Bela Fleck Tales From The Acoustic Planet CD

Live Recording

Personnel: Bela Fleck (banjo); Matt Mundy (mandolin); Connie Heard, Mary Kathryn Vanasdale (violin); Kristin Wilkinson (viola); Grace Bahng (cello); Dennis Solee (clarinet); George Tidwell (trumpet); Robert Barry Green (trombone); Edgar Meyer (piano, acoustic bass); Victor Wooten (acoustic & electric basses); Future Man (drums, acoustic percussion, wind); Kenny Malone (drums, percussion); Chick Corea, Jerry Douglas, Bruce Hornsby, Paul McCandless, Branford Marsalis, Tony Rice, Stuart Duncan, Sam Bush.
Engineers: Bil Vorndick, Bernie Kirsh, Dave Sinko.
Recorded from January to March 1994. Includes liner notes by Bela Fleck.
All songs written by Bela Fleck except "Arkansas Traveler" (P.D.).
"Cheeseballs In Cowtown" was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance.
Having spent the last five years touring and recording with his virtuoso electric ensemble, the Flecktones, banjo innovator Bela Fleck has created a concept album that celebrates his many musical friends and influences, in a homey setting. TALES FROM THE ACOUSTIC PLANET, an elegant, immaculately produced aural novella, is something of a homecoming dance for Bela--and surely the most ambitious, satisfying portrait yet of Fleck as a composer and arranger.
In exploring connections and defying conventions, TALES FROM THE ACOUSTIC PLANET presents an open-ended suite, drawing upon Fleck's roots in bluegrass, jazz, folk, country, pop and world music--eschewing hot licks in favor of tightly structured, bucolic musical settings. Tunes such as "Up And Running," "The Great Circle Route," "The Landing" and "System Seven" seem to mix a polymetric jazz approach with folkishly thematic material and stately melodic interplay--sounding, at once, very modern yet quite ancient. The talents of guest instrumentalists such as Edgar Meyer, Sam Bush and Tony Rice perfectly complement Fleck's feathery arpeggios and cross-rhythms. And extended forms such as "Circus Of Regrets" and "Jayme Lynn" indicate how far Fleck has come as a composer.
Elsewhere, oboe master Paul McCandless gives the rustic sounding drone "First Light" and the dancing "Three Bridges Home" a renaissance fair lilt worthy of Oregon (his semi-regular band), while "Cheeseballs In Cowtown" showcases Fleck's joyous feel for modern bluegrass. Among other highlights, there's a triad of fascinating collaborations with pianist Chick Corea, including the jazzy "Backwoods Galaxy" (with Branford Marsalis) and the chamber-like "In Your Eyes."
Personnel: Jerry Douglas , Tony Rice (guitar); Matt Mundy, Sam Bush (mandolin); Connie Heard, Mary Kathryn Vanosdale (violin); Stuart Duncan (fiddle); Kristin Wilkinson (viola); Grace Bahng (cello); Denis Solee (clarinet); Paul McCandless (bass clarinet, oboe, alto saxophone); Future Man (woodwinds, drums, percussion); Branford Marsalis (tenor saxophone); George Tidwell (trumpet); Robert Barry Green (trombone); Chick Corea, Edgar Meyer, Bruce Hornsby (piano); Kenny Malone (drums, percussion).
Liner Note Author: Béla Fleck.
Recording information: Mad Hatter Studios (01/1994-03/1994); Music Row Audio (01/1994-03/1994); Nightingale (01/1994-03/1994).
Whether this exceptional album is jazz with its roots in bluegrass or vice versa doesn't matter, because whatever it is, it works -- wonderfully. Fleck is joined by his jazz friends (Chick Corea and Branford Marsalis) as well as his progressive bluegrass pals (Sam Bush, Tony Rice, and Jerry Douglas), plus members of his usual backing band, the Flecktones (Victor Wooten and Future Man). The resulting performances should pique the interest of curious listeners across any number of genres. ~ Brian Beatty

Entertainment Weekly (4/7/95, pp.91-92) - "...Even when the tunes amble into sophisticated territory, losing their melodies along the way, there's no faulting Fleck's impeccable musicianship..." - Rating: B+
Down Beat (6/95, p.53) - 3.5 Stars - Good Plus - "...[Fleck] plays through a constellation of styles--a meld of soft jazz in the Oregon zone, relaxed acoustic folk a la David Grisman, mainstream jazz and straight ahead bluegrass. All the while, Fleck stays close to his country-acoustic roots bolstered by an all-star supporting cast..."
Sing Out! (8-10/95, pp.131-132) - "...includes some of Fleck's best material in years..."