Name Béla Fleck
Best known for Bringing the banjo into unwelcome places, kind of like telling an inappropriate joke or farting loudly in a crowd.
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Really want to be in Would love to be in Nashville, Tennessee—home of Davy Crockett—playing music with friends and being with my family. Oh, wait. I’m already there!
Otherwise Italy for dinner.
Excited about The battle against tyranny sounds rather exciting! Aside from that, there’s my upcoming project with Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sanchez, perhaps not quite as important…? And a collaboration with Abigail Washburn and the Colorado Symphony, our song cycle. Abby also has new solo music that I’m rather excited about as well. But first the battle against tyranny.
My current music collection has a lot of Miles Davis and Coltrane.
And a little bit of Barbra Streisand. Don’t tell anyone.
Preferred format Podcasts are well tolerated by me when exercising.
5 Albums I Can’t Live Without:
1
Blue, Joni Mitchell
My stepdad got me this album for my birthday when I was 16 or 17. I was spending a summer on Long Island, mostly with just my Mom. We put on Side A on repeat for the whole month of July. In August, we turned it over. Just love it. At various times it returns to my world and makes life better. Court and Spark continues to deliver as well, and Night Ride Home is wonderful as well.
2
Manzanita, The Tony Rice Unit
This one turned me upside down. These were the guys that I wanted to play music with and there wasn’t even a banjo player in the band. Seemed like they might have an opening! I was thrilled when my son Juno expressed interest in it recently. Skaggs & Rice [Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice] is another killer album. J.D. Crowe & The New South [by J.D. Crowe] also highly recommended.
3
Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
Wow…such a deep album that each time you listen you feel like it’s different. Everyone in the band an equal and with such different personalities. Coltrane showing himself in full command of the form while sailing towards the new music he would evolve towards. Don’t miss Round About Midnight, which is just as good in another way.
4
Sail Away, Randy Newman
When lyrics and music are both equally strong, you are experiencing art that is truly fabulous. Newman’s sardonic wit, deep musicality, and a special connection to an earlier time make him truly unique. In my opinion he’s still making great albums. “The World Isn’t Fair” [from ‘99’s Bad Love] is one of the coolest songs ever, and that whole record is just great.
5
Bach: Violin Concertos, Hillary Hahn, Jeffrey Kahane
Music that transcends time, this recording is just perfect. You can’t find better composition anywhere, and the performance is flawless. It comes back around for me over and over, and I am always thrilled to rediscover it.
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