was happening, making sure everything was right, you know, making sure everyone knew what was going on. So I had a little more pressure on me. But once we started playing, it was really fun.

It seemed fun. And the crowd seemed to get into it.

It was a good crowd, and a nice place. We chose that room [The Quick] because we had played there several times before and it was always a fun place to play. That�s why we did two shows to two different audiences. Because really, we would have been playing in a different room at this point in our career, but we just like that room and thought it would be good for this situation.

I noticed in this case and have noticed at your shows in the past that your audience is made of a wide variety of people. Do you feel lucky to have such a dichotomy of listeners?

I love it and in general, they all get along really well.

It seems like it. You have the people who like to just sit and listen, and you have the kids who like to get up and dance around. And it seemed like everyone was just having a good time with it.

Yea that was the optimum situation where they have a place where they can dance that�s not obtrusive for the people that want to watch. You know, we want everyone to be happy. You can see people of all different ages, different types of people enjoying the show, and that�s fun.

Do you have a favorite part of the DVD? A favorite song or segment that you enjoyed more than others?

I was really proud of the part in the middle of Hoe Down where there�s a breakdown where Sandip Burmam and I play together and there are some Indian music ideas that he had taught me he that he I had been working on for quite a while. We were able to insert that into "Hoe Down." I was happy to get that in there. And on a personal level, it was great to get my teacher Tony Trishka involved, and Bill Keith. From a banjo player level that was nice. But really I was just as excited to hear everyone�s performance. Paul McCandless, Andy Narrell, Sandip, and Paul Hanson... I like the way they work as a group. And the overall thing of introducing people to our audience who they might not know who are wonderful, wonderful musicians.

Like Ondar?

The moment when Ondar walks out in the middle of a show, no one is expecting it, and he�s in full tribal gear, and he starts singing 3 notes at once, its hard to beat. But then it was like, how do we get Ondar to fit into one of our songs? That was actually quite a challenge, but we figured it out!

How did you come upon Ondar? How was that relationship spawn?

It was very unusual actually because he actually ended up in Nashville. Because we�re sort of the local weirdos, everybody said lets get Bela, Victor and Future Man together with Ondar. Somehow he got signed to Warner Bros country label as an oddity. The head of Warner Bros. Country label who signed us is actually a fan of all sorts of music, and when he heard Ondar, he said this is too great to not get involved somehow, so he signed him and they put out an album that came from the Nashville Progressive Label, and we were on the same label. They asked us to come in and play with him.

It was a little forced, because we didn�t know him, and the record company was there, and it wasn�t one of those natural meetings. In fact, I don�t even think they used anything that we played on. But then they asked us if he could come out and sit in at a show, and we thought, our audience would love that and we invited him out. He did like 10 or 12 shows, and he�d do the surprise �here�s Ondar� thing. We actually worked out several pieces and brought him out to Telluride, Colorado. It really works because not only is he a fabulous musician, but he�s a very sweet guy, and he fit in really well even though he couldn�t speak English.

Where is Ondar actually from?

He�s from Tuva. It is almost in Eastern Russia, over China.

This is an interesting time for music, with CD burners, Napster, MP3s and such. Do you see a DVD like this as sort of the next level of service that the music business has to bring to the people?

It is seeming like people are really starting to buy DVD's now. People are starting to get really nice sound systems for their house, and all of a sudden a release like this makes more sense. In the past, in general, if you made a live video and it sold maybe 10,000 copies, you were actually doing pretty good, they just didn�t sell really well. I think it is sort of cool that it is turning around, and people want to go out and get DVDs. So hopefully people will want to go and get it. We�ll just have to wait and see! (laughs)

You mentioned in the video that you started playing banjo at the age of 15. Did you ever think you�d be doing this for a living?

No. Funny thing is even at the end of high school I never thought I�d ever be good enough, it was more of a compulsion. I was so fascinated, I loved it so much, I didn�t apply to colleges. I got lucky because my Mom had a child when I was a senior in high school and she wasn�t concentrating on me that much. I actually managed to slither through senior year without applying to any colleges, which would have been unheard of if she didn�t have a newborn child. So at the point I got out of high school, I was a free man. It would have been a year I could get into a school anyway, so I just went and joined a band. And she kept saying �Oh I wish you would consider college,� but as I said, she was a little distracted at that point so I made my escape and never had to go to college!

How old is he now?

He�s in his mid twenties.

Does he play the banjo?

No he doesn�t play the banjo! He�s a film director. In fact, he�s actually on tour with us now. He�s filming me and Edgar Meyer, our duo tour. I think he�s going to do really well, he�s very smart, he makes great stuff.

I know you�ve been working on this classical effort with Edgar Meyer. Has this changed the way you approach composition and performance?

Well it has, in particular when I�m playing with Edgar, because everything we do is very collaborative, we try to co-write everything or a lot of it. But he is such a composer in that he sits down and writes all the parts for everyone to play a lot of the time. But generally when I work with the Flecktones, I write a basic structure and then I hand it off and say you figure out what you�re going to play. Everybody brings their own ideas to it, and pretty soon we�ve kind of co-composed the structures, even though the idea could have come from me, or whoever it came from, everyone has a lot of autonomy. So after working on this classical record where everything is written out, and working with Edgar who likes to monkey with structures until every single note of it is perfect, I came into the next Flecktones record, which we just recorded. With some ideas along these lines and I spent a lot of time locked up in the studio working on things I wanted everyone to play, and they were gracious enough to try it, because that is never been the way we worked before. I think they were happy with the way it turned out, but I would never do that do them all the time! Just a song or two or a section of a song where I kind of arranged the whole section in almost a classical manner and it was fun. It added a new sound. I�m looking forward to people hearing it.

You mentioned something in the DVD about your set lists for your shows, that you don�t use them to keep yourselves spontaneous?

Well we do a set list because everybody has instrument changes and you have to know what�s coming next. If you were pretty much playing the same instruments, you wouldn�t have that problem, you could do a whole show where I would only play electric banjo, or Jeff just played the Soprano all night, we could go without a plan. But we make our plan just before we go on stage. We didn�t do this as much on the DVD, we really had to figure out how to showcase every person equally. Play all the right songs we decided were the ones we�d film, running orders for the video guys so they would know what was going to happen next, so it was a little less spontaneous in that way. We actually had to make a plan and stick to it. We stick to our plans generally, but we like to make them at the last minute!

What are the different types of banjos you use in the video?

For the DVD it was real simple, I used my electric crossfire, which is something that they made for me custom quite a while ago - the purple banjo that looks like a Strat with a banjo sunk into it. And I used my 1937 Gibson Flat Head Master Tone banjo, my main acoustic banjo. And I have a Nexville, I think its called Meteor, which is the one I used on "Big Country." And I used a Swiss guitar, I think it is called a Paradise guitar, it is all electric.

Your influences, you mentioned your teacher Tony Trishka, Charlie Parker, Chick Corea, the members of New Grass Revival. You also mentioned your influence by the folks you play with, Victor, Jeff and everyone. Anyone else that sticks out in your mind?

A guy that maybe not everyone knows about, a jazz guitar player that I used to listen to in High School and afterwards named Pat Martino. Sometimes I forget what a big of an influence he�s been, because he�s such a rhythmic force, his lines go on and on and on, they�re very hip. I think he�s played a big role too.

You said that you�re talking to me from the tour bus right now. I noticed in the DVD you showed the camera man a drawer dedicated to bananas. That wasn�t a Spinal Tap-esque reference, was it?

No, we get a lot of fruit in our rider and I remember that drawer had got stuffed with bananas, someone must have been cleaning up on the bus. It was a funny thing. The nice thing about that moment is we�re all just having a good time after a gig, everyone is in a great mood. There�s a camera guy there, it was fun.

There is a scene in the DVD where you�re playing in front of a store-front. Where was that?

That was in Boston, it is where I used to always play when I played on the street. When I left home, I went up to Boston and played in a band up there, and after that band broke up, there was a summer where I made a living playing on the street in Harvard Square, and it was in front of an Ann Taylor shop. Originally our thought was that we could go down there and have me talk about this being the place where I used to play on the streets. The video guys thought it would be a great angle, Bela used to play on the streets. We just decided to just play there, me and Tony Trishka, and see what happens. And there was a guy who walks up to us on the street and tells us we have to stop. He�s actually a friend of ours. Some people might recognize him from the Ken Burns documentary on Jazz. His name is Mat Glazier, he is the head of the street department at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, and he came up and told us that we had to stop playing. He�s a very funny guy.

