Béla Fleck

Béla Fleck is a virtuoso banjo player and a versatile artist who appears to have dedicated his life to push the boundaries of his instrument in every direction imaginable, He came to prominence with his first solo album in 1979, and spent a good number of years in the bluegrass world until he formed The Flecktones with virtuoso bass player Victor Wooten, which is when he started to seriously push into the direction of jazz in an '80s fusion style mixed with some bebop and post-bop. Since then, he has been collaborating with a host of musicians, western or otherwise, writing and performing classical music pieces, and leaving a trail of fascinating, innovative, and unique work. Given all this diversity in his history, the only thing one really expect when facing a Béla Fleck recording or performance is that it will showcase some brilliant banjo work with some bluegrass vibes, and anything beyond that is wide open.