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Béla Fleck: Live Art

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Released: 1996.09.10
Time:
 60:12 / 62:25
Category: Progressive Jazz
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: ********.. (8/10)
Media type: CD Double
Web address: www.flecktones.com
Appears with: Victor Wooten
Purchase date: 2001.07.05
Price in €: 10,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


Disc one:
[1] Intro - 0:39
[2] New South Africa (Fleck) - 4:43
[3] Stomping Grounds (Fleck/Wooten) - 5:26
[4] Lochs of Dread (Douglas/Fleck) - 5:45
[5] Big Foot (Fleck) - 7:32
[6] Far East Medley (Chinzorig/Lkhagvasuren/Nogoo/Public Domain/Santiago/Traditional/Velez) - 7:21
[7] Flying Saucer Dudes (Fleck) - 5:35
[8] UFO Tofu (Fleck) - 3:38
[9] Interlude-Libation, the Water Ritual (Future Man) - 3:06
[10] Vix 9 (Wooten) - 6:02
[11] The Message (Fleck/Future Man/Wooten/Wooten) - 9:16

Disc two:
[1] Improv/Amazing Grace (Public Domain) - 6:46
[2] Shubbee's Doobie (Bush/Fleck) - 4:40
[3] Oh! Darling (Lennon/McCartney) - 6:21
[4] Blu-Bop (Fleck/Levy/Wooten/Wooten) - 7:36
[5] Sunset Road (Fleck) - 5:56
[6] More Luv (Wooten) - 7:43
[7] Early Reflection/Bach/The Ballad of Jed Clampett (Fleck/Henning/Traditional) - 6:09
[8] Cheeseballs in Cowtown (Fleck) - 5:38
[9] Sinister Minister (Fleck) - 7:30
[10] Flight of the Cosmic Hippo [Unplugged Version] (Fleck) - 4:54

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Béla Fleck & The Flecktones:
BÉLA FLECK - Organ, Synthesizer, Banjo, Arranger, Steel Drums, Producer, Editing, Mixing, Mix Down, Synthesizer Banjo
ROY WOOTEN - Arranger
VICTOR WOOTEN - Banjo, Bass, Arranger, Cello, Vocals, Fretless Bass
FUTURE MAN - Synthesizer, Percussion, Drums, Vocals, Mixing, Drumitar, Zendrum
HOWARD LEVY - Harmonica, Keyboards

Additional personnel:
CHICK COREA - Piano, Zendrum
BRUCE HORNSBY - Piano, Vocals
BRANFORD MARSALIS - Soprano Saxophone
JERRY DOUGLAS - Dobro
SAM BUSH - Fiddle, Mandolin, Vocals
EDGAR MEYER - Bass
JOHN COWAN - Vocals
STUART DUNCAN - Fiddle
PAUL MCCANDLESS - Bass Clarinet, English Horn, Sopranino Saxophone, Soprano Vocal, Penny Whistle, Mixing

RICHARD BATTAGLIA - Engineer, Mix Down, Editing
KOOSTER MCALLISTER - Engineer
BRIAN AHERN - Engineer
DAVID GLASSER - Engineer
DONIVAN COWART - Engineer
ANDY HIGH - Engineer
ZACH NEWTON - Engineer
ROB LOUIS - Engineer
SKIP KENT - Engineer
RICHARD ADLER - Mixing
TIMOTHY HAERTEL - Engineer
DAVE SINCO - Mixing
WAYNE COOLEY - Engineer
DAVE GLASSER - Engineer
RICHARD ADLER - Mixing
ROGER NICHOLS - Mastering, Mixing
PAUL PRESTOPINO - Engineer
BIL VORNDICK - Mixing
LAURA LIPUMA-NASH - Art Direction
LAURA LIPUMA - Art Direction
MICHAEL WILSON - Photography
SHELLEY BIZZELL - Photography
CINDY WILSON - Photography
BILL KELLY - Photography
GREG KESSLER - Photography
DARYL QUINONES - Photography
GARRETT RITTENBERRY - Design
GARY LESH - Artwork