Are you currently traveling with the four piece line up, or with the extended group.

We�re traveling with the four piece now. I don�t know whether at some point this year when the DVD is out we might bring back some people to make appearances, especially if people are excited about the performance, so we�ll see.

Some CDs I�d find in your CD player?

Radiohead Amnesiac, some other Radiohead. I�ve been listening to them a good bit, and it is sort of making me interested in different sound opportunities that can happen today. I�ve been listening to Edgar�s bass concertos that aren�t out yet he gave me to listen to that are fun to listen to. Lately I�ve been listening to a lot of satellite radio, I have one in my car, I�ll put on the BBC, or the bluegrass channel. I haven�t been able to listen to Bluegrass in years, you can�t get it. So it is actually filling in some gaps in my understanding. They�re playing some old Osborne brothers things, new people I haven�t heard that I�m not up on. It's nice to hear the level that people are playing on, and there are some good things I wouldn�t have found out about without it. I haven�t quite made it to the jazz channel yet, because I haven�t figured out how to get over there.

I know that as soon as we get done talking, I�m going to remember something I wish I would have mentioned! The truth is, I�m so busy working on the album with the group that when I�m in my car driving, I need a break from it. When you�re spending 8 or 10 hours in front of the computer working on the mixes or the editing, you want to hear something completely different, you want to hear people talking, or something new.

You�re referring to a new studio release coming out sometime soon?

It looks like it is going to be a double album, a studio effort we�ve been doing the last 5 months we�ve been off the road. We spent quite a bit of time on it, and I have to say, I�m thrilled with how it is going.

Where is the studio?

In my house in Nashville.

OK, last question, are you a Star Wars fan?

Yea, Future Man is much more than I. I love those movies; I enjoyed seeing the new one. I�ll tell you a little story. I was asked to play with the Dave Matthews Band on their 2nd Stadium tour, and we did two nights in Philadelphia I think it was, we played Foxboro Stadium, and Giants Stadium in New York, and after the show in Philadelphia (this is like 2 in the morning) they had a whole theatre opened up for the crew of the Dave Matthews Band and me 'cause I was there with them, and we went and saw the new Star Wars right when it came out - a private showing. And it was great, it was so much fun, but I have to say by the end, I was so tired. So I need to see it again!

Maybe you can get it on DVD!

Yea, maybe I can trade him for one of mine!

Well, it was a pleasure to talk with you. Good luck on the road, and I�ll be seeing you soon!

I�ll see you down the line.

Interview by Vince Iwinski

[Published on 2/24/2002]

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

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Jul 31 05 12:48 PM

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BELA FLECK & THE FLECKTONES | 9.11.01 | IOWA

On a strange and tragic day, a thousand miles away from the terror that besieged NYC and Washington D.C., in a little middle American college town, Iowa City played host to a show that will be remembered by all present. The venue, ironically, the University of Iowa�s Memorial Union Main Lounge, filled slowly as many likely contemplated even attending a show on such a morose day, a day in which Air Force One visibly flew over our heads.
But those who came down were rewarded with almost three hours of song, dance, virtuosity, and inspiration.

The band members, haling from New York, surely a little apprehensive and distanced themselves about the day�s events, took the stage quietly and got down to it right away opening up with some new material. After two new upbeat tunes, Bela brought the already quiet room to complete silence. He read some announcements and encouraged everyone who could, to donate blood and continued reading off some local blood drive information.

The announcements were followed by a moment of silence for the victims and for the families and for the rescue teams.

The show went on to be an amazing performance. It was reasonably the best damn live music I�ve heard Bela, Vic, Future Man, Jeff perform or any other band for that matter in a long, long time despite the IMU Main Lounge�s shaky acoustics

The show had it all. There was the tune selection, which was quite literally a current roster of the band greatest hits, the solos, the jams, and surprises. The harmony produced by the tight interactions between the four band members sounded like an improvised jazzgrass symphony. And of course, there was showmanship too.

Victor Lemont Wooten�s playing was sounding like a waterfall flowing. The barrage of slap, tap, pull off, tap and slide-up and down- was so smooth it looked easy. The first solo was Vic�s and he set the tone that brought tears to the eye. He worked �Amazing Grace� with a whole new, immediate meaning and the crowd just stood in awe of the beauty of the slightly tapped harmonics in light of the destruction witnessed earlier in the day. Coming out of his aggressive birthday solo, a gentle �Norwegian Wood� lulled his hooting admirers and astonished newcomers.

The crowd later sang a giant group �Happy Birthday to Victor�.

The group jammed hard out of �Stomping Ground� into a plethora of eclectic melodies and songs, a bag full of tricks that included the surf crazed �Wipeout�, �Theme to the Pink Panther�, and variations on Wizard of Oz themes, which was somewhat reminiscent of 2.14.00 at Madison�s Barrymore Theater.

Future Man turned out some lyrics to �Sunset Road�. I hadn�t heard him sing them before. They were interesting to hear for the first time but to me, they seemed to take on fresh meaning on this night as Future Man sang �I stand alone��. During his combination of new percussive instruments with a worldy drum space beat groove, Future Man�s sounds rolled across the room creating a unique feeling. Futch tapped into something both heavy and ethereal during his solo. It was rhythmic and reflective.

On �Two Horny Blues�, Jeff just ripped. Dually saxes and all, He busted out hard air rocking the place with everything he had into a song that sounds like a slow sad bluesman�s challenge.

The night closed down with the lights turned down. It was just the man and his banjo.

Bela thanked the crowd and admitted the reservations the band had about playing after such a devastating day but was (and I�m paraphrasing) happy and thankful they went on. Bela�s solo, like the show itself, had a little of everything. In what order, I�m not sure anymore but the beauty if you can imagine in a slow and steady pickin� and hammerin� worked through the Peanuts� theme-�Linus and Lucy�, �Star Spangled Banner�, �Happy Birthday�, and ended in the quiet solitude of some classical stylings.

Tim McConville

[Published on 9/18/2001]

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

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Jul 31 05 12:53 PM

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B�la Fleck
Born B�la Anton Leos Fleck on Jul 10, 1958 in New York, NY

Biography by Sandra Brennan
Premiere banjo player B�la Fleck is considered one of the most innovative pickers in the world and has done much to demonstrate the versatility of his instrument, which he uses to play everything from traditional bluegrass to progressive jazz. He was named after composer B�la Bartok and was born in New York City. Around age 15, Fleck became fascinated with the banjo after hearing Flatt & Scruggs' "Ballad of Jed Clampett" and Weissberg & Mandell's "Dueling Banjos," and his grandfather soon gave him one. While attending the High School of Music and Art in New York, Fleck worked on adapting bebop music for the banjo. Fleck always had diverse musical interests, and his own style was influenced by Tony Trischka, Earl Scruggs, Chick Corea, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, the Allman Brothers, Aretha Franklin, the Byrds, and Little Feat. After graduation, he joined the Tasty Licks, a group from Boston. They recorded two albums and dissolved in 1979. Afterwards, Fleck joined the Kentucky band Spectrum. That year, only five years after he took up the instrument, he made his solo recording debut with Crossing the Tracks, which the Readers' Poll in Frets magazine named Best Overall Album. In 1982, he joined New Grass Revival and stayed with them until the end of the decade. During this time, his reputation continued to grow and in 1990, Frets magazine added his name to their Hall of Greats. In 1988, one of his compositions, "Drive" (from the album New Grass Revival), was nominated for a Grammy. Fleck, mandolin player Sam Bush, fiddler Mark O'Connor, bassist Edgar Meyer, and dobro player Jerry Douglas teamed up in 1989 to form Strength in Numbers and record The Telluride Sessions. Late that year, Fleck was asked by PBS television to play on the upcoming Lonesome Pine Special; in response he gathered together a veritable "dream team" of musicians to form the Flecktones. The original members included Howard Levy, who played piano, harmonica, and ocarina, among other instruments; bass guitarist Victor Lemonte Wooten, and his brother Roy "Future Man" Wooten on the drumitar, an electronic drum shaped like a guitar. Though the special wasn't aired until 1992, the Flecktones recorded their eponymous debut album in 1990 and followed it up with Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (1991). In 1993, they released their fourth album, UFO Tofu, which featured music blending different genres ranging from bluegrass to R&B to worldbeat. In 1995, they released Tales From an Acoustic Planet; Left of Cool followed in 1998, and Tales From an Acoustic Planet 2: The Bluegrass Sessions was released a year later. Outbound followed in mid-2000. Busy and prolific, Fleck released an album of classical pieces, Perpetual Motion, in late 2001, Live at the Quick in 2002, the ambitous double-disc Little Worlds (and its truncated single disc version, Ten From Little Worlds) in 2003, and Music for Two (with bassist Edgar Meyer) in 2004.

