Béla Fleck and friends push the boundaries of bluegrass in Gainesville

Béla Fleck and friends push the boundaries of bluegrass in Gainesville

There are great banjo players, and then there’s Béla Fleck. For more than four decades, Fleck has challenged just about every assumption about what the five-string banjo can do. Bluegrass, jazz, classical music, and just about everything in between have found their way into his playing and resulted in 15 Grammy awards. His performance at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Gainesville was a reminder of why he remains one of the most innovative and influential instrumentalists in American roots music.

Fleck brought along an exceptional group of musicians: fiddlers Michael Cleveland and Maddie Denton, mandolinist Dominick Leslie, dobro player Jeff Partin, bassist Mark Schatz, and guitarist Jake Stargel. This was no ordinary backing band; these are among the very best pickers in the current acoustic music scene.

The night flowed between some traditional bluegrass (“Who’s That Knocking On Your Door”, a tribute to Fleck’s former colleague Pat Enright who recently passed away, and Jimmy Martin’s “Tennessee), but most of the night included the more adventurous compositions that have become Fleck’s trademark. He reached back to some of his early compositions as well as some more recent (“When Joy Kills Sorrow,” “Valley of the Rogue,” “Hunter’s Moon,” “Vertigo” and “Polka on the Banjo”).

Fleck can make a complicated piece of music appear effortless, and he recruits musicians that fit that description perfectly. Almost all of the longer pieces included breaks that allowed each musician to demonstrate their skills. Cleveland is one of the most celebrated fiddlers in modern bluegrass, and he was on fire. One of the more interesting parts of the evening was when Fleck and Cleveland took the stage alone, providing some masterful interplay of banjo and fiddle.

For me, the highlight of the night was Fleck’s interpretation of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Written more than a century ago, it’s one of the most recognizable works in American music. Tackling this composition with six acoustic instruments is the kind of ambitious challenge that seems perfectly suited to Fleck, who has never been particularly concerned with the boundaries separating musical genres.

Fleck has been a revered figure in acoustic music for a long time. His years with New Grass Revival helped redefine progressive bluegrass, while his work with the Flecktones introduced the banjo to audiences far removed from traditional acoustic music. His collaborations with jazz players Chick Corea, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain further expanded the horizons of the banjo. I’ve seen the band twice, with a few different musicians in the supporting role, but the virtuosity is always there. He surrounds himself with outstanding players, gives them room to contribute, and seems just as interested in what they bring to the music as in showcasing his own abilities. It’s worth noting that a live album of his band, recorded at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, is about to be released and can be pre-ordered now. With an exceptional group of musicians, a bold selection of material, and a memorable interpretation of Rhapsody in Blue, Fleck delivered an evening that celebrated bluegrass roots while demonstrating how much more the music can become.

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