Béla Fleck »My Bluegrass Heart«
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Shimmering precision music
Over the course of the decades, banjo grandmaster Béla Fleck has taken his instrument to some unusual places leaving the usual bluegrass and country contexts behind – including classical concert halls, jazz clubs and a tour with Siberian overtone singers. The New York musician picked up 15 Grammys in the process. His roots, however, are firmly in bluegrass, that shimmering precision music from the southern states of the USA.
Béla Fleck is now coming to the Elbphilharmonie with his five-strong band and his album »My Bluegrass Heart«. The record is part three of a long-term trilogy that began with »Drive« in 1988, followed by »The Bluegrass Sessions« in 1999. The latest album is a homecoming for the musical wanderer, who has diligently studied the banjo in all its varieties and global history (including its African roots).
Bluegrass was always at the heart of his work, but as a New Yorker, not coming from the genre’s place of origin, external sources of inspiration were essential. Featuring prominently among those sources of inspiration was Chick Corea, an Italian-American who played Latin music and cheekily called one of his albums »My Spanish Heart«. »My Bluegrass Heart« is thereby also a heartfelt homage to the long-standing musical companion who died in 2021.
Performers
Béla Fleck banjo
Michael Cleveland fiddle
Sierra Hull mandolin
Justin Moses dobro, fiddle, banjo
Bryan Sutton guitar
Mark Schatz bass
Programme
»My Bluegrass Heart«
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