Rick Beato interviews Béla Fleck [+Rhapsody in Blue(rrass)]

About Fleck (from YouTube_)

Béla Fleck is a renowned American banjo player, often considered one of the most innovative and banjo players of all time. Born on July 10, 1958, in New York City, Fleck was named after the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. He was drawn to the banjo at a young age, inspired by the television show "The Beverly Hillbillies."

Fleck's musical journey has been marked by his eclectic taste and a willingness to blend different genres. He began his professional career in the bluegrass world with the band New Grass Revival and later formed the genre-bending group Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, which combined jazz, bluegrass, rock, and more.

Over his career, Fleck has won numerous Grammy Awards across various categories, showcasing his versatility. His collaborations with artists across different genres, from classical to jazz to African music, have further cemented his status as a musical pioneer. Notable collaborations include his work with the Marcus Roberts Trio, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain.

Fleck's influence extends beyond his virtuosity on the banjo. He is celebrated for pushing the boundaries of the instrument, bringing it into new musical contexts, and inspiring a new generation of musicians. His albums, such as "Drive," "Throw Down Your Heart," and "The Impostor," display a vast range of musical exploration and creativity.

Béla Fleck continues to tour, record, and collaborate, constantly redefining the banjo's place in the world of music.

Why this interview interests me

1. General principle: I'm a musician, this is about music. More specifically...

2. This is about affordances of the banjo (to use a term introduced by perceptual psychology J.J. Gibson and then generalized by Don Norman and others) in relation to the technical requirements of music. In America banjo playing became most highly developed in blue grass music in the first 3/4s of the 20th century. That was a highly arpeggiated style. Then Fleck and others began adapting it to other style, more scalar styles. Fleck explains how that was done. Other things as well (e.g. polyrhythm).