Nobody will likely accuse Bela Fleck of standing still musically. Even though he and the original Flecktones lineup are touring for the first time in almost two decades, consider this tour and the group’s recently released album, “Rocket Science,” something akin to a musical shooting star that even surprised the band.
“First we got together and did a three-week tour, mostly in Europe, to get ourselves in sync, and see if we all would really want to do this again,” said Fleck. “Everyone has progressed in the last 17 years, so there was quite a bit of revelation in hearing each other together again. That tour was a blast, and so it was decided we would make a new album and tour together for the better part of a year.”
| ONSTAGE |
| Bela Fleck & the Original Flecktones |
| » When: 7 p.m. Sunday |
| » Where: Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Art, Filene Center, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna |
| » Details: $25 to $75; 877-WOLFTRAP (965-3872); wolftrap.org |
While the musical mojo quickly resurfaced for the Grammy Award-winning quartet that melds blues, jazz, classical and other genres into its own sound, Fleck said he wasn’t fully confident the regrouping was prudent. Perhaps that’s because the band members — Fleck, pianist/harmonica player Howard Levy, bassist Victor Wooten, and percussionist Roy “Future Man” Wooten — had all taken different musical paths through the years.
“I do remember the first rehearsal before that European tour being kind of scary, especially the first day,” Fleck said. “I think Howard and I were a little uptight, Vic and Future Man don’t ever seem to get uptight! It’s quite amazing, actually. Anyhow, the second day everything relaxed, and we were in the pocket again.”
What the future holds, though, is basically anyone’s guess.
Consider Fleck, who was originally part of Nashville, Tenn.’s New Grass Revival before he formed the Flecktones. He has created an international name for himself not just as a master banjoist but as a composer and band director. One of his many recent projects of note includes writing a banjo concerto for the Nashville Symphony. That experience, which he called “one of the more satisfying experiences for me in recent years,” reignited his excitement about writing in the classical arena.
That, though, is just the beginning of the projects he hopes to pursue.
“I have several collaborations I am interested in pursuing; I’ll talk more about that as they develop,” he said. “It’s a big world out there, and I love playing with musicians from all over it. I also intend to further develop my repertoire for solo banjo and I’d like to see if I can pull off a one-man show. There are lots of ideas to pursue and I hope to learn and grow from all of them.”
