The pursuit and progression of the world’s premier banjo artist

By: Luanne Byrd 

[Ed. Note: Bela Fleck & The Flecktones will appear in Athens tonight at the Classic Center Theatre]

Mainstream is no stream for the world’s premier banjo artist and his musical brothers, Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, when it comes to composing and collaboration on their multiple Grammy® award-winning songs and albums that span a musical career of more than two decades.

With an inadvertent assemblage of talent in 1988 for the PBS series Lonesome Pine Specials, the band’s industry recognition and spiraling success have been left to anything but chance. Touring extensively, performing more than 200 concerts per year, the Flecktones, whom Fleck considers “a group of equals,” push each other to perfection, playing the music that Fleck has written for the banjo and finding a home for it.

Reinventing the sound and image of the banjo within an array of musical genres, Fleck, along with current band members Victor Wooten, Roy “Futureman” Wooten and Jeff Coffin, have traveled the road of progression with a series of unique and ear-catching rhythms and vocals that have transformed traditional bluegrass sounds into a multi-cultural, jazz-infused movement, tapping into the rich heritage of Fleck’s instrument of passion.

A Unique Perspective – Staying Vague

Luanne Byrd: You bring a unique perspective to improvisational music – how has your sound evolved both as a banjo player and a composer?

Bela Fleck: I think I am moving towards an ideal stream of consciousness playing, where ideas morph from one into the next, as opposed to the bluegrass ‘hot playing’ model, where you end the solo with the hottest climax possible. As far as composing, I am integrating the ideas I have picked up fromAfrican music, Classical music, Jazz and Bluegrass, and trying to avoid direct influence. In other words, I am not trying to do an “Indian” tune or a “Bluegrass” tune. I am looking for common ground between the forms and staying vague.

A Spiritual Pursuit

Byrd: You entertain a loyal and devoted fan base that crosses over from jazzers to the hippie banders to the fans of funk, rock and beyond. How do you describe your audience and what influence does your music have on them with the incorporation of so many cultures into its composition?

Fleck: I think you just did! We are a people that are very passionate about music and look at it as a life path, almost a spiritual pursuit. We draw an audience that loves music and self-expression; an ideal. I think we bring a bigger musical world view to many of our listeners. When we love something, we make an effort to incorporate it and share it.

Rich Collaboration

Byrd: What is your favorite collaboration that you have been a part of?

Fleck: I love them all. The African experience is quite high on the list, as is my time with Chick Corea doing duo touring and recording. There is none better than the Flecktones, and how about my Bluegrass heritage – the New Grass Revival, Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, Stuart Duncan and my current project with Edgar Myer and Zakir Hussain? Do I have to choose?

Look At Me Now

Byrd: How would you address your High School today, given the success you have achieved in your career, and the statement that you had a “lack of musical aptitude” when you attended so many years ago?

Fleck: Hey, check me out dudes! They may not consider the banjo to be music, so the jokes on me. I loved my High School, which was the “Fame” school in New York. It was just a different time.

Think Long-Term

Byrd: What advice would you pass on to young musicians, much like those that are playing the clubs and music scene in Athens, regarding their music and their hopes of being signed and represented?

Fleck: Don’t try to make it something that you’re not. Music is about expression. Search for your own and listen to your heart. Think long-term, for instance – “How will I feel in 20 years from now? Is it honest for me?”

Something Unusual

Byrd: Tell me one thing that your listeners don’t know about you…maybe something unusual.

Fleck: I am Chinese (not really).

With Jeff Coffin playing and touring full-time with the Dave Mathews Band, there is a possible season of change ahead for The Flecktones which could lead to more time with original, fourth Flecktone member, Howard Levy. The Alash Ensemble Tuvan Throat Singers join Béla Fleck &The Flecktone’s current holiday tour featuring music from its popular Jingle All The Way album, making a scheduled stop in Athens at The Classic Center Theatre on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

“I have always enjoyed my time in Athens, playing at The Georgia Theatre and The University of Georgia,” said Fleck. “It’s a rich scene.”

Béla Fleck & The Flecktones

Who’s Who:

Béla Fleck – Acoustic and electric banjo

Victor Lemonte Wooten – Bass guitar

Roy “Future Man” Wooten – Percussion

Jeff Coffin – Saxophonist

Formed: 1988 – Louisville, Kentucky

Label: Columbia / Sony BMG

Latest Release: Jingle All The Way (2008)

On the Web: www.flecktones.com

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Béla Fleck & The Flecktones is the final performance in the Budweiser Select Music Series at The Classic Center Theatre. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show on Wednesday, Dec. 5 are priced from $25 to $40. For tickets or information call 706.357.4444, visit www.ClassicCenter.com or stop by The Classic Center Box Office at 300 N. Thomas St. in downtown Athens.