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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karyobin

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Jul 31 05 8:35 PM

Nighthawk, I saw Bela about 5 or 6 years ago at the Barbican and was blown away by his technique. the guy leaves you feelin' breathless so far I only have 'UFO Tofu' which is great so I'll watch this thread with interest.

K

'If you can't say it in two minutes thirty, write a book'.

Col

Norbury South London

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nighthawk

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Aug 1 05 10:38 AM

QUOTE

Bela Fleck And The Flecktones: Lexington, Kentucky / April 6, 2004
Posted: 2004-08-02

By Mark Sabbatini

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Lexington, Kentucky / April 6, 2004
Live Music Archive
2004

Author's note: This is the first of what hopefully will be an ongoing series of reviews of legal free music downloads from various internet sources. This is one of several Bela Fleck concerts available at the Live Music Archive, which posts audience recordings of concerts by artists who allow such tapings.

Bela Fleck's music has grown more thoughtful over the years, and those moments highlight this concert with the banjo player's bluegrass-fusion group.

This two-hour performance, recorded on-stage by Jon Ice in Lexington, Kentucky on April 6, 2004, is a 168.2 megabyte MP3 download from www.archive.org/audio . The recording quality is decent overall and better than many other Flecktones downloads, although the mix is a bit bottom-heavy and light on treble. Nobody is lost in the mix, but there also isn't a great deal of sparkle to brighter instruments such as Fleck's banjo and Jeff Coffin's sax. Overall it's a shade inside my comfort margin for background music if company is over.

The group plays a few familiar hits to open and close the show�although their landmark song �The Sinister Minister� is nowhere in sight�but there aren't any big moments of energy or creative solo inspiration found among them. The real highlights are a number of extended lower-key originals showcasing various players in solo or minimally accompanied settings.

Bassist Victor Wooten displays a depth seldom heard commercially on a fourteen-minute solo track where he progresses from soothing ballad to blues to free jazz to all-out slap bass rock insanity (too far, perhaps), providing his own percussion and harmonics along the way. He and Coffin also provide a less artistic, but more fun, bit of upbeat R&B interplay on the seven-minute �Vic/Jeff.�

Also noteworthy is the always crowd-pleasing Future Man, who gets several chances to hammer out lengthy percussion solos on his Synthaxe Drumitar in styles not heard on any of the commercial Flecktones CDs. His romps on the novel guitar-like instrument prove he is a player of considerable talent in addition to an audience favorite�even if one really needs to see him to fully appreciate the full effect.

Fleck's playing is seldom less than masterful and that is generally the case here, but there are few attention-getting moments due partially to him consistently being too far back in the mix. He is best heard near the end of the concert on a series of short solo tunes by fiddling legend John Hartford, which are pleasing but don't linger in the mind like the evening's best moments.

This isn't a bad introduction to the Flecktones for new listeners, although the group's self-titled debut or the two-disc Live Art concert album are much better representations. Fans familiar with their work will almost certainly find this worthwhile, if not a favorite, to capture some of Fleck's sidemen showing a bit more depth than usual.

Personnel: Bela Fleck, banjo; Victor Wooten, bass; Jeff Coffin, sax; Future Man, Synthaxe Drumitar.

Tracks: Intro; Next; Sex; Latitude; Band Introductions; Bill Mon; Futch Solo; Futch/Bela; Off The Top; Something; Vice Solo; Vic/Jeff; Sleeper; Am Latin; Bela Solo; Moment So Close.

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

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Aug 2 05 8:10 PM

I really enjoyed the tour that Live at the Quick was recorded from. Many diverse musicians on the stage and the Flecktones stretching the bounderies of what they do. I think that tour helped bring a renewed focus to the band. The shows I've seen since that time are better than those before IMO, they just seem even more in tune with each other, if that's possible.

QUOTE

Live at the Quick
B�la Fleck & the Flecktones
Review by Jim Smith
Anyone who saw the Flecktones in their early days probably told you that it was an amazing experience, and a big part of that praise undoubtedly focused on the group's improvised jams. With Victor Wooten sometimes playing two basses simultaneously and Fleck wandering through the audience picking cosmic banjo lines, their shows were spectacles to be enjoyed for the simple thrill of hearing virtuosos play music that was mind-boggling but somehow utterly accessible. It's sad, then, that the group's live albums, while preserving the energy, have never quite captured the humor of those early shows. Many fans could relay stories of Fleck and Wooten's astounding call-and-response duels, which could incorporate anything from Tchaikovsky to full-throttle bluegrass breakdowns. The rapport was hilarious, and it endeared people to a group who might otherwise go down as whimsical showoffs. However, while the old shows may be legendary, the new ones aren't bad either, and the above isn't meant to say that Live at the Quick is a bad album; actually, there's plenty of stuff that Flecktones fans love, including Wooten's now-trademark arrangement of "Amazing Grace" and a Bach "Prelude" from Fleck's classical music projects. The concert was recorded with the Flecktone Big Band and features guest appearances from Paul McCandless, Andy Narell, Paul Hansen, tabla player Sandip Burman, and Tuvan throat singer Congar ol'Ondar. All that makes Live at the Quick the band's most diverse record yet, and fans of Fleck's post-Acoustic Planet work will be amply rewarded.

1 That Old Thing (Intro) / Earth Jam Fleck, Futureman, Wooten 7:55
2 Zona Mona Coffin, Fleck 6:34
3 Ovombo Summit Futureman 2:48
4 Hall of Mirrors Fleck 5:42
5 Scratch & Sniff Fleck, Wooten 6:43
6 Improv/Amazing Grace Traditional 5:18
7 Big Country Fleck 8:21
8 Interlude Fleck, B�la & The F ... 1:26
9 Lover's Leap Fleck 6:13
10 Alash Khem (Alash River Song) Traditional 2:26
11 A Moment So Close Fleck 6:55
12 Improv/Prelude From Bach Violin Partita #3 Bach 5:59
13 Intro Fleck, B�la & The F ... 1:06
14 Hoedown Copeland 8:59

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

#7

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Deepest Blue

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Aug 2 05 8:18 PM

I've seen Bela and the FTs a half dozen times and this show from last fall, just prior to their current hiatus, is by far my favorite and that's saying something.

QUOTE

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones

The whole point of playing a banjo as a jazz lead instrument and a modified SynthAxe guitar as a digital percussion device is to make it clear that, musically speaking, anything goes.

So it was no surprise that Sunday's concert by Bela Fleck & the Flecktones at the Byham Theater was filled with surprises. Give the players a pass on being so "weary" from touring that they passed on playing the national anthem at the Steelers game that afternoon. And they can even be forgiven for omitting much of the musical humor that shook up last year's show.

Instead, during their second set, the Flecktones took advantage of the supportive environs by trying out new material that was barely out of rehearsal. Fleck pulled out a six-string Paradise guitar, which digitally stereo-fies each string and alters the low E, for an ethereal piece that showcased the assorted winds of Jeff Coffin. Another new one, "The Mad Hatter Rides Again," is a plucky Coffin composition that the band has yet to record.

Bass phenomenon Victor Wooton's solo sampling exercises drew huge applause, and Future Man's long digital and acoustic percussion solo was remarkably melodic. Fleck showed what's cooking on the cutting edge of the banjo revolution, using acoustic and electric five-strings to play dazzling classical, jazz and bluegrass leads.