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1996 CD Warner Brothers 46247
1996 CS Warner Brothers 46247



Live Art is a double-disc, 20-track anthology of live performances by Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, spanning four years in the mid-'90s. The song selections cover the group's entire career, ranging from new arrangements of several of classics to covers and seven previously unrecorded originals. There are a couple of vocals on the record, but the core of the album is Fleck and the Flecktones' dynamite instrumental improvisations, where they can demonstrate the true range of their eclecticism and talent. Of special note are the songs that feature jams with Branford Marsalis, Chick Corea and Bruce Hornsby, who help spur the Flecktones to new heights.

Thom Owens, All-Music Guide, © 1992 - 2001 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



Something of a retrospective, Live Art is a treat for both newcomers and aficionados of the eye-popping artistry that is Bela Fleck, not to mention his more-than-capable partners in crime, bassist Victor Wooten and percussionist (well, it's not exactly a drum set he plays) Future Man. This two-disc set features live performances spanning a four-year period, with several guest appearances: Branford Marsalis sits in on "Flying Saucer Dudes," Chick Corea is featured on "The Message," and Bruce Hornsby appears on "More Luv." Several never-before-recorded songs appear here as well--the Scottish-inflected "Lochs of Dread," among others. Favorites like "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo," "UFO Tofu," and "Sinister Minister" are here as well, making this a well-rounded, enjoyable collection for any Fleck fan. Jazz? Folk? Bluegrass? Who knows, but whatever it is, it's well worth hearing.

Genevieve Williams, Amazon.com



Béla Fleck has made a career of constantly stretching the boundaries of the banjo in any musical form that he has played in, from the innovations of his work with the New Grass Revival to his ongoing band, The Flecktones. This double, live CD celebrates all phases of his career, with most of the musicians who have been important in his development making appearances along the way. The core group is the current touring line up of the Flecktones, including the master of bassology Victor Lemonte Wooten; his brother, and synth-axe drumitarist, Future Man Wooten; and recent recruit, Paul McCandless on clarinets and saxes. While the band turns out some fine live versions of tunes from the Flecktones' three studio albums, some of this release's most interesting moments come when the Flecktones, augmented by a revolving roster of amazing guests, attack non-Flecktone material. New tunes and side project compositions are highlighted by such tracks as "New South Africa," (which appeared on a South African release called A Place of Hope) and "Stomping Grounds," culled from one of the group's trips to Korea. Many of Fleck's old bands are represented, both in material and as guests, including Strength in Numbers' "Lochs of Dread" (with guest, mandolin demon Sam Bush) and a rousing version of the New Grass Revival's "Bigfoot." Early Flecktone classics are given a fresh coat of paint including "UFO Tofu," with original Flecktone Howard Levy returning to add his distinctive harmonica and keyboard sound, and "Flying Saucer Dudes," in which the original Flecktone lineup is augmented by Branford Marsalis on soprano sax. The brothers Wooten each get some solo turns with Future Man (or "Futch," as he is now known) showing off the amazing capabilities of his instrument on "The Water Ritual" and Victor combining a bass improv with a tapped harmonics version of "Amazing Grace." Elsewhere, Chick Corea gets down with the core band, augmented by Strength in Numbers' Edgar Meyer on bowed acoustic bass, Jerry Douglas on Dobro, fiddle player Stuart Duncan, and Bush's mandolin on Victor Wooten's rapped "The Message." From then on, it's all different combinations of players, all inspiring each other to new heights, like the John Cowan sung version of the Beatles' "Oh Darling," to a mind boggling rendition of "Cheeseballs in Cowtown," where Chick Corea shows how well he can play bluegrass. A rare version of "More Luv" with the Flecktones, joined by Bush and Bruce Hornsby, is unearthed, as well as a wondrous solo Fleck track, where he combines an excerpt from Bach's "Presto from Sonato #1 in Gm" with "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the first tune he ever learned on banjo. Unlike most live albums which merely document the current set list of a touring band, this release is both a look back and sneak peak ahead of the ever-changing beast known as Béla Fleck & the Flecktones.

