Show Review

Some musicians just rise to a higher level than the average professional. Sure, nearly all of the artists that record critically acclaimed albums and successfully tour the country have a rare gift for doing what they do. But musicians like Béla Fleck and the Flecktones don’t just have more talent than that of their contemporaries; they blow almost every single comparable act out of the water. Actually, on second thought, there is no one that even compares to them - we’re talking legendary skills, impeccable showmanship, and the ability to each add their signature to the mix while retaining their uniqueness and individuality.

With demigod Victor Wooten on the bass, sensationally skilled Jeff Coffin on saxophone (and other wind instruments), and the extraterrestrial Future Man on the “SynthAxeDrumitar” backing the incomparable Béla Fleck on banjo, the Flecktones consistently explore realms of musicality that no other group on the planet can visit. Celebrating the success of their latest release, the understatedly titled, multi-dimensional soundscape, Little Worlds, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones arrived in Washington DC for a special Saturday night show at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium. And they demonstrated to the audience what these virtuosos do best, delivering a night of lush and complex compositions performed to perfection.

Opening the first set with fan favorite “Big Country,” Bela took some time to bask in the lead, before handing the reigns to Wooten and Coffin. “Earth Jam” provided room for Coffin’s somewhat smoother side, and “Puffy” allowed opportunity for his dual-sax solo, before Wooten showcased his full bag of bass tricks, and launched into the most impressive bass clinic I‘ve witnessed, “Costa Brava.” Justifiably regarded as the best low-end player in the world, Wooten has advanced skills most only dream of, that is of course they can even envision half of the high-speed moves he creates. Incorporating tricks and teases, including a complete harmonic-happy “Amazing Grace” and a nod to the “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies,” he used slaps, finger-riffing, fret harmonics, and some self-developed hand positions to raise the energy from the crowd for the first of the evening. When a fan yelled out “Victor, You ROCK,” Béla replied “It’s Victor’s job to rock.”

Sandip Burman, a native of Durgapur, India, and world-renowned tabla player, joined the Flecktones for “Am Latin”. With speed, accuracy, and a smile on his face, his sound meshed perfectly with the Flecktones, continuing the crescendo of energy and excitement into set break.

The second set began with Wooten taking a moment to talk about the notable history of percussion in the DC area, describing how great jazz drummers like Grady Tate, Sonny Greer, and Billy Hart had all come out of the area’s rich and renowned music scene, before announcing, “put your hands together for Isaiah Williams.” In true Flecktone showmanship, as an older man crossed the stage, he paused and implored someone else in the middle of the theater to come to him. Suddenly, a small child in a soccer jersey strolled up the aisle and was lifted onto the stage. Wooten clarified for those who didn’t believe their eyes – “This is Isaiah Williams and he’s only 8 years old.” The young Williams then proceeded to hang with Future Man hit-for-hit during their 10-plus minute drumming exhibition. It’s rare to see talented youngsters who can actually improvise fills and rolls, lead with both hands, and find the drop in the midst of a tempo change or chaotic moment, but Williams naturally followed and eventually led Future Man down their percussive romp on his own terms.

Once recouped from the tidal wave of percussion, the Flecktones took the stage, again accompanied by Sandip Burman and dove into “Sleeper,” a new fan favorite from Little Worlds as well as the recently released Bonnaroo 2003 compilation. Once the song wrapped up, Burman exited, but Fleck assured the crowd he would return before introducing the hillbilly, reggae inspired new track, “Bil Mon.” This band is really all about textures, and “Bil Mon” explores the full range of elaboration they so effortlessly achieve. Future Man took the lead on “Latitude” and offered some celestial vocals straight from the “cosmic circle” to go along with the funky slip-and-slide grooves. And the following “Moment So Close” had the crowd on the edge of their seats, witnessing and relishing the interaction between the four and their returning guest, Burman.

Wooten and Burman took a little time to face off, echoing each other’s pristine sense of rhythm, ending with Wooten’s crafty flip of the bass around his body like a hula-hoop, much to the crowd’s delight. The group left the stage and Béla Fleck perched atop his bar stool alone to play some banjo. Moving from string to string with technical precision, he ironically produces a seemingly simple, flowing tone. Including a few famous teases in his extended solo, he wound down to the best audience reaction of the night – a full theater standing ovation.

The encore started with Burman scatting to everyone’s amazement, and together they dove into “Hoe Down,” offering another dose of colorful sound. There was little doubt that the Flecktones had purposefully intended to make this show special, but it was confirmed when Béla led his group back out for a rare second encore, explaining, “we haven’t played this song in a while, but we got a request and we’ll see if we can do it justice.” With that, they launched into the New Orleans-meets-Bluegrass “Sleeping Dogs Lie” from their critically lauded Left of Cool. This version featured the gentle clarinet of Jeff Coffin and a final display of the legendary skills of Fleck and Wooten.

As the show finished, some in the crowd left with huge smiles on their faces while others went to the stage for autographs and to meet the musicians. One thing, though was clear to everybody – Béla Fleck and the Flecktones had certainly proved that they are in a league of their own…a league that’s out of this world.

Setlist

I: Big Country, Earth Jam, Puffy, Costa Brava, Victor Wooten Solo^, Am Latin*

II: Future Man Solo#, The Sleeper*, Bil Mon, Latitiude, Moment So Close*, Béla Fleck Solo

E: Hoe Down*

E2: Sleeping Dogs Lie

^ - w/ complete Amazing Grace

* - w/ Sandip Burman on the tabla, stage right

# - w/ 8 year old Isaiah Williams on Future Man’s kit

For info regarding the Victor Wooten produced “Isaiah Williams Project” check out his website at isaiahwilliams.com.

All photos courtesy of Robert Massie. For more of his work, please visit jampics.com.