-- Review by John Hayes,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

#8

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Aug 3 05 3:40 PM

QUOTE

Park :: Cleveland Heights, OH

After being shut out of the sold-out Trio! show at the Discover Jazz Festival a few weeks ago in Burlington, VT, I made sure to secure a pair of lawn seats at Cain Park � a small, intimate amphitheater near my new home of Cleveland Heights. Reading some early reviews and hearing rumblings about the performance from my lucky friends who bought tickets early for the Burlington show, I knew that Trio! was not to be missed. And sure enough, I wasn't disappointed.

Trio! is a unique combination of instruments and backgrounds � so unique that the crowd seemed to have no solid idea about what to expect from their merging. The only member of the trio who I had seen previously was Bela Fleck. His jazzy, live bluegrass sound always seemed to meld into a new creature depending on his stage partners. When performing with Edgar Meyer (with whom Fleck plans to tour again this coming Fall), a noticeably different musician would materialize compared to his Flecktones personality. With his fresh playmates, I was confident that I would see a brand new Bela. Stanley Clarke, a bass marvel in his own right, has spent his 30+ year career performing with the likes of Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, and Stan Getz. The terms "legend" and "virtuoso" somehow escape pretentiousness with Clarke. He deserves every ounce of praise he receives, and his humble presence on stage lends more credence to his image as a jazz great. Jean-Luc Ponty, the French violinist who would uncompromisingly steal the show by the end of the night, was technically the least "decorated" of the three, even though he has spent time working with both Frank Zappa and Elton John. With 20 Grammy nominations under Fleck's belt and considering Clarke's Grammys, Emmys, and platinum records, the show was literally an all-star performance.

Stanley Clarke
From http://www.me.uvic.ca
The setting was just right for an evening of jazz/classical/bluegrass/whatever � not a single cloud in the sky, and the temperature was barely noticeable with a slight summer breeze. The show began an hour before sunset with a modest entrance and a bluegrassy tune called "South" reminiscent of the Flecktones' Live Art. The piece was slow at first, and not as jazzy as I had been expecting. After a clearly rehearsed opening melody, however, the trio began to improvise, and Clarke came alive with his lightning-quick upright bass thump. The audience immediately perked up, and the first of many roars came out of the pavilion. The show had begun. After trading solos, the first song ended, and the trio dove into the next. A haunting piece with Ponty playing slowly on his violin gradually transitioned into Clarke playing a fast slap upright bass. The crowd exploded, and Trio! had our full attention for the remainder of their two-hour set. After a warm welcome in Jean-Luc Ponty's thick French accent and some stage chatter in which they decided to name their second song "The Legend of Funky Ponty," the group launched into a long composition by Clarke, clearly inspired by Coltrane, which may have been Fleck's finest moment of the evening. This piece was followed by a completely solo performance by Clarke entitled "Touch," which featured some of the most unique and mind-blowing upright bass playing I have yet to experience. With what could only be described as a melding of the styles of Kaki King and Les Claypool, Clarke brought the pavilion to a standing ovation.

The next piece, written by Fleck and entitled "Storm Warning," was perhaps the most beautiful and intricate of the evening. It was clear that all three musicians were struggling to keep up with each other as their sounds created a complex maze of musical improvisation. Ponty won over the audience as his exquisite and overpowering talent dominated the soundscape. I compare this piece to "B Tune," my personal favorite from Fleck's earlier tour with Meyer. Given some time to mature and grow, "Storm Warning" could easily become one of Fleck's truly great compositions. Afterwards, Clarke grabbed a mic and said, "Phew, well, we got through that one. Sometimes you need a psychiatrist after you play this stuff."

Jean-Luc Ponty from http://www.me.uvic.ca
A solo performance by Fleck followed, with sounds that would have fit perfectly on his Perpetual Motion collection. Two playful, emotionally drawing pieces came after Fleck's solo, both with light, energetic sounds and powerful crescendos that brought grins to every face in sight. Finally, the moment came for Ponty's solo performance, which surpassed audience expectations and became Ponty's three solo performances. The crowd had clearly been waiting for Ponty to take the stage alone, and this was undoubtedly the high point of the night with rapid tempo changes and lighting-quick movement balanced with intricate composition. The crowd wanted more, as evidenced by the deafening standing ovation after Ponty finished his third piece.

Finally, the trio finished their set with a country-twang composition called "Plucky Davenport," with Clarke on an electric bass guitar for the first time. The crowd, however, was not going to let Trio! get away without an encore. Less than a minute was all it took to bring the three musicians back on stage to finish with a piece called "Jouets" (French for "toys"). With Clarke thumping away on his upright bass and Ponty playing faster than at any other point that evening, Fleck picked up his tempo and built to a climax of sound that left us in awe of the talent we just witnessed.

After experiencing Trio!, I'm still not quite sure how to characterize their music. Never did I feel that I was listening to classical, bluegrass, or jazz, but rather a well-crafted blend of all three. Elements of each influence played a vital part in the sound without dominating in any direction. I left with the sense that I had just witnessed some of the best improvisational music on tour in America right now, and I suggest anyone with an inclination to see this group get tickets now because they go fast. It isn't certain when these three will tour together again, so do yourself a favor and be sure to catch this group while you can. One thing is for sure: one exclamation point on the Trio simply may not be enough to do justice to this phenomenal tour.

Setlist:
South, The Legend of Funky Ponty, Song to Jam, Touch (Clarke Solo), Storm Warning, Untitled (Fleck Solo), No Regrets, Hunter�s Room, Untitled (Ponty Solo), Plucky Davenport

E: Jouets

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

#9

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 9273

Aug 3 05 3:45 PM

Here's a review of Flecktones sax player Jeff Coffin's lateset CD. Coffin has brought more jazz influences to the band since replacing harpist piano man Howard Levy.

QUOTE

JEFF COFFIN MU'TET :: BLOOM (Compass '05)

Jeff Coffin assembled a stunning array of guest musicians to join him and his Mu'tet in the studio, and they have just released their newest album, entitled Bloom. It's always a treat to hear Coffin show off his incredible talents on the sax, and this album is a perfect showcase of his ever-evolving, original concept of how one goes about playing the saxophone. The Mu'tet, at least for this album, seems to be a core unit of Jeff Sipe on drums and percussion, Pat Bergeson on guitar, and Derek Philip Jones on bass, with Futureman and Victor Wooten of the Flecktones both sitting in on a number of tracks, as well as Bela Fleck himself. DJ Logic is featured on many tracks as well. This eclectic crew has really given the album a feeling all its own.

Beginning our journey is the tune they usually start the live set off with, "Move Your Rug," a tribute to the late, great Otha Turner. The fife used on the song is actually one Coffin purchased from Turner after a show for $50. Continuing with the N'awlins theme is "Better Do Your Thing," a funky, almost marching-band like tune with a very strong horn section including Roy Agee, Rahsaan and Roland Barber, Joe Murphy, and of course, Coffin himself. Mr. Johnny Neel takes care of the soulful lead vocals and keys.

"My Dog Chunks" has Coffin playing his sax thru a Q-Tron envelope filter, the same type Jerry Garcia used, which gives it a mesmerizing effect. This song captivates you with a mellow, subtle hook. "The Mad Hatter Rides Again" brings us back to the N'awlins funk theme dominant on this album. It's a bright, fun tune featuring DJ Logic on turntables. The title track "Bloom" is a joyous tune featuring the W.O. Smith Community Music School Choir, comprised of New Orleans youth. There is a fantastic piano solo by Tyler Wood, followed by a banjo solo from the amazing Bela Fleck, but it's really the kids who steal the show here. Their voices are perfect for this track, and they sound great mixed in with Bela's banjo.

There are too many great songs on this album to go over each one in detail. Coffin's influences are all over the spectrum, ranging from Wayne Shorter to Bill Frisell and back to the funk of James Brown. Every tune seems to have its own distinct personality, making this an enjoyable listen all the way through. It's interesting to hear Coffin making his own music, and I think he will continue to prove himself to be a strong leader in his own right.

