[Dixielandjazz] Re: Bela Fleck

[Bryan Livett]

Hi John:  Yes, Bela Fleck is reasonably well known in N America;  his group
is known as "The Flecktones" comprising electric keyboard, soprano sax,
electric bass, percussion and Bela on banjo. They produce "contemporary
jazz" in the manner of The Yellowjackets, Weather Report and John Scofield;
a sort of elavator music... mountains of technique and NO swing!  (You can
marvel at the chops but not be moved by the music).

Cheers

Bryan

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Farrell" <stridepiano@tesco.net>
To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 2:09 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] 6 string banjos


> An American friend sent me a VCR tape of a banjo player named Bela Fleck
(a
> Yank?), recorded from a TV programme. Ye Gods !! It takes a little while
to
> get into the unfamiliar stylings of his group - I found it impossible to
> categorise the music - but it is the most accomplished banjo playing I
have
> ever seen or heard.
>
> The guy even plays unaccompanied Bach pieces and there is a segment on the
> tape with two people together playing one banjo - one of the fast classic
> banjo breakdowns with Bela doing the strumming and another guy doing the
> fingering. Astonishing stuff, catch it if you can.
>
> John Farrell
> stridepiano@tesco.net
> http://homepages.tesco.net/~stridepiano/midifiles.htm
>
>
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