Jazz Articles about Bela Fleck

Bela Fleck and The Flecktones: Little Worlds/Ten From Little Worlds

by Doug Collette
November 1, 2003

Little Worlds is a gorgeous package of three compact discs on which Bela Fleck and the Flecktones seamlessly interweave inspiration, creative spontaneity and judicious production.

The crystalline sound quality is just one of the constants deriving from collaboration between Bela himself and recordists Robert and Richard Battaglia: it’s a pleasure to listen to this music for the way it sounds alone. But that leads inevitably to the serendipity of the musicians’ improvisation on the respective tunes, a process ...

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones: Little Worlds

by Jim Santella
October 17, 2003

This three-disc project puts Béla Fleck's music in a new light. His formidable blend of Americana and jazz is integrated with new sounds brought in by guest artists and their eclectic backgrounds. The banjo virtuoso, his multi-faceted woodwind partner, his profound bassist, and his rhythmic sidekick weave modern jazz around the flagpole with delicate airs and a variety of colors. No particular theme weighs the sessions down: cultures from all over the world are tied to Fleck's creative dreams.

B: Live At The Quick

by Jim Santella
April 12, 2002

Unique among contemporary music ensembles, Béla Fleck's dynamic trio works wonders in live performance. Their large audience at the Quick Center For The Arts in Fairfield, Connecticut knew they were witnessing a one-of-a-kind affair. Clapping on 2 and 4 while Victor Lemonte Wooten improvised over “Amazing Grace," they felt all the power coming from that stage. Fleck and his partners managed to overcome multiple travel and itinerary conflicts to get this cast of characters together. To a simple bluegrass ballad ...

B: Live At The Quick

by Jim Santella
April 12, 2002

Unique among contemporary music ensembles, Béla Fleck's dynamic trio works wonders in live performance. Their large audience at the Quick Center For The Arts in Fairfield, Connecticut knew they were witnessing a one-of-a-kind affair. Clapping on 2 and 4 while Victor Lemonte Wooten improvised over “Amazing Grace," they felt all the power coming from that stage. Fleck and his partners managed to overcome multiple travel and itinerary conflicts to get this cast of characters together. To a simple bluegrass ballad ...

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones: Left of Cool

by Ed Kopp
August 1, 1998

Bela Fleck is one of the most innovative musicians in contemporary jazz: he has completely recast the role of the banjo in jazz. Honorary Flecktone Jeff Coffin joins the fold on Left Of Cool, a lengthy and intermittently absorbing CD. Coffin is a Nashville saxophonist who's far jazzier than Paul McCandless, the saxman who usually plays with the Fleckmen. Coffin is a nice addition to the band, though apparently it's a temporary arrangement. This is no landmark album, but many ...

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones: Live Art

by Dave Hughes
September 1, 1997

This is a totally excellent album. Buy it! Regardless of whether you've never heard of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, or whether you are a long-time devotee, you'll find the music in this 2-CD live set to be unusually creative, diverse, and fresh. If you complain that so much of today's music sounds the same, you'll love this.

These performances were culled from hundreds of tapes made from live gigs from 1992 through 1996. The core unit is Bela Fleck ...