Sam Katz

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

#10

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Aug 3 05 3:52 PM

QUOTE

EUREKA: BELA FLECK FINDS IT IN ARKANSAS

Eureka is Greek for "I found it." Well I sure found it--two free press passes for a Bela Fleck and the Flecktones concert compliments of saxophonist David Renko of the local Fayetteville icon The Cate Brothers Band.
When I was five years old I remember struggling up huge stairwells and steep winding sidewalks holding my mother's hand as she would drag me in and out stores in a town with old world charm and European flavor. When I was thirteen I remember waking up to the smell of breakfast with my dad playing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Flight of the Cosmic Hippo. Indeed, two of my favorite forces of energy, a town and a band, have fatefully drawn themselves together at the 75-year-old Auditorium in the appropriate little world of Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Acclaimed Grammy-winners Bela Fleck and the Flecktones just released their latest three disc set Little Worlds. This album is difficult to classify as a specific genre, with music influenced from the band's numerous world travels and Futureman's musical inventions. I'd classify it as a musical matrix blend of global sound. If you must name it something it would be fused jazz, classical, and bluegrass... I guess.

Bela (pronounced Bay-la) Fleck, a New York native, was given a banjo at the age of 13 by his grandfather. On an interview with Charlie Rose on PBS this past week, Bela said, "Yeah, it was kind of weird carrying around a banjo case in a high school of New York City." Influenced by the music of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Bela eventually moved to Kentucky were he perfected and practiced a bluegrass style of the banjo. Scruggs is some times "cheesily" recognized for composing the theme for The Beverly Hillbillies, the "Ballad of Jed Clampett." Yet it is this very ballad that Bela has brought back to life with the flare of Atlanta female rapper Divinity on Little Worlds. In 1982, Bela and fellow bluegrass virtuoso Sam Bush had established themselves in a most successful bluegrass band called the New Grass Revival. In 1989 New Grass Revival gave their last performance, opening up for the Grateful Dead's New Year's Eve show at the Oakland Coliseum. By this time Bela had already had his eye on the Wooten brothers from Virginia, who shared the same obsession with music and had some of the same musical influences (such as Chick Corea). The Wooten Brothers had already been playing all of their lives and had a band called "The Wooten Brothers Band" which played covers and opened concert tours for artist such as Curtis Mayfield and War.

Bela commented in May 2000 in an issue of Down Beat that "the more diverse the audience there is, the better. If you got people who would normally be jazz fans sitting in the same room with people who love bluegrass, some funk fans who love Victor, some Deadheads, it turns into this roomful of happy people who are real different." Well the audience in Eureka Springs on this night was exactly that, and maybe a little more. Deadheads, families, babies, kids, and pregnant ladies--they were all accounted for and all grinning ear to ear with Flecktone joy. It was a beautiful thing to be a part of.

The band started off with a very appropriate "Earth Jam." It wasn't until the second song I felt like they were warmed up and broke into a new tune, "Mudslingers of the Milky Way," which you'll have to hear for yourself. Bela said, "We'll be doing a lot from Little Worlds. We hope you enjoy it." Then they played a much obliged "Celtic Melody" into "New Math." "New Math" is a new song that shows off the 'Tones' latest addition, Jeff Coffin. Jeff is known for his philosophy that "the fact that music has the power to bring about change, create emotions, and to heal and nourish shows me that everything is connected at its root: every culture and society in the world has music." To this I have to say "Well I'll be damned, he hit the nail on the head."

Futureman must have come back from the future, MAN! With a bright round spotlight on his jeweled pirate hat and dreads, he navigated his way around his sea of instruments during his solo. As if his first invention, the groundbreaking percussion of the SynthAxe Drumitar wasn't enough, Futureman has created another new instrument unlike anything on this planet. The new "RoyEl" is an instrument shaped like a small piano that Futureman has to stoop over to play. An image of Schroeder form Charlie Brown popped into my head when I first saw him playing it. The keys are styled after the table of periodic elements. So, it is no surprise Futureman has found a way to incorporate a plethora of earthy sounds into the band's mix. He clearly displayed how he can pull apart these tones and then draw them back together like electrons to elicit strong crowd applause.

Bela joined in on the Mother Nature sounds Futureman is giving off, and they jammed into "Scratch and Sniff." What a great name for a song that leaves you curious at first, with a heavy saxophone Sanford and Son tease in the middle (usually), and pleased in the end with a smooth yet upbeat closing segment. The first set left me ecstatic.

I found myself wandering the Auditorium up three flights of classic wooden stairs to the balcony. I noticed the walls were clothed in 30-foot long blood red velvet drapes. I was able to see the newly renovated ceiling was freshly painted in shades of white and ivory, and when the lights went back down I noticed the beautiful chandeliers.

Victor Wooten (the only bassist to win "Bass Player of the Year" twice by Bass Player magazine) appears from the left and the spotlight triggers him into a slow and soft bass line. I was thrilled because I knew we were about to have a few minutes of just Victor doing his loop-di-loop funky stuff. I was right. He began to loop bass scales with three finger flops into jazzy combinations embedded with a tiny "dink" in the middle. Then he created a two turntable scratching sound bringing some hip-hop to the house.

Then Jeff peaked in on the sax, Futureman next with a soft tap and drag on the cymbals, and Bela from the right with his pre-war Gibson banjo. They took off on a cosmic blend of sound that left my eyes closed and my mind in an "OM" trance. Bela had a soft and angelic solo during the heart of the song that I learned later was a new one, titled "Sleeper." Bela then went to pick up his Deering Crossfire Electric Banjo. This next song was titled "Vix 9," and with Futureman on the Drumitar it was a very tight jam, laid in and out with the sequenced lights that gave a lightning storm feel. The applause was noisy and lengthy.

Futureman walked over to his brother and Zoom! One could actually see the magic in the air. There's something about brothers that have been playing their whole lives together that is the unexplainable. Next, Bela picked up the Gibson banjo and Jeff the flute for a nerdy number titled "Poindexter." Futureman was on "the box;" literally he sits on this box and plays it by rapping his one free hand from the Drumitar on the corner of this two-foot tall box. After this song Bela took the mic to say, "Glad to be back so soon, I think we're going to make it a regular stop." The crowd roared--I jumped up and gave high fives and hugs to the strangers on either side of me. Futureman introduced the next song by saying "this song is an old barbershop singing style song titled "Snatchin'." They jumped into a pool of harmonies and climbed out with a crazy whopping effect while Bela had on the Deering.

Victor then graced the town with compliments before introducing the climax of the show "Nice shops, nice people, we'll have to see you again. We want to give an acoustic unplugged act; ladies and gentleman, the man that has won two classical Grammy's with Nashville Symphony Orchestra--the man breaking all the rules, Mr. Bela Fleck." And with that introduction, the spotlight hit Bela, Gibson in hand, center stage. Bela soon started pickin' his nose with the banjo or pickin' the banjo with his nose. Only Bela knows what his nose knows! After all the awe and chuckling died down Bela went back into a classical style of playing. I closed my eyes and escaped into my own little world, of course. I woke up to the venue singing "All we need is love" by The Beatles. Bela put his hand to his ear where Paul usually would say "All together now" to provoke the crowd to continue singing the chorus and end the song with "Love is all you need."

"Puffy" was the encore. I love "Puffy." This new song is fun and uplifting. A few ducks couldn't help themselves from shaking a tail feather in the front of the venue. At least they where pretty ducks. Well... one young ugly duckling had to get up in Victor's face. Bela reached around to the front of his banjo when he and Jeff teased each other on center stage with blips of sound while they would flap their elbows out and squat down and back up again laughing at each other. When they all came to center stage I had just recognized the essence of a yin yang with the lighting on all four of their heads. Then BAM! Like an atomic bomb hit--no sound. They all grabbed each other and bowed and rose up smiling and giggling at the massive clapping and hoots and hollers Eureka Springs had to offer. They threw red hippos to the crowd and that was the end of the show. The hippos used to be pink, now they look like hogs. Hmmmmm?!

