bla fleck

Bla Fleck (born July 10, 1958 in New York City, New York) is an American banjo player. He is most well known for his work with the band Bla Fleck and the Flecktones, which he has described as "a mixture of acoustic and electronic music with a lot of roots in folk and bluegrass as well as funk and jazz." 1 Fleck was drawn to the banjo when he first heard Earl Scruggs play the theme song for the television show Beverly Hillbillies. He received his first banjo at age fifteen from his Grandfather (1973).1,2 Later, Fleck would enroll in New York City's, High School of Music and Art where he would study French Horn. Almost immediately after high school, Fleck traveled to Boston to play with Jack Tottle and Mark Schatz in Tasty Licks. It is with Tasty Licks that Fleck would play on his first major album. During this period, Fleck would release his first solo album (1979): Crossing the Tracks. It was Fleck's first foray into progressive-bluegrass composition.5 Fleck would play on the streets of Boston with bassist Mark Schatz until the two formed in 1981. Fleck toured with Spectrum until 1981. That year, Fleck was also asked by Sam Bush and company to join New Grass Revival. Fleck performed with New Grass Revival for nine years. During this time, Fleck recorded another solo album, "Drive." It would be nominated for a Grammy in the then first-time category of Best Bluegrass Album (1988). After a 1988 phone call with bassist Victor Wooten, Fleck and Wooten formed Bla Fleck and the Flecktones, rounded out with harmonica player Howard Levy and Wooten's percussionist brother Roy "Future Man" Wooten, who plays synthesizer-based percussion. With the Flecktones, Fleck has been nominated for and won several Grammy awards. Fleck has shared Grammy wins with Asleep at the Wheel, Alison Brown, and Edgar Meyer. He has been nominated in more categories than any other musician including country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, and spoken word, as well as composition and arranging. In 2000, Fleck collaborated with long-time friend and playing-partner Edgar Meyer to record an album of classical material played on the banjo along with an assortment of accompanists, including John Williams, Evelyn Glennie, Joshua Bell and Gary Hoffman. Perpetual Motion won two Grammy's in 2000 for Best Classical Crossover Album and Best Arrangement for Fleck and Meyer's arrangement of Doctor Ad Grassus Parnum by Debussy. Fleck and Meyer have also composed a Banjo Conerto that has been played numerous times with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. Fleck names Chick Corea, Charlie Parker, and the afore-mentioned Earl Scruggs as influences. He regards Scruggs as "certainly the best" banjo player of the three-finger style. 1 Solo and with the Flecktones, Fleck has appeared at Telluride Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival and Newport Folk Festival, among others.

Grammy Awards

1995

Best Country Instrumental Performance, "Hightower" (single) by Asleep at the Wheel with Bla Fleck and Johnny Gimble

1996

Best Pop Instrumental Performance, "The Sinister Minister" (track) by Bla Fleck and the Flecktones

1998

Best Instrumental Composition, "Almost 12" (track) by Bla Fleck, Future Man, and Victor Lemonte Wooten

2000

Best Country Instrumental Perfomance, 'Leaving Cottondale' (track) by Alison Brown and Bla Fleck
Best Contemporary Jazz Album, Outbound by Bla Fleck and the Flecktones

2001

Best Instrumental Arrangement, 'Claude Debussy "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum" from Children's Corner' Bla Fleck and Edgar Meyer (Bla Fleck with Joshua Bell and Gary Hoffmann).
Best Classical Crossover Album, Perpetual Motion, with Bla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and others

Grammy Nominations

1986

Best Country Instrumental, "Seven by Seven", by New Grass Revival

1987

Best Country Instrumental, "Metric Lips", by New Grass Revival

1988

Best Bluegrass Album, "Drive", by Bla Fleck

1989

Best Country Instrumental, "Bigfoot", by New Grass Revival

1990

Best Jazz Album, "Bla Fleck & the Flecktones", by Bla Fleck and the Flecktones

1991

Best Jazz Album, "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo", by Bla Fleck and the Flecktones
Best Jazz Instrumental or Instrumental Composition, "Blu-bop", by Bla Fleck and the Flecktones