Bela

Classical banjo: Béla Fleck delivers virtuosity
in Concerto with Alabama Symphony

For the perennially experimental Alabama Symphony, booking Bela Fleck for its Classical Edge series was a sure winner. Like ASO, Fleck is expanding his musical world, seriously projecting the possibilities of his instrument, the banjo, beyond bluegrass to classical and world stages.

Thursday’s concert marked the second performance of Fleck’s Banjo Concerto, a gem that he and the Nashville Symphony premiered in September. Appearing relaxed as the frontman of a symphony orchestra rather than a bluegrass quartet, Fleck had the work memorized, enabling an easy rapport with conductor Fawzi Haimor and various orchestral soloists.

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Rocket Science PreOrder
Hear Another Sample Here....

Check The Dates

2011 Tour

Ryman

 

Mountain Stage
Béla Fleck ~ Edgar Meyer ~ Zakir Hussain
on
Mountain Stage

Archived @
NPR.org/MountainStage

 

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Hi Folks, I hope your summer has gone well.
The Flecktones had a great run, starting in late May, and finishing up in early September.
We've been having a blast playing with Howard again, and the music is continuing to expand and change.
The band is working in more new tunes all the time, and more of the old ones are being revived as well.
Flecktones start up again in October.
While the group takes a little time off, I will be up to my usual hijinks.
My concerto for banjo and orchestra premieres on September 22 - 24 at the Schermerhorn Center in Nashville, with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, who also commissioned the piece. We will be recording and filming the opening performances, so I better play it right ... there's no pressure at all!
I will be practicing hard til the opening.
I am fortunate to get to play with Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain, at the Hardly Strictly Festival in San Francisco on October 2.
I am very excited to play with my pals, and we have a surprise guest coming to sit in on that show.
Then it's back to the band for October and November, and I am making plans to do a new recording after thanksgiving -- details to be announced.
Life is good, I wish you all the best!
Béla Fleck

 

AfricaProject

Africa Sessions - Part 2
Available Now !
TDYH Vol2

GRAMMY AWARD WINNER!
Grammy
Best Contemporary
World Music Album

Purchase
"Throw Down Your Heart -
Africa Sessions Part 2"

14 New Songs
+
A 46 Page Digital Booklet with images
and notes from Béla's trip to Africa
only available on this site.
$10.00

Click Here to Purchase !

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Hear The Music...

 

Howdy folks, Béla here!
I am thrilled to present new music from my trip to Africa.

For people who loved "Throw Down Your Heart", here is a whole lot more of it!

For people who haven't heard "Throw Down Your Heart", or seen the film, this is a fine way to get your feet wet.

In fact, I feel that these tracks are every bit as wondeful as the first CD tracks. I just couldn't get them all on the original CD!

I am so glad to be getting this music out there, and providing the oportunity for you to hear these magnificent musicians.

“Throw Down Your Heart - Africa Sessions Part 2” includes fourteen new songs recorded during my journey from Nashville to Mali, The Gambia, Tanzania and Uganda My goal was to colloborate with incredible African musicians, and look into the origins of the banjo and banjo music.

This is also the first experiment with the idea of going direct from me to you, the listener, with no record company middleman. So for now, this is the only place you can find this music.

I hope you love it as much I do, this is a labor of love for me!

All the best,
Béla

Winner of 2 Grammy Awards !

Best Contemporary World Music Album
"Throw Down Your Heart"

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
"Throw Down Your Heart"

Grammy

THANK YOU !

‘Throw Down Your Heart,’ hailed by the LA Times as an “important work of artistic memory and conscience,” is an album and award-winning documentary that explores the African origins of the banjo through on-location collaborations with musicians in Uganda, Tanzania, the Gambia and Mali.

Throughout his 30-year career, Fleck has won 13 Grammy awards and has earned more diverse Grammy nominations than any other musician in history, including pop, country, bluegrass, jazz, classical, spoken-word, composition and arranging.


 

 

Some More News ....

 

 

 

The Committee on Honors of the Trustees of Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME has invited Béla to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Music at their Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 28, 2011. This honor is conferred by the College upon individuals who have made significant contributions to society.

In presenting him the degree, the College wishes to recognize his extraordinary artistry on the banjo, and his collaborations with a wide range of artists.

http://www.bowdoin.edu/

Check This Out...

Béla's "Notes From The Road"


 

 
The Film Buy Now !