This is a band of rebellious musicians slash scientists that simply "break all the rules." Not only have they mastered their instruments, but also they take them to the next level by creating sounds with technology and new age gear. These new age devices allow them to loop sampled sound over and over again and actually store an almost infinite number of sounds on hard drives. Futureman's Drumitar is velocity sensitive, which means the harder he hits the keys the louder the sound the audience hears. Futureman has his first solo CD titled Seamless Script that introduces the new creation "RoyEl," which in his words "introduces pi (3.14159) as a transcendental musical truth."

You never know what to expect with the Flecktones. Because they are a band that prides themselves on over 200 shows a year, they are constantly touring all over the world and their mood and sound evolve over that time. I wonder what Flatt and Scruggs would have come up with if they had been able to travel around the world in their 21 years together? With technology constantly progressing and the various styles of music around the world, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones may have just begun.

Written by: Ginelle Cloar

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

#11

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Aug 4 05 2:02 PM

QUOTE

Bela Fleck

The Beverly Hillbillies Meet Weather Report

Artist Interview by: Mike Brannon

March 2004 - �I was driving around Nashville when I stopped to get a Coke. I was only going to be a minute so I left my banjo in the car, but when I got back someone had broken in and left another banjo!� Ok, we�ve probably all heard that one a time or two and I�m sure Bela Fleck�s heard it an even thousand times now. He may have even made it up. But if the oft� maligned banjo (like Southern accents or trailer parks) were ever a running joke, it�s certainly not in his hands now.
It's often said that the one thoroughly American jazz art form is comprised of a blend between the meeting of African and European influences and aesthetics. Spirituals, blues and work songs meld with Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, as well as the rougher forms of European folk music: an authentic sonic Democracy. It's no wonder the result has been endlessly modified and personalized in the years since. Improvisation seems to also present an irresistible welcoming quality - a virtual Ellis Island - amidst its energy and intellect..."come one, come all...bring us your tired, your poor, your hungry." I could just as well be extended to include the hungry to learn, to improve on and change what we know for the better. After all, that�s what we do.

Funny things happen when anything is brought to America - democracy, free trade, music and art. We put our own spin on everything, especially when it gets 'lost' and fermented, specifically in places like the mountains where time and culture nearly stands still. In this case specifically, Appalachia. This is where Bluegrass came to be, carefully harking the long remembered, recognizable strains of Elizabethan honor. But possessing in their stead the original spirit and concept of improvisation the composers of European art music relied on to produce new works remains in Bluegrass country and especially the music itself. Though its origins emanate from lofty exclusionary society, its since been released from its Bastille and remains a vivacious music of the people.

And where Bluegrass originally emanated also lives a musician caught on the fence between various musical worlds, overlooking their backyards, taking what works, fusing the rest to his own taste as one of the driving forces of the Flecktones.

On the 3-disc set �Little Worlds� they aren�t kidding. Within the first two tracks alone, the Beverly Hillbillies have an unlikely meeting with Weather Report. From there, as many influences and styles as possible are organically, convincingly congealed around the core quartet�s sound and its own unique, even quirky brilliance. But it�s all in fun�the tempos, ideas, references and energy shifts are often enough to keep you on the fence between laughter and awe (and maybe aw shucks). You fear that if you laugh you�ll miss something. Even via a peripheral listening, at times you�ll hear shades of Frisell, Garbareck, King Crimson, Flatt and Scruggs, the aforementioned Weather Report and specifically Jaco as the instruments personalities and lines seem to meld and morph into one another, as if from a single mind and hand.

Bassist Wooten is virtually now considered the Paganinni of the e-bass and the likely (heir apparent) successor to the Jaco throne. Among many other auspicious projects, both he and Bela add tracks to Mike Stern�s release, �These Times.�

The Flecktones answer Zappa�s valid question, �Does humor belong in music?� Obviously a decided group, �Yes.� And like the often (mis)-quoted line: "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight," who else would bring a banjo to a jazz jam...and win? Enter Bela Fleck and company

JAZZREVIEW: � Where are you in the tour now?

BELA FLECK: � In Nashville, where I live. We just finished our west coast run and were starting our Midwest on Thursday so it's about four days, five days off in the middle.

JAZZREVIEW: � Are you going to be hitting Texas?

BELA FLECK: � Not this time. Where are you?

JAZZREVIEW: � I�m just south of Austin in San Antonio. I saw you guys a couple of years ago at Stubb�s.

BELA FLECK: � Yeah, we've done Stubb�s a few times.

JAZZREVIEW: � Yeah, that was a great gig, too.

BELA FLECK: � Thank you. Yeah, there�s energy to that place.

JAZZREVIEW: � Yeah, and the town itself.

BELA FLECK: � Yeah, there really is. I don't see anything right now in Texas, but we will - possibly in May.

JAZZREVIEW: � Good. I think you get really good reception there. I was just listening to the new triple album, (�Little Worlds�). It�s really amazing � just being blown away by the sheer number of influences, and how they blend and morph into each other by the second. It�s unbelievable.

BELA FLECK: - Thank you. Yeah, it was a lot of time, effort and love put into that, a lot of spontaneous things happened, too.

JAZZREVIEW: � But reading the bio, it was saying it was meant to be a real bare bones, quartet, single album. Then it just blew up into this huge concept thing. How did that happen?

BELA FLECK: � It sure did (laughs). Well, we started like you said, trying to do something just four of us. Reason was because the last album had been��Outbound� was the last studio album and �Live at the Quick� was a DVD, and album had ever built with a bunch of guests. So we were thinking this time let�s pare it down. You don't want to just get in the habit of it. I don't know, it almost seems that people can think you taking advantage of names or something.

JAZZREVIEW: - I can understand that.

BELA FLECK: - There are bands that do that. I don't like it when I hear it. But I've always thought that there is a community aspect to music sometimes that's what�s hard to� feel like you're keeping all your marbles to yourself or something when you don't ask somebody great to get involved. Like you're missing an opportunity to try something and make everything richer. And so it just turned into that mostly because there were a few exceptions. We said that if anybody does play on the record, let's make sure they�re people that we haven�t played with before, so that at least were not putting out the same record. You know, new tunes with the same people.

We tried not to use anybody from the previous albums, but when Bobby McFerrin was coming through town, you know, it was like �How can we not ask him?� And if he said yes, it would be like such a cool thing that it would be worth reconsidering. And once we did that, the no guest thing had been broken. It was like Chris Thile (mandolin) playing with us every once in awhile onstage and is the time right now when we�re just getting to know each other, to capture something on tape of us playing with him. And so it�s like, okay, it's just not that hard to do. Why not just do it?

The Chieftains were coming to town; they asked me to play on some stuff. You know, it was like �wow, I wonder if I could get those guys to do something with us?� What would you think to have two bands playing on the same song; two whole bands? You know, you don't hear about that too often. So once there were five or six guests, it started to occur to us that we had more than a single album. Actually coloring the songs with different people, giving every song it's own identity by having different people play wasn't a bad thing. And, you know, again people kept coming to town. Pamelia (Kurstin, multi-instrumentalist) came through - the great Theramin player.

JAZZREVIEW: � Oh yeah, I talked to her last year. She�s amazing.

BELA FLECK: � She�s a great musician. And Indian percussionists were coming to play at Victor�s bass camp and it was like �hey, it would be cool to have Indian.� There was this one song. I was thinking, �this song really lends itself to having a pile of percussionists create, sort of, I don't know, a tribal sound with the rhythm section. Then pretty soon, once they are there, you try them on a few songs and gradually give them presence. A lot of these different ethnic elements, that's always something that I love anyway and I'm excited when I hear it� ethnic elements from any country, especially blended in with the group. It's a natural bed for that sort of thing. So basically, that just evolved. Then pretty soon, all bets were off and we had more guests than we've ever had (laughs).

JAZZREVIEW: � It�s kind of hard to support the no-guest thing.

BELA FLECK: � Yeah, it's hard to pull off. It's a nice idea, especially for the hard-core fans. The other element about recording with just the four of us is, what's going to make it different from the live show? Especially since we allow people to trade our live shows and record them all. There�s no real need for documentation of what the band sounds like because it's there, in heavy rotation out there. In another way, I start to think of how can we make an album that sounds different from what the band sounds like live, but still be the band. How can we offer people something on record that they have any need for? Maybe a lot of people don�t trade the live stuff. Maybe that�s what �Live Art� has done so well. It�s our biggest seller, but it also had incredible guests that you would never see playing with us live on those nights, Corea or Branford Marsalis or whoever, so it became a special event. I guess we�re trying to make records where every one is an event and not just another record. There�s different ways to get there.

