Béla Fleck & the Flecktones

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones
4 August 2006: Planting Fields Arboretum — Oyster Bay, NY

Guitar gods are a dime a dozen, but jazz-banjo deities? Of those, there can be only one.

by Lou Friedman
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Given the rate at which musical genres diversify these days, it's amazing that anyone can find a niche, let alone create a genre all their own. I mean, go ahead; find me another band specializing in jazz that uses a banjo as the key instrument. If you dare name more than one, try thinking of another that has a "drummer" (intentional scare quotes) who gets his percussive sounds from a guitar-shaped instrument called a synth-axe drumitar? (I can't make this up -- that's really the name). Look, I'll spare you; there's only one living, breathing band with those two components -- Béla Fleck and his illustrious Flecktones -- and they're the best, if only, band to do both.

Aside from the aforementioned Fleck (who is the banjo master) and Roy Wooten (better known as "Futureman" on percussion), the quartet consists of woodwind specialist Jeff Coffin (nicknamed "The Goat" for his stylish goatee), and bassist Victor Wooten (yes, Futureman's brother). Individually, these four gents are loaded with talent on their weapon(s) of choice, but thrown together, they're licks are the stuff of legend.

Pushing a new-ish album (The Hidden Land), Fleck and crew decided to warm up for their opening slot on a pair of Dave Matthews Band shows by headlining a two-set performance of their own at the Planting Fields Arboretum on Long Island. The venue itself is a baby shed: there are seats under a large tent, with a cheaper open-air lawn area further back. The big problem is that the lawn isn't situated on a hill, so it remains flat -- if anyone walks by, they're in the way. Also, local noise ordinances prevent the shows from being too loud, so speakers are set up on the lawn. The key is getting seats under the tent; the closer, the better.

One glance at Fleck's set list told the tale: you would have to either kick back and enjoy a majority of the new album, or prepare to be pissed by the lack of old material. When I talked to the sound man before the show, he said that the band was "dialed in" during sound check (meaning they were tight and ready to go). His remark was prophetic, as the band hit the stage and started with a trio of songs from The Hidden Land: "Weed Whacker", "Couch Potato", and "The Whistle Tune". As abstract as the songs are deconstructed, the quartet was focused and intense as they played the trio without a break. (We pause for a moment to mention that most of Fleck's material sounds much better in a live setting.)

Of course, it wouldn't be a Flecktones performance without a twist here and a turn there, but the biggest one -- which came early -- was the recognition of an unusual addition to the stage: an actual drum kit! Was Futureman ill? Would there be a guest drummer? Has the synth-axe drumitar gone the way of the 8-track? The answer was none of the above. On the first song after the troika, "P'lod in the House", Futureman became jazz's answer to Def Leppard's Rick Allen -- a one-handed drummer. Sitting on a stool, Futureman used his left hand to play his drumitar, while holding a drumstick in his right hand and bashing away (also using his right foot to control a bass drum). Would it result in a train wreck of tangled arms and legs? No, Futureman kept control and managed to master all things percussive. For the solo that started the second set, he sat on a box, which made different sounds, depending on what part of the box he tapped. He used his hands, drumsticks, and brushes to create a cacophony of sounds, and worked the next few band songs from the box, including oldie "Bigfoot".

Naturally, Fleck proved himself a master of all banjo forms -- including on one strange instrument that sounded like a guitar with banjo overtones. This music machine was used to explosive ends as the feature instrument in "Subterfuge" (which also interpolated the Beatles' "Come Together"). Coffin received wild applause each time he played a pair of saxophones at the same time (skronkville, anybody?). And of course, Wooten's bass was solid, and his solo was interesting, as he recorded snippets of a run, and then layered them over each other while adding new accents.

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones present a unique interpretation of be-bop vantage points in jazz form, using banjo and synthesized percussion as the odd, but key, elements. At times, it doesn't translate well on record/cassette/CD (or 8-track, for that matter). But live, all questions are answered, even if the sounds remain unquantifiable and without compare. Of course, with a synth-axe drumitar on stage, who really cares what you call it?

— 21 August 2006