Bela Fleck and the Flecktones thrive on variety. This much is evident in their performance, in which they embrace elements of folk, jazz, bluegrass and international traditions, just to name a few. Even judging by their instrumentation - banjo, bass and Synth-Axe Drumitar, an electronic drum synthesizer - the Flecktones aren't easy to categorize. They're just easy to enjoy, as evidenced by their performance Sunday at Eastern Michigan University's Pease Auditorium.
The trio, consisting of Bela Fleck on banjo, bassist Victor Wooten and percussionist Future Man, along with guest stringed instrumentalist Mike Marshall, astonished the audience with their unique approach to music.
Fleck himself was enthusiastic in describing his group's live approach. As he awaited a sound check last Friday at an Ashland, Ky. venue he told The Michigan Daily, "We just try and put it together in a way that feels good to everybody. And 'everybody' means the audience and us. So everybody, hopefully, walks away feeling like they got something out of it. Maybe they hated something, too. Maybe something we did they didn't like. That's all right."
If there were listeners who hated much about the Flecktones' performance, they were noticeably silent Sunday. The group's reception, uncommonly boisterous in the somewhat refined concert hall, became only warmer as the show progressed.
From the accessible, melodious groove of the first instrumental piece to Fleck's friendly conversation with the crowd, they set the welcoming tone of the show early. With that, they also prepared the audience for the wide spectrum of sounds on the way.
In the course of the show, Fleck would switch repeatedly between electric and acoustic banjoes. Setting things off with a trademark bluegrass jam, he acted as both leader and follower through various pieces and even took a solo spot. He sat on the edge of the stage, inches away from the front row of listeners. Within his performance, he managed to pluck out "Amazing Grace" without touching the fretboard, but instead adjusting his banjo's tuning knobs to find the notes. Bela Fleck's musical grace was indeed amazing.
Victor Wooten did his share of acrobatics, as well. His muscular, impossibly quick bass licks on such burners as "Almost Twelve" and "New South Africa" could turn suddenly into the most delicate of tones.
"When you see Victor do what he does in person, in the same room, suddenly it's all the more amazing, 'cause it wasn't a studio trick, it wasn't a camera trick," Fleck said. "His humanity is comparable to your own, you know?"
This rang true, particularly in Wooten's improvised bass solo, in which he managed to tease out tunes with just the chiming sounds of harmonics. Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed," the keyboard exercise "Chopsticks" and Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia" floated from his strings - just a few of the melodies he incorporated within one expansive piece.
Future Man, the flamboyant brother of bassist Wooten, was undoubtedly the most surprising stage presence, both in his colorful dress and his use of completely electronic percussion. With his Synth-Axe Drumitar (a wildly colored guitar-sized drum synthesizer), he flowed easily with the other musicians. The quickness with which he could press the Drumitar's pads made for intricate, textured drumming, but sounded oddly artificial.
Future Man's solo, for instance, incorporated such sounds as speech excerpts, choral humming and church bells in addition to drum samples. This variety, though, became somewhat tiresome in the course of his solo; he often sounded repetitive. Technology, he showed, meets with certain limits in music.
Renowned bluegrass artist Mike Marshall joined the trio for the entirety of the show, making a beautiful addition to the group. During his turn as bandleader, Marshall strapped on what Fleck termed "The Mother of All Mandolins" to perform his lighthearted composition, "Gator Strut."
By the spirited end of the Flecktones' show, everyone got in on the act. Shortly after the shining melody of "Stomping Grounds," they got into their Phish- and Bob Marley-inspired encore. It was then that the Deadhead contingent of the crowd rushed to the front to dance freely, while the rest of the audience watched, bemused. The encore spoke volumes of the band's eclectic nature. They used a huge variety of sounds and displayed a variety of influences, attracting a diverse crowd to put on a truly amazing show.
Fleck, with his absolute modesty, characterized best the experience of the Flecktones' performance. "I get to play with them every night, and I get the inspiration of playing with people that are as good - as good as it gets," he said. "And that's what makes it wonderful for me. It lifts me up."
Bela Fleck (right) with Future Man (center) and Victor Wooten (left).