JAZZREVIEW: � I think that� a good way to put it, that it�s an event. It�s amazing all the styles you�re able to blend.

BELA FLECK: � Thanks. Sometimes that kind of thinking can stop you if you get too heavy handed about trying to make so much out of every release. You can get to where you actually stop good music from happening. And so that was the thinking when we started out: let�s just get together and play, and see what happens. Maybe next time (laughs).

JAZZREVIEW: � And the studio, was this all done at your house?

BELA FLECK: � Yeah, and that�s the other thing. Nobody�s there telling us, "You can�t do that or you can�t try that." Plus, we didn�t feel a time limit. We felt like we could work on it until we were happy. With so much music, that took a year and half, and that was with a full road schedule. But when we�d come off the road, a lot of times the band would go off and do their side projects and I would go home and work on the record, �cause it was in my house (laughs).

JAZZREVIEW: � Absolutely, because at one point, you don�t have an adequate studio at home. At another point, you finally build what you need.

BELA FLECK: � It�s interesting, I mean we�ve always � for the last 6 or 7 years � we�ve recorded at my house, whatever house I�m in. It doesn�t really matter. We just find a way to do it. If you have to bring in some baffles and deaden down the room or whatever, you just do it. If you have to cut a hole in the wall to get some more room in the other part of the house, you do it. It�s not a studio. It�s a house. You can really record anywhere if it�s quiet enough.

JAZZREVIEW: � You don�t feel that�s limiting in other, technical ways?

BELA FLECK: � Well, some people think you need a really big room for drums, but that�s a problem. You�re stuck with the ambience that the room had. You just need to get a medium sized room and deaden everything down, then add reverb or effects later. You can certainly do a good job that way, make a good sounding record and have lots of freedom. And so the freedom that we get from having it at home outweighs the other benefits we might get from being in the studio.

JAZZREVIEW: � I was going to ask you, originally, how did you go about finding the band members, because your band is probably one of the most eclectic outfits out there?

BELA FLECK: � It�s hard to out-eclectic the Flecktones for personnel (laughs).

JAZZREVIEW: � Yeah. Eclectones, yeah.

BELA FLECK: � The Eclectones, That�s good. Well, Victor kind of found me. He called me up out of the blue. He had been listening to me and I was just lucky. That is just a thing that happens if you stay around long enough. People find out about you and what you do, and they can start coming to you.

JAZZREVIEW: � Were you just playing bluegrass up to that point or what?

BELA FLECK: � I was playing kind of a hybrid kind of bluegrass. You can call it newgrass. I was in a band called Newgrass Revival, but there was a whole movement going on and some people didn�t like the name, Newgrass. It doesn�t matter what you want to call it. It was some kind of a hybrid that connected to jazz and contemporary music of all kinds. And people in that world are really as adept as the great jazz musicians just coming from a different angle.

JAZZREVIEW: � There�s kind of a tradition of that, even in Nashville going back to guys like Hank Garland who would play� BELA FLECK: � Right. Oh yeah. There have always been great musicians in Nashville. There�s always been some who played jazz, and some were good. One of the greatest jazz players you can think of is Buddy Emmons (steel player), but he didn�t really go out and pursue a career as a jazz musician. He could have. There was a period where he was just unbelievable. I�m sure he still is. But I don�t really come out of that country jazz kind of thing. I grew up in New York City. I just happened to play the banjo, but to me, Bluegrass and country are very distinctly different things. Bluegrass is a very focused musical effort. It�s all about playing, well, singing, too.

The players in Bluegrass are much more psychotic about how good they play, than players in country, because you can have a big hit record on the radio and the playing doesn�t really have to be on the jazz level, or on the highest possible level. It�s all about the song. In some cases, supersonic playing might not even be the right thing. But in Bluegrass, it�s always been a given, and a demand that you had to be an excellent player. Every solo in the band had to be great. So coming up in that world, there�s all this attention to detail. Plus how you play in the group is very, very important in a Bluegrass band. It�s like a string quartet.

You have to know how to play as an ensemble. It�s a very set thing. And when you learn those rules, some of them apply to other music and some of them don�t. So really, when you learn how to make a four-piece band work, or a five piece, some of that translates. But the Flecktones in some ways are not that different than what I played in Bluegrass bands. I found what the other people didn�t do and tried to do that. I tried to be supportive when I wasn�t the guy out front. And I tried to make sure there were good melodies and counters, and a good groove all the time. With the Flecktones, just because the people are so unique, it ends up being a very different kind of music.

JAZZREVIEW: � So would you be able to describe a philosophy of music that you have? Obviously humor belongs in what you do.

BELA FLECK: � Well, yeah. I like our music to have a positive quality to it. I don�t know what to call it except I wanted to make people feel good. I�m not really particularly into dark, sad emotional stuff, but it could be done. It�s not that it wouldn�t work with the banjo or even the Flecktones. They would be very capable of playing it. It�s just that, I think, we as people like the idea of playing music that makes the audience walk out lifted up somehow.

JAZZREVIEW: � Right. I�m sure we�ve all heard the banjo in the context of being forlorn as well, as very up.

BELA FLECK: � Well, a lot of people don�t remember that. They think the banjo can only be happy, but that�s not true. The banjo can also be very evocative. I do more of that kind of stuff sometimes in other settings, like for instance with Edgar Meyer. When we play duos, a lot of times we go deeper into some of the spookier aspects or sort of modal stuff. But somehow the Flecktones � you asked about philosophy and I guess that�s why I�m talking about this � is that the band really wants to put something good out there that is a benefit to the people who listen to it. That doesn�t mean the music can�t be a benefit if it�s dark, it�s just that there�s a tendency for everybody to want to cheerlead the world.

JAZZREVIEW: � Right. I guess an audience as a whole, or as individuals, are capable of experiencing the whole of human experience. The music can reflect that, as well.

BELA FLECK: � It can. And that really becomes sort of an artistic decision. It�s not really about good or bad. Some artists just choose to, like Radiohead. I love Radiohead, but it is dark stuff.

JAZZREVIEW: � There you go. Yeah.

BELA FLECK: � But I find it very inspiring musically, and human-wise and everything. So it doesn�t have to be happy music to be inspiring. But it seems that we just tend to want to play that way. So that�s what we should be doing. But on this record, we actually did go a little further in some different areas that we hadn�t before. [We] took our time and got a little bit funkier here and there.

JAZZREVIEW: � So you sound like you�re really happy with it.

BELA FLECK: � I am, but I�m also happy to move on because it took a long time to make. Right now I�m really excited about the stuff I�m working on for next.

JAZZREVIEW: � Can you talk about that?

BELA FLECK: � Well, I�m working with Edgar Meyer on a duo which is sort of very personal duo stuff: just bass, banjo and piano and a little bit of guitar. In a way, it�s the perfect counterpoint to the Flecktones album, which was so ambitious. This is ambitious, but in a different way. We�re trying to get as deep as we can and do as good as we can.

JAZZREVIEW: � Is he playing bass and piano?

BELA FLECK: � Mostly bass. Piano on a few songs, too.

JAZZREVIEW: � So when can that be expected?

BELA FLECK: � That�s going to be coming in April.

JAZZREVIEW: � How did you guys originally hook up?

BELA FLECK: � We�ve known each other since �82, when I heard him playing on the street in Aspen. And he�s just one of the great musicians I�ve ever had the opportunity to learn from and play with. We learn a lot from each other, which is cool.

JAZZREVIEW: - You never know where you�re going to find talent.

BELA FLECK: � You never do, and he is the highest order of musical abilities. So we�re really good pals now.

JAZZREVIEW: � How do you go about writing music? Is it almost always like this album: a collaborative thing/improvised?

