Some music transcends time and place. It doesn’t matter what era or what is currently hot on the radio – it simply exists in an ever-youthful state. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones have occupied this space for nearly four decades. Fusing jazz and bluegrass, but reaching into far more varied musical realms, the group has always been best experienced in a live setting, giving audiences the chance to witness their instrumental prowess and a strangely beautiful melange of sounds. And in between numerous side projects, solo endeavors, and collaborations, the four Flecktones always seem to return to each other. Such is the impetus for their current tour, which isn’t around any new release (they haven’t put out a studio album in almost 15 years) or promotional vehicle, but rather to simply regroup and continue sharing their music with the world. On Friday, August 29th, the Flecktones did exactly that when they made their way to Portland, Oregon for a dazzling show at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
Several songs into their two-hour performance, Béla Fleck grabbed the microphone and remarked to the crowd that this tour has felt like a collective dream shared by his bandmates. This dream-like feeling extended to the music, starting with Howard Levy’s otherworldly mouth harp kicking off “Frontiers,” which found the band seemingly levitating as they took flight and soared into the song’s quietly funky mix of Fleck’s banjo and Victor Wooten’s unmistakable bass. They stayed in a similar vein as they eased into longtime favorite “Flying Saucer Dudes,” showcasing feisty interplay of Levy’s masterful alternating between harmonica and piano, Fleck’s complex banjo, and Wooten’s buoyant bass defying gravity. The flow of bassy goodness continued as Wooten embarked on a sneaky solo, using live-loop composition to gradually build intensity and layer in melody for an impressive feat that felt as much performance art as a concert. “Mars Needs Women” saw the band stretching out into a lonely soundscape with Levy’s harmonica floating over the groove, while Fleck introduced the playful rollercoaster banjo vehicle “Juno” by saying it was “one of our newer tunes and it’s about 12 years old” and telling the story of writing it about his newborn son while stuck in an airport. Levy’s harmonica solo before the jaunty “Life In Eleven” was incredible in its duality as he seemed to be simultaneously juxtaposing classical music and more rustic tones.
Following a set break, the quartet returned to the stage for another tour de force of virtuosity, starting with the galloping, breezy confidence of “Big Country.” Interweaving bass and harmonica segued into one of Fleck’s most spellbinding banjo solos of the night, with the song’s feeling of the wide open West offering an eloquent contrast to the primitive, old-world tone of Levy’s pennywhistle on “True North” and the Flecktones-style lounge jazz that ensued. “Blu-bop” was also a highlight of the set in its boisterous and frenetic interaction between band members as they charged down a complicated path that was mind-boggling in its precision and a maze of complexity, showcasing a chemistry that comes from spending decades playing at the highest level. Following an absolutely gorgeous banjo composition, “Rhapsody in Blue(grass),” Futureman had his moment in the spotlight when he sang the jazzy “Sunset Road” before taking off on a solo that utilized both his SynthAxeDrumitar and his standard drum set. Closing out with “Sweet Pomegranates” – a bass vehicle for Wooten, who pushed his instrument to the limit – and “The Sinister Minister” with its bouncing rhythm and mischievous banjo, the Flecktones left the stage on a high note.
Nearly forty years in and the music of the Flecktones is still surprising, thoughtful, complex, and mysterious in the most timeless way possible. In Portland, they had the audience enraptured with the kind of musicianship that was magnetic in its ability to keep one hanging on every note. Their sensational performance was proof that, even as bluegrass music ascends to the arena level and seems to be connecting to the mainstream, the Flecktones remain one of the space’s most groundbreaking acts.
All photos by Greg Homolka
