Perpetual Motion CD

Guests:Edgar Meyer,Joshua Bell ,J.Williams,E.Glennie,C.Thile

Personnel includes: Bela Fleck (banjo); Joshua Bell (violin); Gary Hoffman (cello); Evelyn Glennie (marimba); Edgar Meyer (piano, bass); John Williams (guitar); Bryan Sutton (steel string guitar); Chris Thile (mandolin).
Engineers include: Robert Battaglia, Richard Battaglia, Steve Orchard.
Recorded at Avatar, Peacock Gardens, Nashville, Tennessee; Lyndhurst Hall, Air Studios, London, England; Avatar Studios, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Bela Fleck.
PERPETUAL MOTION won the 2002 Grammy Award For Best Classical Crossover Album. "Doctor Gardus Ad Parnassum" won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
Banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck has certainly broken more boundaries than any other picker in recent memory, from his early days performing bluegrass-inspired folk compositions on Rounder in the late '70s to his quirky jazz freak-outs with the Flecktones throughout the '90s. In late 2001, this peculiar innovator released an album of banjo interpretations of classical works by Bach, Chopin, and Scarlatti. Before classical purists roll their eyes, they must remember that the banjo hasn't always been seen as the instrument of choice of backwoods musicians in the Appalachian mountains, but as recently as the 1940s was used as a primary rhythm instrument in all manner of parlor music. That being said, Perpetual Motion is a bright and unique take on several well-known classical pieces (Moonlight Sonata, Bach's Cello Suite No. 1) as well as a number of interpretations of Bach's two-part and three-part inventions. These light and brief inventions act as buffers between the longer, more dramatic pieces, but end up serving as some of the highlights of the album. With Fleck often accompanied by Evelyn Glennie on marimba and Appalachia Waltz musicians Joshua Bell and Edgar Meyer on violin and bass, these short, delicate pieces weave in and out of the album, proving that the banjo can be seen in a different light altogether. Fleck's picking is uniquely unparalleled in that he can so easily dip his feet into so many different genres with an instrument that is so quickly pigeonholed. The album drifts easily into the background, which is not necessarily a detraction but, knowing the fire that Fleck can unleash from his fingertips, it would have been nice to have a few more impassioned numbers on the album. The closest the ensemble comes to really making some noise is the final track, Paganini's Moto Perpetuo (arranged in a bluegrass style), which is not necessarily more forceful, but is certainly faster and louder. ~ Zac Johnson
When thinking of classical music of the 18th and 19th centuries, one instrument that rarely jumps to mind is the banjo, and that is putting it mildly. With PERPETUAL MOTION, a collection of unique arrangements of pieces by the likes of Bach, Beethoven and Chopin, Bela Fleck may have changed that perception permanently. Though "chops man" or "shredder" might have been the more common description of the chief Flecktone in the past, here he has handily earned the more traditional musical accolades "maestro" and "virtuoso." Egged on by fellow crossover musician and good friend, bassist Edgar Meyer, Mr. Fleck put in much time listening to a great deal of pieces, chose what he liked and set to work on creating renditions. Except for key changes to fit his instrument's range, these versions are remarkably faithful. To his credit he gives generous space to his accompanists, a stellar cast of instrumentalists including violinist Joshua Bell, percussionist Evelyn Glennie and guitarist John Williams. Only on the final track does Mr. Fleck let his bluegrass roots sneak into the picture in a rousing take on Nicolo Paganini's MOTO PERPETUO.