BELA FLECK: � No, it can come a lot of different ways. Sometimes you come up with it by yourself with your instrument in your hands. Other times you come up with it in a group. And since the Flecktones spend so much time together, you have some pretty good luck with finding things, coming up with things as a group at sound checks. Whenever we�re together, we�ll come up with stuff, but I cant say which is better. They�re all different. Sometimes Victor shows up with a tune and I couldn�t imagine anything we could do to improve it. Sometimes I find something that I feel is really complete and I�m not looking for anything else, except for the guys to learn it, find a way to play it and put their personality into it, but the song is done. And other times, we start with nothing and come up with something that we�re all really proud of. As long as you keep your overview and don�t put out stuff that you don�t think is good. That�s actually harder to do than it sounds (laughs). People seem to get emotionally involved with something they write, but the band has been really good about being mature.

JAZZREVIEW: � When you first got to Nashville and finally started to play things that were maybe less than authentic Bluegrass, did it take a while for the audiences in Nashville to start accepting you? Did you go through kind of a strange period there?

BELA FLECK: � Well, being in that band - Newgrass Revival � that band was known for experimentation. So when I was in that band, people seemed to accept that: �ok, here�s an even stranger tune that Newgrass is playing.� But there is already a natural expectation that they�re going to be doing those kinds of tunes. They always seemed to like it. Outside of the group, my own solo stuff took a long time to catch on, but gradually developed an audience that was curious about what I was doing with the banjo. Really, it took a quantum leap when the Flecktones started and then there was a band out there playing that music all the time. Suddenly, I saw a huge growth in interest because up until then, how could anybody, how could the whole country know what I was doing? I would just do the odd gig once every few months, maybe, and it would be in a club in Nashville or somewhere where I had stayed over where the band was playing. You really have to get committed if you expect anything to happen. I had high hopes that I would get to make a living doing my own music, one day. And it wouldn�t have happened without Victor and Futureman and Howard Levy.

JAZZREVIEW: � Thank you for your time, Bela.

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

#12

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 9273

Aug 4 05 2:13 PM

QUOTE

Featured Artist: Bela Fleck and the Flecktones

CD Title: Three Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Year: 1993

Record Label: Warner Bros.

Style: Contemporary Jazz

Musicians: Bela Fleck (banjo), Roy Wooten, Victor Wooten, Branford Marsalis (saxophone), Roderick Ward (saxophone), Bruce Hornsby (keyboard)

Review: This CD was loaned to me for review by a neighbor of mine who knows that I have an affinity for excellent guitar work. This one definitely fits the bill, although the main sound featured is actually an electric banjo. Bela also is using his banjo to drive synthesizers as well. For me, this was a first in hearing a banjo as the primary instrument in jazz instrumental music. It would definitely be remiss not to mention the outstanding electric bass work on this CD. It's especially great on my favorite tune called "Bumbershoot".

There is a wide variety of contemporary jazz pieces to enjoy ranging from a song called "A Celtic Medley" to a jazz/rap tune called "The Message". Add to the fine performances of the core band members some help from Bruce Hornsby on acoustic piano and Branford Marsalis on sax, and you can't help but have some great jammin' goin'.

Reviewed by: Lee Prosser

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

#13

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 9273

Aug 4 05 2:19 PM

QUOTE

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
Release Date 1990
Label Warner Bros.
Time 47:45

Review by Brian Mansfield
After disbanding New Grass Revival, Bela Fleck began re-creating the role of the banjo in the same way Charlie Parker redefined the role of the saxophone. But Fleck may be the least-innovative member of this quartet: Howard Levy gets chromatics from his blues harp, Victor Wooten picks banjo rolls on his bass, and Roy "Future Man" Wooten plays a Frankenstein-monster drum-machine/guitar synthesizer. For all the flash, there's little pretense; the group's astonishing musicianship keeps an "aw-shucks" accessibility that lets everybody follow the melody while they marvel.

1 Sea Brazil Fleck 3:41
2 Frontiers Fleck 6:10
3 Hurricane Camille Fleck 2:34
4 Half Moon Bay Fleck 5:10
5 The Sinister Minister Fleck 4:38
6 Sunset Road Fleck 5:01
7 Flipper Fleck 4:19
8 Space Is a Lonely Place Fleck 4:00
9 They're Here Fleck 4:28
10 Reflections of Lucy Fleck, Lennon, McCartney 3:38
11 Tell It to the Gov'nor Fleck 4:06

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

#14

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 9273

Aug 4 05 2:24 PM

QUOTE

B�la Fleck & the Flecktones
Flight of the Cosmic Hippo
Recording Date Jan 1991
Label Warner Bros.
Time 43:58

Review by Brian Mansfield
The Flecktones owe more to bebop than bluegrass, and here the group finally names their style "blu-bop." That's why Flight of the Cosmic Hippo topped the jazz, not the country, chart. The Flecktones continue to make it look easy, adding banjo power chords to "Turtle Rock" and reworking Lennon/McCartney's "Michelle."

1 Blu-Bop Fleck, Levy, Wooten, Wooten 4:22
2 Flying Saucer Dudes Fleck 4:51
3 Turtle Rock Fleck 4:12
4 Flight of the Cosmic Hippo Fleck 4:29
5 The Star Spangled Banner Key, Traditional 2:35
6 Star of the County Down Traditional 4:21
7 Jekyll and Hyde (And Ted and Alice) Fleck 7:04
8 Michelle Lennon, McCartney 5:10
9 Hole in the Wall Fleck 4:40
10 Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (Reprise) Fleck 2:14

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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James Glendenning

#15

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Posts: 17

Aug 5 05 12:06 AM

I got to see Bela Fleck & The Flecktones a few years ago here in Sydney at The Basement www.thebasement.com.au .

I walked from the gig with the best feeling, it was one of the Best gigs i have seen at the Basement.

Im now a Fan.

James Glendenning
Sydney
Australia

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nighthawk

#16

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 9273

Aug 6 05 2:30 AM

QUOTE

B�la Fleck
Tales From the Acoustic Planet
Recording Date� Jan 1994-Mar 1994
Label� Warner Bros.
Time� 58:55

Review by Brian Beatty
Whether this exceptional album is jazz with its roots in bluegrass or vice versa doesn't matter, because whatever it is, it works � wonderfully. Fleck is joined by his jazz friends (Chick Corea and Branford Marsalis) as well as his progressive bluegrass pals (Sam Bush, Tony Rice, and Jerry Douglas), plus members of his usual backing band, the Flecktones (Victor Wooten and Future Man). The resulting performances should pique the interest of curious listeners across any number of genres.
� � � 1� Up and Running� Fleck� 4:26�
� � � 2� First Light� Fleck� 2:41�
� � � 3� The Great Circle Route� Fleck� 4:23�
� � � 4� Circus of Regrets� Fleck� 4:09�
� � � 5� Three Bridges Home� Fleck� 5:17�
� � � 6� The Landing� Fleck� 3:55�
� � � 7� Arkansas Traveler� Traditional� 3:06�
� � � 8� Backwoods Galaxy� Fleck� 4:23�
� � � 9� In Your Eyes� Fleck� 5:09�
� � � 10� System Seven� Fleck� 4:17�
� � � 11� Cheeseballs in Cowtown� Fleck� 4:51�
� � � 12� Bicyclops� Fleck� 4:16�
� � � 13� Jayme Lynn� Fleck� 5:28�
� � � 14� For Sascha� Fleck� 2:34�

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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nighthawk

#17

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 9273

Aug 6 05 2:35 AM

QUOTE

James Glendenning Posted on Aug 5 2005, 12:06 AM
I got to see Bela Fleck & The Flecktones a few years ago here in Sydney at The Basement www.thebasement.com.au .

I walked from the gig with the best feeling, it was one of the Best gigs i have seen at the Basement.

Im now a Fan.

James Glendenning
Sydney
Australia

James
Thanks for your post. Bela and the band live are definitely worth checking out again and again.
Bill H

"A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having."

Location: just outside of Pittsburgh, PA

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seldomseen

#18

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Posts: 43

Aug 13 05 2:57 PM

Not long ago I picked up a couple of his early CDs with the Flecktones, with Howard Levy blowing harp. Pretty much locked myself in the house and played them over and over and over and over again. Totally intimidated.

When I emerged from the house, went to a local bluegrass jam (where I'm a regular) with my head full of ideas ...

I could have been a brain surgeon, but they wouldn't let me use a crowbar.

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