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Music : Perpetual Motion
Rating: 
- The flying fingers of Fleck
Nice to see that Bela has expanded his classical repertoire from the single piece that he used to play on stage (and on his DVD).
Having been a fan of his for many years and having been fortunate enough to catch him "Live" at The Mean Fiddler" in Harlesden a few years ago, I am delighted to see him go from strength to strength.
He has also moved The Banjo from what was perceived by many to be an instrument of derision to a thing of considerable beauty!
Let's face it, Bela could play anything, if he set his mind to it.His ability and talent seem boundless.
I look forward with anticipation to see where he decides to go from here.
Rating:
- Simply Inspiring!
What can I say. I added this cd to my order thinking that it looked good. It is AWESOME! It's a worthy addition to a cd collection!
Enjoy
Rating: - A musical delight
This is an eccentric but rather fine recording with an array of wonderful musicians supporting Bela Fleck. I have never heard the banjo played in this way before - it is a revelation. The selection of music is firmly within the classical pops but the instrumentation and arrangements provide harmonies that are quite new. Well worth buying and great fun.
Rating: - Mind-bending finger-numbing work.
Prediction: This new "Perpetual Motion" compilation by Fleck and friends will win a Grammy for best classical crossover album. By a - if you'll excuse the expression - country mile.
Béla Fleck, sometimes whimsically called "the Bartók of the banjo" (his full given name is Béla Anton Leos Fleck, for composers Bartók, Dvorak and Janácek) is - on this new album - "the Bach of the banjo" for nearly half of its 20 tracks. Collaborating with an all-star group of classical and roots musicians, Béla has come up with a delightful surprise of an album. Made up of - more or less - equal parts good cheer, tasteful and fitting arrangements of classical chamber music for novel groups of instruments, and just plain down and dirty fun, this album is sure to appeal to both "traditional" Fleck fans and classical music lovers of all stripes.
Once again, as on some previous projects, Fleck's main artisitc partner in the enterprise is Edgar Meyer (that man who can do absolutely anything with a string bass), whose roles here include not only instrumental contributions but repertoire suggestions and arrangements as well. The two of them team up to good effect in Bach's Two-Part Invention No. 6, BWV 777, and, with Edgar on piano, in a more-or-less "straight" version of Paganini's "Moto Perpetuo."
Of the other collaborators on this album (and there are several, including classical guitarist John Williams, cellist Gary Hoffman and mandolinist Chris Thile), special mention must go to percussionist Evelyn Glennie on marimba, for her delicately-shaded work on several of the Bach Inventions, and to Joshua Bell on violin (and Hoffman on cello) for a ravishing take on Debussy's "Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum" from his Children's Corner suite. The latter is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and I'm not even a particular fan of Bell; he is simply perfect in this piece.
What would a Béla Fleck album be without some REALLY sidesplitting hot licks? Those who desire this "Fleck fix" need not worry; there are two tracks fitting this description: an arrangement for banjo and classical guitar of Beethoven's "Seven Variations on 'God Save the King'," and, to wrap the album up, a bluegrass version of the Paganini title work.
Will my Grammy prediction come true? Who knows? The prediction could certainly be confounded if the appropriate NARAS Grammy nominating committee decides that Mark O'Connor's new album, "The American Seasons," is categorized as "classical crossover," leading to the possibility of a deadlocked vote. So why don't you just go out and try Mark's new album as well, and cover your bases?
Great stuff, this mind-bending finger-numbing work by Béla and his buddies.
- The flying fingers of FleckNice to see that Bela has expanded his classical repertoire from the single piece that he used to play on stage (and on his DVD).
Having been a fan of his for many years and having been fortunate enough to catch him "Live" at The Mean Fiddler" in Harlesden a few years ago, I am delighted to see him go from strength to strength.
He has also moved The Banjo from what was perceived by many to be an instrument of derision to a thing of considerable beauty!
Let's face it, Bela could play anything, if he set his mind to it.His ability and talent seem boundless.
I look forward with anticipation to see where he decides to go from here.
Rating:
- Simply Inspiring!What can I say. I added this cd to my order thinking that it looked good. It is AWESOME! It's a worthy addition to a cd collection!
Enjoy
Rating:
- A musical delightThis is an eccentric but rather fine recording with an array of wonderful musicians supporting Bela Fleck. I have never heard the banjo played in this way before - it is a revelation. The selection of music is firmly within the classical pops but the instrumentation and arrangements provide harmonies that are quite new. Well worth buying and great fun.
Rating:
- Mind-bending finger-numbing work.Prediction: This new "Perpetual Motion" compilation by Fleck and friends will win a Grammy for best classical crossover album. By a - if you'll excuse the expression - country mile.
Béla Fleck, sometimes whimsically called "the Bartók of the banjo" (his full given name is Béla Anton Leos Fleck, for composers Bartók, Dvorak and Janácek) is - on this new album - "the Bach of the banjo" for nearly half of its 20 tracks. Collaborating with an all-star group of classical and roots musicians, Béla has come up with a delightful surprise of an album. Made up of - more or less - equal parts good cheer, tasteful and fitting arrangements of classical chamber music for novel groups of instruments, and just plain down and dirty fun, this album is sure to appeal to both "traditional" Fleck fans and classical music lovers of all stripes.
Once again, as on some previous projects, Fleck's main artisitc partner in the enterprise is Edgar Meyer (that man who can do absolutely anything with a string bass), whose roles here include not only instrumental contributions but repertoire suggestions and arrangements as well. The two of them team up to good effect in Bach's Two-Part Invention No. 6, BWV 777, and, with Edgar on piano, in a more-or-less "straight" version of Paganini's "Moto Perpetuo."
Of the other collaborators on this album (and there are several, including classical guitarist John Williams, cellist Gary Hoffman and mandolinist Chris Thile), special mention must go to percussionist Evelyn Glennie on marimba, for her delicately-shaded work on several of the Bach Inventions, and to Joshua Bell on violin (and Hoffman on cello) for a ravishing take on Debussy's "Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum" from his Children's Corner suite. The latter is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and I'm not even a particular fan of Bell; he is simply perfect in this piece.
What would a Béla Fleck album be without some REALLY sidesplitting hot licks? Those who desire this "Fleck fix" need not worry; there are two tracks fitting this description: an arrangement for banjo and classical guitar of Beethoven's "Seven Variations on 'God Save the King'," and, to wrap the album up, a bluegrass version of the Paganini title work.
Will my Grammy prediction come true? Who knows? The prediction could certainly be confounded if the appropriate NARAS Grammy nominating committee decides that Mark O'Connor's new album, "The American Seasons," is categorized as "classical crossover," leading to the possibility of a deadlocked vote. So why don't you just go out and try Mark's new album as well, and cover your bases?
Great stuff, this mind-bending finger-numbing work by Béla and his buddies.
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