Lahri Bond (Easthampton, MA)
January 21, 1997 - Dirty Linen



For many musicians, their name is instantly synonymous with the instrument they play. Say Vassar Clements and you immediately think of the fiddle, mention Eric Clapton and you picture a guitar, while the name David Grisman brings to mind the mandolin. So too, Bela Fleck's name forms the image of the banjo. But not just any banjo player -- Fleck has made a career of constantly stretching the boundaries of the banjo in any musical form that he has played in. His innovative work with the New Grass Revival, Strength In Numbers, his solo outings, and his ongoing band, The Flecktones, have shown that the banjo in Fleck's hands can play any existing form of music (and a few forms he has invented himself). This double, live CD celebrates all phases of Fleck's career, with most of the musicians important in his development making appearances along the way. The core group consists of the current touring line-up of the Flecktones, including Victor Lemonte Wooten (a master of bassology who possesses a doctorate in overall funkiness), his brother and synth-axe drumitar innovator Roy "Future Man" Wooten, and recent recruit Paul McCandless (Paul Winter Consort, Oregon) on clarinets and saxophones.

While this grouping turns out some fine live versions of tunes from the Flecktones' three studio albums, many of this release's most interesting moments come when the Flecktones, augmented by a revolving roster of amazing guests, attack non-Flecktone material. New tunes and side project compositions are highlighted by tracks such as "New South Africa" (which appeared on a multi-artist release A Place of Hope) and "Stomping Grounds," culled from one of the group's recent trips to Korea. Many of Bela's old bands are represented both in material and as guests, including Strength in Numbers demon mandolin player Sam Bush (on "Lochs of Dread" and a rousing version of the New Grass Revival's "Bigfoot"). Early Flecktone classics are given a fresh coat of paint, including "UFO Tofu," with original Flecktone Howard Levy returning to add his distinctive harmonica and keyboards sound, and "Flying Saucer Dudes," in which the original Flecktone lineup -- Fleck, Levy and the Wootens -- is augmented by master jazz musician Branford Marsalis on soprano sax.

The Wooten brothers each get some solo turns with Future Man (or "Futch," as he is now known) showing off the amazing capabilities of his guitar-shaped synthesized percussion instrument on "The Water Ritual," and Victor combining a bass improvisation with a finger-tapped harmonics version of "Amazing Grace." Elsewhere, pianist Chick Corea gets down with the core band, expanded by Strength In Numbers' Edgar Meyer on bowed acoustic bass, Jerry Douglas on dobro, fiddler Stuart Duncan, and Sam Bush's mandolin, on Victor Wooten's rapped "The Message." From there on, it's all different combinations of players, all inspiring each other to new heights of musical exploration. Long time cohort John Cowan turns in a belting rendition of the Beatles classic "Oh Darling." Then there's the mind-boggling interpretation of "Cheeseballs in Cowtown," where Chick Corea shows just how well he can play bluegrass. A rare version of "More Luv," with the Flecktones joined by Bush and piano virtuoso and sometimes-Grateful Dead member Bruce Hornsby, is unearthed, as well as a wondrous Fleck solo track, where he combines an excerpt from Bach's "Presto from Sonata #1 in G minor" with the Beverly Hillbillies theme "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the first tune Fleck ever learned on banjo.

While most concert performances merely reproduce an artist's studio output, and most live albums recycle previous material, Fleck and company have gone above and beyond in expanding upon their already impressive work. Certainly you will never think of the banjo in the same way after you have heard it played by Bela Fleck.

Lahri Bond - September 1, 1996
Music Wire
 

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