Track Listing

1. Earth Jam
2. That Old Thing (Intro)
3. That Old Thing (Intro)/Earth Jam
4. Zona Mona
5. Ovombo Summit
6. Hall Of Mirrors
7. Scratch & Sniff
8. Amazing Grace
9. Improv
10. Improv/Amazing Grace
11. Big Country
12. Interlude
13. Lover's Leap
14. Alash Khem (Alash River Song)
15. A Moment So Close
16. Improv
17. Improv/Prelude from Bach violin partita #3
18. Prelude from Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin (BWV 1006)
19. Intro
20. Hoedown

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119241 in Music
• Released on: 2002-02-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live

Amazon.com
Béla Fleck's music is a three-ring circus of stylistic outreach, rooted in folk musics from around the globe, yet tethered to an American improviser's sensibility. Here, the composer and banjo virtuoso is captured in full flight at a concert venue with his core band of collaborators, the Flecktones, featuring multi-reedman Jeff Coffin and the charismatic Wooten Brothers, bassist Victor and percussionist Roy (better known as Futureman). The emotional and technical range the Flecktones routinely explore is showcased in a series of adventurous solo spots: Futureman's sampled percussion and evocations of African vocal traditions on "Ovombo Summit"; Victor's rapid-fire percussive techniques and masterful use of harmonics in a moving improv based on "Amazing Grace"; and Béla's crystalline adaptation of the prelude from Bach's Violin Partita No. 3. Better yet, Fleck augments his presentation with a Justice League of America-styled cabal of master musicians, who, like himself, push the envelope on instruments all too infrequently represented in jazz. Thus, we experience Andy Narell's lithe, sparkling steel drum harmonies on the Americana-inflected pathways of Béla's "Big Country" and on his gorgeous solo turn, "Interlude"; Paul McCandless's airborne, lyric oboe on the reggae changes of "Lover's Leap"; the funky facility of Paul Hanson on "Scratch and Sniff" (as he transforms his bassoon with wah-wah effects until it suggests a synthesizer); and the uncanny emotional impact of Tuvan throat singer Kongar-ol Ondar, who trumps any synth player you've ever heard through his use of multiphonics in the Mongolian vocal tradition. --Chip Stern

Customer Reviews

Oh, man... the musicianship is incredible!
A loyal fan of the 'Tones since I was 12, I am continually impressed by the amazing musicianship that these players seemingly exude from every pore on their bodies. As a musician, I listen to each different part as it is played, and it is my opinion that the members of this band are as tight, if not more so, than any other group out there now, or maybe ever. The interaction between not just the instruments, but the personalities, styles, and voices (yes, we do get to hear Bela sing :) ) gives the listener the appearance of a much more orchestrated product than it orginally seems. On the DVD, we are treated to the stage fun that the Flecktones have, interacting with each other through their music like a group of childhood friends in a toy store. The interviews with the band give those who have not been able to meet these amazing individuals insight into the band and find out exactly how much this music really means to them, and exactly what it evolved from and into.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are simply incredible, to put it mildly, and with the release of yet another live disc, it confirms the fact in my mind that there is nothing like a live Fleck show; the live performance brings out the most amazing aspects of each players talents. To you reading this now, if you haven't purchased it yet, do so. You don't know what you're missing.

Clear winner, no dimpled or hanging chads in sight
Bela Fleck has added another one to the "win" column.

This live recording with the Flecktones, material drawn mostly from "Outbound," is a wonderful listen for all.

Listeners unfamiliar with the group will find this an accessible and enjoyable introduction. No typical live-album fluff, no watered-down versions of studio favorites, no "in jokes" for the already-initiated. It's solid playing from front to back, rich and varied. It captures the astonishing and delightful musicianship of their studio work as well as the playfulness and energy of their live performances.

Longtime fans will find this recording a good addition to their Flecktones collection, even though most songs appear in other studio recordings. The live arrangements are fresh, the group's improvisations endlessly inventive, and the guest musicians tasteful and well-integrated, for the most part. It's familiar ground covered in new ways -- one could hardly call it a rehash of previous releases.

Overall, a very strong release from a group with many strong releases already under their belt. Sincere, virtuosic, creative, tight as hell, energetic. Good stuff.

Everything they do is phenomenal!!
The Flecktones are unique. There is no other way to describe them. Just look through all the reviews of their albums. Live Art. Live at the Quick. Left of Cool. UFO TOFU. Outbound. Little Worlds. Just look at any of these albums and reviews and you'll realize they're always 5 stars. There is a reason. These guys are not only technically fantastic. They are original, inventive, beautiful, fascinating...and you'll find yourself humming the tunes over and over again and playing them constantly in your car. Big Country, Blu-Bop, Sherpa, Puffy...all of us Flecktone-heads can tell you all the tunes but this isn't slickly produced fluff for the mass market. It's difficult,complicated, engaging, interesting stuff. It attracts followers who stick like glue. I've gone to a couple of concerts since discovering him and they are just like the albums. Incredible. Fun. Worth every penny. His music is sort of like classical music for the jazz set. Fleck can improvise and make music with the best of them and attracts Chick Corea, Branford, Hornsby, Derek Trucks, Edgar Meyer, Even Josh Bell and John Williams (the guitarist, not the conductor although he probably has a gig with the Boston Pops in his future if he wants it. He goes way out with Indian, African, Chinese, it must be a hoot to tour with them because they are always trying new stuff and making music from the most unlikely sources.

One final note. Get the DVD Live at the Quick watch it and after you are blown away, loan it to all your friends. I gave it to my brother as a Christmas present last year and found it that it has been passed around his kids school, even the choir director at the school has picked up on it and is doing numbers with Tuvan throat singing!! you have to get the DVD to see what I mean. Every bass player has probably worn it out trying to figure out how Victor does all that weird stuff.

Get this CD and DVD and become a Flecktone fan if you want to see and hear great music by an original. Now read the rest of those 5 star reviews.