Bela Fleck Left Of Cool CD

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones: Bela Fleck (gut-string guitar, guitar, acoustic & electric banjos, nylon-string & gut-string banjos, sitar banjo, mandolin, keyboards, Theremin); Future Man (vocals, percussion, synthaxe drumitar, samples); Jeff Coffin (soprano, tenor & baritone saxophones, saxello, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet); Victor Lemonte Wooten (fiddle, cello, acoustic, electric & fretless basses).
Additional personnel includes: Dave Matthews, Amy Grant (vocals).
Engineers: Roger Nichols, Richard Battaglia, Bela Fleck.
All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.
"Almost 12" won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. "Big Country" was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Personnel: Béla Fleck (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, keyboards, synthesizer, Theremin); Future Man (vocals, percussion, sampler); Dave Matthews, Amy Grant (vocals); Victor Wooten (fiddle, cello); Jeff Coffin (flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone).
Audio Mixers: Richard Battaglia; Béla Fleck; Roger Nichols .
Photographer: Jeff Frazier.
Unknown Contributor Role: Béla Fleck.
By the release of 1998's Left of Cool, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones' once-startling blend of fusion, jazz, and bluegrass had lost its ability to surprise. That didn't necessarily mean that they had run out of ideas, but it does mean that Left of Cool simply isn't as captivating as earlier efforts by Fleck. For most fans, the pleasure will be finding the little details within the solos, and there's no denying that the group -- which now boasted Jeff Coffin in addition to Fleck, Victor Wooten, and Roy "Futureman" Wooten -- can play. Often, it's enjoyable to just hear them jam, but the problem is often the songs lack any substance beneath the playing. Only a handful of cuts, such as the opener, "Throwdown at the Hoedown," really make a lasting impression, but the fact that Left of Cool sounds good as it is playing may be enough for many fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
There's no denying that Béla Fleck & the Flecktones -- which on 1998's Left of Cool now boasted Jeff Coffin in addition to Fleck, Victor Wooten, and Roy "Futureman" Wooten -- can play. Often, it's enjoyable to just hear them jam; however, for most fans, the greatest pleasure on Left of Cool will be finding the little details within the solos. The opener, "Throwdown at the Hoedown," is one of a handful of cuts that really makes a lasting impression. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Do yourself a favor and forget about the question, "What is this music?" Your enjoyment of this recording will only further increase upon realizing that these freak-o's don't necessarily know quite what it is that they're playing, either. All the better--the lack of self-consciousness is what makes this concoction feel natural. For the record, however, the identifiable ingredients include funk, pop, folk, jazz and, of course, Fleck's masterful, multi-colored banjo-playing. Tight arrangements meet tastefully with whim throughout.
LEFT OF COOL opens with the frantic funk-out entitled, "Throwdown At The Hoedown," an instrumental replete with foreboding melodies and wildly fast bursts of banjo- and bass-playing (indeed, Van Halen-style fretboard tapping has arrived on the banjo). Other tunes, such as the smooth-sailing "Step Quiet," offer vocal affirmations pleasing to the weary ear. A playful sense of exchange often leaps up between bass-samurai Wooten and the various horns assembled, weaving in and out of melodic conversations and inspired octave passages with glee. And, present as always, is Future Man playing his infamous synthaxe drumitar--reason enough to have a go at this odd little sonic gathering.Entertainment Weekly (7/17/98, p.85) - "...While Bela and the boys tend to homogenize their eclectic sources, it's hard to resist a band that draws on bluegrass, funk, world music, pop and jazz with such glee and blissful lack of pretension." - Rating: B